CLINTON, NY – Randi Zukas '11 (Glen Head, NY) scored one goal and had two assists to lead the fifth-ranked Amherst College women's ice hockey team to a 4-3 win against Hamilton College Sunday afternoon at Russell Sage Rink.

The Lord Jeffs held a seemingly comfortable 3-0 lead after two periods, but the Continentals came roaring back in the third to make things interesting. Amherst (10-4-2 overall, 8-1-1 NESCAC) won its fourth straight game to move into a tie with Middlebury College for first place in the NESCAC standings.

Ellen Swiontkowski '12 (Minnetonka, MN), Geneva Lloyd '13 (Calgary, Alberta) and Julia Koch '11 (Rochester Hills, MI) also scored for Amherst, while Sinead Murphy '12 (Rochester, MN) stopped 15 shots to improve to 3-1-1 on the season. Three players scored for the Continentals (6-9-0, 4-6), who got 36 saves from Becca Hazlett '13.

Lloyd gave the Jeffs a 1-0 lead at 2:21 of the first period when she received a pass from Swiontkowski and hammered a one-timer from below the right circle into the back of the net.

Murphy came up big twice for the Jeffs early in the second period, stopping a breakaway opportunity before turning Gigi Fraser '14 away on a 2-on-none break as the Continentals caught Amherst on a line change.

The Jeffs stretched their lead late in the second period. Zukas made the score 2-0 with a nice wrist shot from above the left circle near the blue line with 2:49 left. Swiontkowski then made it a three-goal cushion during a 4-on-3 power play with 1:19 remaining when she connected on a shot from the middle of the left circle.

Hamilton started its rally just 32 seconds into the third period. Jill Tokarczyk '14 fired a slap shot from above the left circle but was blocked, and the loose puck came to Fraser in the slot, where she fired it past Murphy. The goal ended Amherst's shutout streak against the Continentals at 100 minutes, 32 seconds.

Two Jeffs were sent to the penalty box within 26 seconds of each other, giving Hamilton a 5-on-3 power play for 1:34 starting at 5:04 of the third. The Continentals took advantage 31 seconds later when Meredith Bitterman '12 smashed a one-timer from the bottom of the left circle for her second goal this season. Bitterman's tally marked the first time since Dec. 3 that Hamilton had scored a power-play goal and that Amherst had allowed one. The Jeffs had successfully killed 39 consecutive penalties, a streak that spanned 12 games.

The score remained 3-2 until 4:22 remained in the final period. A slap shot by Amherst's Emily Vitale '12 (Cheshire, CT) was blocked in the slot by the Continentals' Bret Lineberry '11, but the puck bounced to Koch in the right circle, and her slap shot eluded Hazlett.

After a hooking penalty on the Jeffs with 1:12 left, Hazlett was pulled for an extra skater. Hamilton took advantage of the 6-on-4 situation and pulled within one goal again. Stephanie Lang '14 knocked in a loose puck from the left post with 41.6 seconds left to make it 4-3. The Continentals were able to remove Hazlett again for the final 15 seconds, but they didn't get a shot on goal.

Amherst enjoyed a 40-18 shot advantage and was 1-for-5 on the power play. Hamilton entered the afternoon just 2-for-73 on the power play but was 2-for-7 against the Jeffs. The all-time series is tied, 13-13-2, as the two-time defending NCAA Division III champion Jeffs are unbeaten in their last 13 games against the Continentals.

Amherst will return to action Friday, Jan. 28, when they host Colby College.