Winter Storm Nemo may have altered the Amherst Women’s Ice Hockey schedule this weekend, but that didn’t deter the Lord Jeffs from taking down league rival Trinity, 5-1, on Sunday afternoon. The Bantams held an 8-1-1 record heading into Sunday’s game, but Amherst smashed that record to improve to 11-8-1 overall, and 9-3-1 in NESCAC play. The victory came after a tough 3-1 loss to non-conference opponent Norwich last Wednesday.
The Lord Jeffs came out strong in the first period on Sunday, out shooting the Bantams, 12-4. Sophomore Emily Flom tallied her second goal of the week and sixth of the year to open scoring for Amherst. Anne Gillard ’15 added the Jeffs’ second goal of the contest in the second period, as the visiting team kept up momentum with an 18-7 shot advantage. The Bantams were unable to cut the deficit before the second intermission.
Tori Salmon ’15 extended the Amherst lead to three just four minutes into the final frame with an assist from senior Kaitlyn McInnis. Lauren Glynn ’14 responded three minutes later to cut the Jeffs’ lead to two, but the Bantams wouldn’t get any closer.
Sophomore Lucy Robinson had Trinity’s best opportunity with under a minute remaining in the game, but an impressive save from Kerri Stuart ’14 positioned Eileen Harris ’16 for an empty netter to put Amherst ahead, 4-1. Salmon added her second goal of the afternoon on a power play with just 12 seconds left in the final period, solidifying the Jeffs’ 5-1 victory.
Amherst held a decisive 42-19 shot advantage over Trinity, and Stuart finished with 18 saves in net as the Jeffs avenged a 4-2 non-conference loss to Trinity back in early December.
On Wednesday, Amherst faced off against No. 4 Norwich on their home ice in a mid-week non-conference contest, looking to avenge a one-goal loss to the Cadets on Jan. 16. The Jeffs tallied one goal on a power play early in the third period, but the Norwich offense proved too strong as the home team fell, 3-1.
The Cadets came out strong in the first frame, outshooting the Jeffs, 12-6, and netting their first goal 13 minutes into the game. Norwich extended its lead with just under two minutes left in the period when a pass from junior Haley Gibson found the stick of Stephanie Invernizzi ’13, who buried the puck to make it a 2-0 score.
The Jeffs looked to cut the deficit on a power play halfway through the second period, as Geneva Lloyd ’13 sent a shot towards the net and Courtney Baranek ’14 got her stick on it, but the puck went just over the crossbar to preserve the Cadet lead.
Norwich kept up the pressure in the remaining minutes of the second, tallying their third and final goal with just over five minutes left in the period.
Amherst saw a short-handed opportunity early in the third as Baranek took advantage of an odd-man rush and sent one across the ice to Salmon, but Cadet goalie Kelly Fisk ’14 stopped the shot to preserve the three-goal lead.
The Jeffs buried their first and only goal on a power play five minutes into the period as Flom found the back of the net with assists from Salmon and senior captain Megan Doyen. Junior Hayley Opperman had a chance to bring Amherst within one on a power play halfway through the period, but her shot bounced off the pipe as Norwich held on for the 3-1 victory.
The Jeffs will face conference leader Bowdoin at home in a doubleheader next Saturday and Sunday in the final weekend of regular season play. Start-time on Saturday is set for 7:30 p.m. in Orr Rink.
