AMHERST, MA – First year Ayla Abban's first two collegiate career goals lifted Amherst women's hockey to a 3-0 win over Williams in both team's season openers Friday night at Orr Ring. 

Amherst (1-0) will play the Ephs again on Saturday with the game set to commence at 3 p.m. at Orr Rink.

Amherst junior goalkeeper Natalie Stott made 21 saves to earn the shutout, the 23rd of her career at Amherst.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• During a 5-on-3 power-play against the Mammoths in the second period, Williams' defenseman Quinn Dawson passed the puck to teammate Claire Murphy, where Murphy took the shot at net. Mammoth Emily Hohmann blocked the incoming shot and cleared it across the ice. 
• Right when the Mammoth's regained their numbers from a that power-play, Gretchen Dann received the puck by the boards and sent it up to Eph goaltender Erin Pye. Pye made the clear, but Mammoth Abban collected the puck, skated in on goal and backhanded a shot that found the back of the net at 3:32 of the second period for her first collegiate goal and a 1-0 Amherst lead.
• 17:09 into the third period on an Amherst power play, Abban cleared the puck out of Amherst's zone into an empty net, just as the Ephs pulled Pye from the net, putting the Mammoths up to a 2-0 advantage. 
• With just 12 seconds left in third period, Amherst's Sami Lester cleared the puck up towards Williams' empty net. The puck deflected off of the post. Natalie Fu skated up and buried the puck into the back of the net, securing a 3-0 final score over the Ephs. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• Amherst outshot Williams 53-21.
• The Mammoths went 1-3 on power plays, whereas the Ephs went 0-4. 
• Amherst won 35 out of the 56 face-offs.  Senior captain Anna baxter won 16 of the 23 she drew in the contest.