Courtesy of Williams Sports Information
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – The Amherst College women's ice hockey team defeated Little Three rival Williams College Friday night in NESCAC play, 6-2. Both teams sported pink accents in support of those affected by breast cancer.
Amherst entered tonight's game ranked third in the NESCAC, while the Ephs sat slightly above, ranked second. After the win, the Jeffs improved to 7-2-2 in league play and 11-5-3 overall. Williams dropped to 8-2-1 following the loss and 11-7-1 on the season.
After two closely contested periods, the away team pulled ahead in the final frame with three unanswered goals.
The Jeffs struck first, registering a goal after 5:25 of play. First-year Lynndy Smith got a shot off which Eph netminder Margaret Draper blocked, but Courtney Baranek '14 collected the rebound and slid it past Draper to earn her team an early 1-0 lead. Caitlyn Ryan '17 was also credited with an assist.
While both sides saw scoring opportunities throughout the remainder of the frame, neither would be able to capitalize. Amherst entered the first intermission with 16 shots to Williams' 10, and a slight 1-0 lead.
The Ephs came out firing in the middle frame and evened things out at the 16:17 mark with a beautiful goal from senior co-captain Cristina Bravi. She received a pass from fellow classmate and co-captain, Gabby Vukasin, and with her back to the goal she spun and took a quick backhander that slid between the pads of Amherst goalie Kerri Stuart '14. First-year Hanna Beattie also aided on the equalizer.
Undeterred, Amherst was quick to regain their lead. Just over three minutes later, Erin Martin '16 registered an unassisted goal when she walked through the middle of the slot, pump faked and shot against the grain to beat Draper on her blocker side.
The Jeffs upped their lead once again and took a comfortable 3-1 advantage a couple of minutes later. Sara Culhane '17 received a pass from Barrett McBride '14, skated in on the left wing and took a quick wrist shot that beat Draper over her left shoulder.
The Ephs killed a crucial penalty late in the period to hold off another Amherst goal, and then stole the momentum with 52 seconds remaining. They cut their deficit in half thanks to a goal from first-year Emily Krueger. Hadley DesMeules '16 sent a pass across the blue line to Talia Simon '16, who skated down the boards and shot it towards the middle. Krueger managed to tip it past Stuart, putting the score at 3-2 headed into the intermission.
Eph penalties in the final period proved to be costly, as the Jeffs would score back-to-back goals, both coming on the power play. The first came from Smith, set up by Baranek with 12:04 to play. Two minutes later, Smith was back in on the action and set up teammate Emily Flom '15, who sent one home to give Amherst a 5-2 lead.
The relentless Amherst offense continued to penetrate and put the game out of reach when they notched their sixth goal of the evening. Camille Herzog '17 sent in a shot from just in front of the blue line, which Culhane redirected by Draper for her second goal of the night. Audrey Duquette '17 collected an assist on the play.
Stuart concluded the night with 29 saves in goal, while Draper turned away 30 bids.
The Jeffs look to sweep the series tomorrow, when they face off against their archrival once again. The puck drops in Lansing Chapman Rink at 3pm.
