AMHERST, Mass. -- The #2-ranked Amherst College women's hockey team delivered a complete, start-to-finish performance on Tuesday night, shutting out Wesleyan 4–0 behind balanced scoring, a smothering defensive performance, and another composed outing in net from Natalie Stott. 

Stott made 17 saves en route to her 39th career shutout, extending her NCAA Div. III career shutouts record. Amherst imporved to 12-1-3 with the win and 5-0-3 in conference play. The Mammoths travel to Maine this weekend for a pair of games with Bowdoin College. Friday's puck drop is 7 p.m.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

Tuesday, the Mammoths set the tone immediately, controlling possession from the opening face-off and spending extended stretches in the offensive zone during the first period. Amherst generated chance after chance in the opening 10 minutes, forcing Wesleyan goaltender Sami Smith into early action as shots came from every line.

That pressure finally paid off at 9:28 of the first period. Gretchen Dann opened the scoring with her team-leading 10th goal of the season, finishing a play set up by Carlisle Brush and Junfei (Tammy) Zhu. The goal capped a dominant stretch for Amherst and gave the Mammoths a deserved 1–0 lead.

Amherst continued to push after the opening tally, outshooting Wesleyan and winning key face-offs to maintain control. Wesleyan earned a power-play opportunity midway through the period, but Amherst's penalty kill responded with strong positioning and shot blocking, highlighted by blocks from Dann and Sami Lester. Stott turned aside the few chances that did get through, keeping the Cardinals off the board heading into the intermission.

The Mammoths carried their momentum into the second period, once again hemming Wesleyan in its own zone. Amherst peppered Smith with shots from the slot and the point, narrowly missing on several attempts—including a shot off the post by Cara Mancini—before breaking through again.

At 10:58 of the second period, Malaya Anaba doubled the lead, finishing a well-worked sequence with assists from Emily Hohmann and Natalie Fu. The goal marked Anaba's second of the season and reflected Amherst's depth, as contributions continued to come from throughout the lineup.

Wesleyan attempted to respond with increased physicality, but Amherst never relented. The Mammoths killed another Cardinal power play later in the game and continued to dominate puck possession, limiting Wesleyan to mostly low-quality chances. Stott remained calm and steady, tracking shots cleanly and preventing rebounds as Amherst entered the third period with a 2–0 advantage.

Any hopes of a Wesleyan comeback were quickly extinguished in the final frame. Amherst struck at 10:36 when Annabel Raffin made it 3–0, finishing a feed from Clare O'Connor after sustained offensive-zone pressure. Just under four minutes later, the Mammoths put the game out of reach.

At 14:25, Maeve Reynolds buried Amherst's fourth goal on the power play, converting a setup from Bea Flynn and Dann to cap a dominant afternoon. The goal highlighted Amherst's efficiency with the man advantage and underscored the team's control in all three zones.

From there, Amherst focused on closing out the shutout, rolling lines and continuing to block shots defensively. Stott turned aside every Wesleyan attempt in the final minutes, securing a clean sheet as the Mammoths skated off with a convincing 4–0 victory.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Stott finished with 17 saves, Smith made 45 saves for the Cardinals. 

Amherst won 39 of 64 face-offs in te game, with Reynolds winning 16 of the 23 draws she took.