AMHERST, Mass. --  The Amherst College women's hockey team tuned up for the final weekend of the regular season with a 5-0 win over the University of New England Tuesday night at Orr Rink. 

The Mammoths scored three goals in a 50-second span to salt the game away. They improved to 11-8-1 on the season while UNE fell to 8-11-2 overall. Amherst will end the regular season with back-to-back games at Colby Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's puck drop is 7 p.m.

Kenzie MacDonald scored two goals and had one assist in the victory.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

* Amherst took the lead at the 17:53 mark of the second period. The goal came three seconds off a face-off in the UNE zone. Kenzie MacDonald won the draw to left winger Rylee Glennon, who quickly fired a pass to Kelsey Stewart jut inside the blueline. Stewart's shot was on target down the middle and low enough for Macdonald to tip high over the shoulder of Laurendeau into the top shelf for the 1-0 lead.

*  Amherst dominated the opening 20 minutes to the tune of a 19-1 advantage in hots, bit Nor'easters' goalie Kaleigh Laurendeau was up to the task, stopping all 19 attempts. Mammoth Kate Pohl had the best opportunity of the period, blocking a shot at own blueline, wining the puck from defender at center ice and skating in alone on Laurendeau, who blocked it with her left pad.  

* Amherst had another power-play opportunity early in the third. Avery Flynn got off three darts from the blueline that Laurendeau managed to stop.

* At the 14:00 minute mark, MacDonald won another face-off at the left circle in the UNE zone Elizabeth Holubiak took a quick shot that glanced off the skate a defender and toward the slot. Just as it appeared another Nor'easter would possess, Mammoth Ellie DeCarlo flipped the puck onto her stick, fired a shot from the mid-slot and beat the goalie stick side for the two-goal lead.

* That opened the floodgates only 1:25 later, Amherst would begin a streak of three goals in 50 seconds. At the 12:35 mark, Glennon began a breakout play along the left boards in her own zone, sliding a pass to Angelina Wiater at center ice. Wiatek quickly found Alyssa Xu just before the UNE blueline, sending the speedy forward in on Laurendeau alone. Xu deked left and slid right, tucking a shot around the left pad of the goalie for a 3-0 lead.

* Only 20 seconds later, Stephanie Nomicos's shot from the left point found its way into a crowded goal area, deflected off Wiater's ankle and slid slowly into the net for a 4-0 lead. MacDonald wrapped up the scoring when her tough angle shot from low in the left circle glanced off Laurendeau and into the goal at the 11:45 mark.



BY THE NUMBERS:

* Amherst ended the game with a 54-7 advantage in shots. 

* Mammoth senior Caitlin Walker made 7 saves to post her 4th shutout of the season. Laurendeau stopped 49 of 54 shots she faced.

* Amherst won 31 of 46 face-offs on the night. Anna Baxter won 10 out of 11 and Wiater won 12 of 16.