MIDDLEBURY, VT. -- Senior Natalie Stott made a season-high 39 saves and classmate Gretchen Dann scored the game's only goal Sunday to lead the Amherst College women's hockey team to a 1-0 win over Colby in the NESCAC Championship game at Middlebury's College's Chip Keynon '85 Arena.
It was the second straight conference championship for the Mammoths and 7th overall (2026, 2025, 2023, 2020, 2020, 2008, 2007) in program history. Amherst will receive the NESCAC's automatic berth into the 2026 Div. III Tournament.
Amherst improved to 19-2-6 with the win.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
* Both teams came out with energy in the opening minutes. Colby generated the first chance just 27 seconds into the game when Megan Martodam fired a shot wide, while Amherst responded moments later with an attempt from Cara Mancini that was turned aside by Colby goaltender Ally Martiniello. At the other end, Stott was tested early by Marion Legge but remained composed in net.
* Colby controlled stretches of the early period, winning several face-offs and generating offensive pressure. Lulu Gray and Keirstyn Camiolo each created opportunities, but the Amherst defense consistently stepped into shooting lanes. Maeve Reynolds and Natalie Fu both recorded key blocks during the sequence to keep the game scoreless.
* Amherst broke through at 9:25 of the first.
* Dann scored her 14th goal of the season off assists from Bea Flynn and Ayla Abban, finishing a quick offensive push to give Amherst a 1–0 lead. Flynn controlled the puck along the left boards and slid it back to Dann, who skated into the left circle and fired a shot through a crowd that found the far right corner. The goal capped a short flurry in which Amherst had already forced Martiniello into saves against Abban and Calleigh Brown.
* The Mammoths continued to press following the goal. Annabel Raffin and Emily Hohmann each had attempts blocked during the next shift, while Colby pushed back late in the period. Stott turned aside shots from Beth Sinson and Martodam to preserve the one-goal advantage heading into the first intermission.
* The second period remained tightly contested, with both teams trading chances but neither able to find the back of the net.
* Amherst generated several opportunities early in the frame, as Maeve Reynolds, Sami Lester, and Flynn all tested Martiniello. Colby answered with attempts from Molly Lefebvre and Courtney Schumacher, but Stott remained steady.
* Special teams factored into the middle frame as well. Amherst earned a power play after a Colby slashing penalty and created multiple looks from Natalie Fu, Reynolds, and Dann, but Martiniello held firm. Later in the period, Colby received a power play of its own, yet Amherst's penalty kill shut down the opportunity to maintain the narrow lead.
* The pressure intensified in the third period as Colby searched for the equalizer.
* The Mules generated a sustained push midway through the frame, with Sinson, Farrell, Corrieri, and Legge all directing shots toward the Amherst net. Stott continued to stand tall, while Amherst defenders repeatedly sacrificed their bodies to block attempts and clear rebounds.
* In the final minutes, Colby pulled Martiniello for the extra attacker to create a six-on-five advantage. The Mules produced several late chances, but Amherst held firm. Dann, Hohmann, and Sami Lester each recorded critical blocks in the closing sequence as the Mammoths protected the lead.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* Colby outshot Amherst 39-32. Of Stott's 39 saves, 16 came in the final stanza.
* Colby won 39 face-offs while the Mammoths captured 29. Calleigh Brown won 13 of 19 face-offs.
* With the win, Stott extended her own NCAA DIII record for goaltender wins to 84 and her all-time career shutout total to 44. She currently leads D3 with 11 shutouts on the season.
