AMHERST, Mass. -- Natalie Stott made 20 saves and Avery Flynn and Rylee Glennon netted goals Saturday as the #4-ranked Amherst College women's hockey team defeated Wesleyan University, 2-0, in a quarterfinal game of the 2023 New England Small College Athletic Conference Tournament at Orr Rink. 

The Mammoths -- the top-seed in the tournament -- improved to 22-3-0 on the season and will now host the semifinal and championship game at Orr Rink next Saturday and Sunday, March 4-5. Wesleyan's season concludes with a 10-14-1 mark overall. 

GAME HIGHLIGHTS: 

* The first period was a fairly even battle with both teams creating quality scoring chances but Stott and Cardinal counterpart Rei Halloran proved equal to the challenge. Stott made 8 saves in the frame and Halloran 10. Amherst had one of its four power plays in the period, but Halloran denied both Glennon and defender Emily Hohmann,

* The pace remained the same for the first half of the second period. Amherst's defense, led by Flynn, Leslie Schwartz, Hohmann, Kelsey Stewart, Gretchen Dann, and Alejandra Ubarri, played at a high level, breaking u cardinal rushes, clearing rounds, and blocking shots in front of Stott. 

*With 5:53 remaining in the stanza, Carley Daly picked up a rebound behind the goal off a shot from Marie-Eve Marleau, She cycled back around to the left boards and left a drop pass for Flynn skating down from the left point. Flynn cut across the left circle, deked a Cardinal defender and she flipped the puck to her backhand and as she entered the slot, let loose with a shot that beat Halloran over her left shoulder into the top right-hand corner of the net for a 1-0 Amherst lead. 

* Wesleyan killed off two more Mammoth power-plays, one late in the second and another early in the third, as Halloran stopped five shots. The cardinals began to put increased pressure on the Mammoths but Stott stood strong for 4 saves in the period while another 3 were blocked by Mammoths. 

* Unable to crack the Mammoths' defensive wall, Wesleyan pulled Halloran off the ice with 1:41 remaining. It took Amherst only 20 seconds to take advantage. Maeve Reynolds broke up a rush at her own blue line and fired a pass up the ice that Glennon skated onto. Glennon skated in on goal with a teammate to her left and a Cardinal defender in the middle, ultimately opting to keep the puck and slide it into the goal from close range with 1:21 remaining in the game. 

BY THE NUMBERS:

*  It was Stott's 10th shutout of the season, leading Div. III across the nation. 

* Amherst outshot Wesleyan, 31-20. Each team blocked six shots in the contest. 

* The Mammoths finished 0 for 3 on the power play. 

* Amherst won 39 of 56 face-offs in the game. Anna Baxter won 15 of 20 drawn while Jayna Park won 10 of the 15 face-offs she took.