The Amherst women’s ice hockey team finished their regular season on a high note, sweeping Wesleyan in a two-game series over the weekend. The purple and white defeated the Cardinals 6-0 on Friday at Wesleyan before beating them again, 6-0, at home on Saturday evening. The home game Saturday marked the senior class’ 100th career game and was senior day for the class of 2016.
Sophomore Bailey Plaman tallied the win in net, making 18 saves between the pipes, while six different skaters added the six goals for Amherst at Spurrier-Snyder Rink. The purple and white put the first goal on the board just under six minutes into the first period. Emma Griese ’18 received a pass from classmate Brenna Sullivan and sent the puck around Wesleyan goaltender Corinne Rivard.
Kristen Molina ’18 added a second Amherst goal at the 9:05 mark to extend the visitor’s lead to 2-0. In the second period, Eileen Harris ’16, Katelyn Pantera ’19 and Erin Martin ’16 added a goal each to make it a five-goal game before entering the third quarter. Sophomore Alex Toupal notched the sixth and final goal of the game with just minutes to play in regulation.
The senior day finale was quite a day for Amherst. Orr Rink was packed with excited fans to celebrate the class of 2016, and the energy was felt in the stands and on the ice. Seniors Erin Martin, Caroline Bomstein and Eileen Harris have amassed a 61-24-13 record over their careers, and appeared in two NESCAC semifinal games.
The purple and white had another 6-0 finish on Saturday, going 3-for-6 on the power play opportunities. Goaltender Sabrina Dobbins ’18 registered 11 saves in net for the home team.
Toupal added the first and game-winning goal for Amherst around the halfway mark of the first stanza. The forward delivered a wrist shot over the glove of Rivard. Martin notched the next goal for the purple and white, sending one in from the offensive blueline. Toupal added her second goal of the game with under 20 seconds to play in the first period. After 20 minutes, Amherst led the Cardinals 3-0.
At the 9:32 mark of the second period, Sara Culhane ’17 scored the fourth Amherst goal. Culhane sent the puck between the legs of Rivard.
Though the Cardinals netminder made some stellar saves to follow in the second stanza, Amherst continued its offensive efforts in the third period. First-year Jocelyn Hunyadi scored twice on power-play situations in the final twenty minutes of play. Hunyadi knocked a loose puck in front of the net into the back of the goal at the 14:31 mark. She added her second and final Amherst goal from the left zone with under eight minutes to play in the game.
“Last weekend was a great way to end the regular season and set us up for playoffs,” Bomstein said. “It would have been great to get the number one seed, but I think we are all really exited to get another shot at Bowdoin, especially on our home ice.”
The back-to-back 6-0 wins will provide Amherst with great momentum for the postseason. The purple and white will host Bowdoin on Saturday, Feb. 27 in the NESCAC quarterfinals.
