The men’s hockey team got off to a great start at the beginning of Thanksgiving break, winning in comeback fashion over Little Three archrival Wesleyan. Junior forward Matt Rhone highlighted the night with a hat trick, which proved to be the difference in the 6-3 win. The team played well in the season opener, putting their record at 1-0-0, and continued to do so in their game against Trinity the next day.

Unfortunately for the Lord Jeffs, Amherst fell 2-0, despite strong efforts by both the defense (which held Trinity to 26 shots on goal) and the offense (which had 34 on-target shots). The game was tied going into the third period, when Trinity scored with less than 10 minutes left in the game. Junior goalie Cole Anderson, who had a stellar afternoon in the crease despite the loss, was later pulled from goal in the hopes that an extra skater could tie the game. Trinity sealed the win with an open-net goal, and the Jeffs took the loss to lower their record to 1-1-0.

The Jeffs then went on the road on Saturday to the Spurrier Tournament at Wesleyan University, where they faced off against the Connecticut College Camels. The Jeffs again had more shots on goal than their opponent. The penalty-killing unit did an excellent job preventing the Camels from scoring on a power play. Rhone proved potent again in this game, as did sophomore forward Eddie Effinger, as both scored goals for the Lord Jeffs. Senior Sean Patterson also scored a goal, his first at the collegiate level. The defense held strong once again, as the only goal scored by Connecticut was on a penalty shot. Amherst took the 3-1 victory, and their improved 2-1-0 record, to the Spurrier Tournament finale.

On Sunday the Jeffs faced off against Wesleyan College for the second time. It didn’t take long for the Jeffs to reassert themselves, as the Jeffs scored 3 goals in the first period. The offensive attack proved to be too much for the Cardinals to handle, as the Jeffs won comfortably 6-1. Senior Keith Nelson and junior Joe Brock both tallied four points each (1 goal, 3 assists and 4 assists, respectively), while Effinger collected 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist). The offensive onslaught was complemented by solid defense and goaltending as Amherst improved their record to 3-1-0 to win the 2009 Spurrier Tournament.

It’s still early in the season, but the Lord Jeffs seem to be putting together another good year out on the ice. Before the season began, senior captain Teddy Vickers said “the big challenge will be finding the right combinations on the ice and rebuilding the strong team chemistry and unity that was so important to our championship team last season.” This Friday the team will suit up at Norwich, where the competition will be tough and ready to play.