During the season opener, Amherst took the ice at Wesleyan, dominating them 8-0. The Jeffs put 59 shots on goal, compared to Wesleyan’s 6. On the night, 16 out of the 18 Amherst skaters tallied at least one point, while seven different players scored a goal. This diverse and potent attack, plus an extremely strong defense, made it relatively easy on junior goalie Caroline Hu, who saved every shot that went in her direction. The convincing win gave Amherst a 1-0-0 record and plenty of momentum going into the two-day doubleheader against the Cardinals.
In the second day of their two-day split, Amherst once again took complete control of the game, even more so than in the opener. This time, the Lord Jeff defense permitted only two shots on goal (both saved by sophomore goalie Sinead Murphy). Compared with the 57 shots that Amherst put on goal, the Cardinals were simply no match for the number one team in the country. On the day, six different Amherst players scored goals, including junior Megan Curry who accounted for two goals. Another six players tallied at least one point. The dominance displayed by Amherst over the weekend gave them a 2-0-0 record going into Henniker, New Hampshire to take on the New England College Pilgrims.
The Lord Jeffs took to the ice against the Pilgrims last Monday, and opened the game with a power play goal, scored by junior captain Courtney Hanlon, after only four minutes of play. Unlike Wesleyan, New England College was able to score against Amherst, tying the score 1-1 in the first period. The Lord Jeffs rebounded in the second period, with sophomore Josie Fisher scoring the eventual game-winning goal. The forward scored again in the third period, along with a goal from freshman Megan Doyan, to seal the game at 4-1. Once again, Amherst played very well, setting excellent traps on defense and creating plenty of opportunities on offense with 40 shots on goal (compared to the Pilgrims’ 10).
It has been a successful first stint on the ice this year for the Jeffs; however the team is sticking to its philosophy about being realistic. Coach Jim Plumer stated the team has been very focused over the first three games, which has been evident so far on the ice. The team is also being realistic about their upcoming games. While it would be easy to turn on cruise control into the upcoming series against Trinity this weekend, they’re “not taking anything for granted” at this stage, according to Plumer. If the Jeffs can continue their hard work on the ice, they certainly have the capability to do very well. The national champions host a game for the first time this year as the Jeffs takes on Trinity College at Orr Rink at 7 p.m. Friday night.