AMHERST, MA – Two first period goals earned a win for the Amherst men's ice hockey team on Saturday, Jan. 10. Coming off the back of a tough shootout loss to Colby just under 24 hours before puck drop, Mammoths squared off against No. 14 Bowdoin in the second game of the NESCAC weekend. A tough, gritty game came down to the final period, as the Mammoths pulled out their second conference win of the year by a 2-1 score.

With the win the Mammoths improve to 6-4-2 on the season while Bowdoin falls to 8-4-1. Amherst continues the NESCAC portion of their schedule with another two-game conference weekend, with Conn. College coming to Orr Rink on Friday, Jan. 16. Puck drop against the Camels is scheduled for 7 p.m.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
 
* The Mammoths started the game fast, taking a 2-0 lead in the first period. The first goal came with 7:50 to go in the period. After a sustained offensive possession, a Ryan Corcoran shot was turned aside and the loose puck picked off the stick of a Bowdoin player by Cristobal Tola. Tola turned and found defenseman Cade Olenczak skating in the slot, and the first-year ripped a shot past the Polar Bears' netminder to give his side the lead.

* Amherst hit the back of the net once again with just over 2 minutes to go. Matt Vander Vort had a shot turned aside, collected his own rebound and skated up to the blue line.  He then slid a cross-ice pass to Quinton Gove near the left circle, and the junior fired a beauty to the top-right corner to double the lead heading into the second frame.

* The second stanza came and went with neither team scoring, as both goaltenders, Amherst's Andrew Palena and Bowdoin's Jacob Osborne made save after save on each team's best attempts. The Mammoths came closest, with multiple shots on their various power play opportunities throughout the frame. But the game remained 2-0 Amherst into the final period.

* The final period was much like the first two, with chippy play and a shoving match after the final horn. That scrappy play led to a Bowdoin goal halfway through the final period, as Ricky Volpe got one back to make it 2-1.

* However, a late penalty from a Polar Bears' player doomed the comeback effort, as Amherst took advantage of the power play to to kill off 2 of the games last 3 minutes and win the contest 2-1.
 
BY THE NUMBERS:

*  The Polar Bears barely outshot the Mammoths 24-21 in shots on goal in the contest.

* Gove's game winning goal was his first of the year.

* Palena made 16 saves against the Polar Bears.