AMHERST, Mass. – The Amherst College women's ice hockey team is still the reigning NESCAC champion despite its near two-year hiatus from competition. The 2019-20 Mammoths went 17-6-5 (8-4-4 in the NESCAC) and defeated Middlebury, 2-1, in the conference championship to raise their fourth NESCAC banner in program history. The Mammoths hosted an NCAA Tournament game against Norwich but, in an empty Orr Rink due to the nascent COVID-19 precautions, fell 3-1.

The Mammoths open the new season ranked eighth in the USCHO Division III poll. Over the last decade, NESCAC women's ice hockey has been dominated by an intense rivalry between Amherst and the Panthers of Middlebury. Amherst got the best of Middlebury in the 2020 NESCAC final, but Middlebury has defeated Amherst five times in the NESCAC Championship since 2011. Now far removed from the last time any of these teams played a game, the landscape of NESCAC women's ice hockey is more unknown.

"It's really hard to say. In a normal year it's wide open, so I think this year it's a total unknown," said head coach Jeff Matthews, entering his ninth season leading the Mammoths program (not including the scuttled 2020-21 campaign). "We won't know until we get into it. Women's ice hockey keeps getting stronger and stronger, more and more parity, so you can expect to see the standings shifting quite a bit."

One thing is certain, the Mammoths return perhaps the best goaltender in the country. Caitlin Walker '22 was a CCM/AHCA First Team All-American in 2019-20 after making 26 starts for the Mammoths and compiling a record of 16-6-5 in over 1600 minutes of action. She totaled 704 saves on the season and was tops in Division III in three statistical categories – fourth in save percentage (.957), 11^th in goals against average (1.19), and seventh in shut outs (6). Walker was just the fourth woman in program history to be named a First Team All-American and the first sophomore to garner the accolade. The Columbus, Ohio, native holds a career goals against average of just 1.54 goals in her 49 appearances donning the Purple and White. "We are excited to have a player of Caitlin's caliber returning as well as all her classmates. It's a very tight-knit senior group that is providing very strong leadership. With that being said, more than half the team is new. We have players who are brand new to college hockey. We carry the smallest roster in the league as it is, so that leadership component from our returners is so critical, and Caitlin is a big piece of that," said Matthews.

The Mammoths are not simply one-dimensional. Juniors Carley Daly '23 and Kate Pohl '23 both have plenty of experience scoring goals in the NESCAC. In that most recent NESCAC championship season, Daly scored 10 goals and dished 10 assists, totaling 20 points – the third most on the team – as a first year. Pohl bolstered an incredibly strong now-junior class, recording 15 points on the strength of 7 goals and 8 assists in her first season as a Mammoth. Daly and Pohl led the Mammoths with goals in-conference, finding nylon five times each against NESCAC opponents.

Now a senior, Angelina Wiater '22 will also factor in strongly to Amherst's offensive effort, as she scored seven goals in the 2019-20 campaign as a sophomore. With 54 games played for the Mammoths and nine goals scored, Wiater represents – alongside classmates Elizabeth Holubiak, Anna Kruesel, Kenzie MacDonald and Stephanie Nomicos – the experience and leadership the Mammoths will need this season. The Troy, Michigan, native will begin the season as the Mammoth skater with the most career games played.

The Amherst women's ice hockey team begins its 2021-22 season with a weekend series at Hamilton College. The Mammoths will battle the Continentals November 20 and 21 at 7 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively. Manhattanville and Johnson & Wales will travel to Orr Rink the following weekend November 27 and 28 for a pair of non-conference tilts with the Mammoths. Then, Middlebury rolls into Amherst for a weekend double-header that will attract the eyes of the Division III women's hockey world and prove a great early test for both powerhouse programs.

Notably, Amherst women's ice hockey's annual Pink in the Rink game will take place in Orr Rink on January 23 when the Trinity visits the Mammoths.

Before a season full of new challenges and unforeseen circumstances, Matthews summed up the opportunity his Mammoths face with a great deal of confidence, "It's been amazing being back on the ice together. The team sustained a good energy level throughout the entire preseason, just hoping to carry that into our first game and continue getting better."

Coach Matthews certainly knows how to lead a nationally-renowned program. Since becoming head coach in 2012, Matthews as compiled a record of 125-58-29 at the helm of the women's hockey program. With experience coaching All-NESCAC, All-Region, and All-American players in his tenure and plenty of appearances in NESCAC Championship and NCAA Tournament games, Matthews is expertly prepared for this new-look Amherst hockey season.

Kimberly Spring is entering her third year as the assistant coach of the women's ice hockey program. She brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience after a career at Salve Regina where she appeared in 104 games and was twice a captain. Zac Steigmeyer joins the coaching staff working with the goalies, bringing valuable experience from a stint with the UMass hockey program after graduating from UMass in 2021.