This January, the Amherst men’s ice hockey team caught fire, posting seven impressive wins over both conference and non-conference rivals. Following a rare stretch of losses to NESCAC opponents before the break, the purple and white went on a revenge tour that saw 33 goals for and just 10 goals against.
The team ushered in the new year by defeating New England College 3-1 on Jan. 2 after junior Thomas Lindstrom posted a pair of goals. That Friday, Jan. 6, the purple and white bombarded Bowdoin’s goaltender and tallied seven goals from six different shooters in a come-from-behind 7-3 victory.
Amherst continued their NESCAC play the next day with a close game against Colby College. David White ’18 opened up scoring for Amherst in the first period, while Patrick Daly ’20 and Will Vosejpka ’18 put the game away in the third period of play for a 3-2 win.
With a week off to rest and recuperate, the purple and white were prepared to dominate Tufts, besting the Jumbos 4-1. Chris Roll ’17 claimed the first lead of the game on a power play, before White widened the lead in the second from a Daley assist. In spite of a third period goal from the Jumbos, late goals from Vosejpka and an unassisted effort from first-year Joey Lupo sealed another Amherst victory.
In another back-to-back weekend, Amherst posted an identical win against Connecticut College, 4-1. This time, first-year Greg Krisberg added his name to the list of scorers that once again included Lindstrom, White and Vosejpka.
Most recently, the Amherst purple and white’s winning streak was tested against Hamilton on Friday, Jan. 20. In a defensive battle, Amherst edged the Continentals 2-1 in a thrilling overtime triumph. Hamilton netted the first and only goal of the first period as the clock was winding down, but Amherst would respond after the break from a tipped shot by first-year P.J. Conlon. After a scoreless final period, both teams fought hard in the additional time, but it was Lindstrom who finally secured the win for Amherst off a pass from Daly with only minutes remaining.
Buzzing from this excitement, Amherst’s most recent success came in a near flawless performance against Assumption College. A pair of goals from Roll and one from sophomore Jack Fitzgerald set the tone in the first period, while a pair from White and John Festa ’19 put Amherst up 5-1 heading into the locker room for the third. Festa would complete his hat trick in the final period, while Daly, Lupo, and Stanley Brenner ’19 would widen the gap even further in favor of the purple and white.
Amherst take the ice again to face Wesleyan College this Friday, Jan. 27, following a 3-0 loss to the Cardinals in December.
