AMHERST, MA - In a game marred by penalties, visiting ECAC East foe New England College (NEC) defeated the Amherst College men's hockey team 2-1 on Saturday. The Pilgrims used a short-handed goal by junior tri-captain Adam Wallace (Chicago, IL) to earn the victory, improving to 12-4-2 overall and 6-3-2 in conference play. Sophomore A.J. Greco (Williamsville, NY) netted the Jeffs lone score as they fell to 9-7-2 overall and 4-7-1.

The Amherst defense was outstanding in the first period, killing all three NEC power-play opportunities, while first-year goalie Dan Smith (Rochester, MN) stopped all 12 Pligrim shots. After the scoreless opening frame, the visitors wasted no time in taking the lead as junior Phil Goebel (Parma Heights, OH) scored off a feed from sophomore Jeremy Koning (Chatham, Ontario) at the 1:53-mark in the second period. Greco evened the score two minutes later, taking the puck from classmate Steve Nelson (Wayzata, MN) at center ice all the way to the net and beating the goalie with a great move from the right side.

After a slew of penalties, the Jeffs found themselves with a 5-on-3 advantage midway through the second session. However, after an Amherst penalty, NEC capitalized on a turnover, and Wallace took the puck the length of the ice and beat Smith with the game-winner. Amherst gained another two-man advantage in the final minutes of the period, but could not find the net as the Pilgrims killed the power play.

The final session saw little action as the teams traded possessions throughout, each mounting only seven shots on goal. The Jeffs had two third-period power-play opportunities, but NEC's defense held strong and denied Amherst any legitimate shots on goal.

Smith finished with 29 saves, while NEC junior Michael Shimek (Grove City, PA) collected 26 in the win.

Amherst returns to action Friday at 7 p.m. at NESCAC rival Middlebury College.