The Amherst women’s ice hockey team had a great start to the new year. The women played eight games over interterm, compiling a record of 6-1-1, winning the last five straight games.
On New Year’s Day, the purple and white pulled out a strong 8-0 victory in a game at the University of Southern Maine. Anne Malloy ’20 scored first for Amherst, recording her first collegiate goal. Further contributing to Amherst’s impressive margin was sophomore forward Alex Toupal ’19, completing a hat trick for her third, fourth and fifth goals of the season.
The following weekend, the purple and white traveled to Middlebury to face stiff NESCAC competition. On Friday, Jan. 6, Amherst fell 3-1 to the Panthers. Amherst’s Katie Savage ’19 scored first on a power play before Middlebury answered on their own power play. Amherst was unable to find the back of the net through the rest of the game, while the Panthers managed to pull out the win with two goals in the third period. Saturday proved to be a defensive battle in which the teams ended in an overtime 1-1 draw.
Goalie Sabrina Dobbins ’18 recorded 32 saves between the posts for the purple and white, including 14 clutch stops in the third period and overtime. The purple and white’s lone goal was scored by Emma Griese ’18 on a power play.
The Amherst women faced off against Saint Anselm College on Jan. 11. After falling 1-0 in the first period, the purple and white demonstrated incredible resiliency, scoring three unanswered goals to secure a 3-1 win.
The following weekend saw Amherst return to conference play with a home series against Bowdoin. The purple and white managed to sweep the two-game series with wins of 4-2 and then 4-0 for the team’s first NESCAC wins since early December.
Continuing the theme of resiliency, Amherst found themselves down 1-0 and then 2-1 entering the third period in the first game, but came out firing in the third, scoring three unanswered goals in the last frame. In the second game, Toupal managed another hat trick and Bailey Plaman ’18 recorded a shutout in goal with 22 stops.
In their last interterm matchup, Amherst traveled to Colby to face the Mules. In a true team effort, Amherst came out on top last Friday with a 5-0 win. Impressively, five different Amherst skaters scored each of the team’s five goals.
Plaman made 21 saves to record another shutout in net. The following day, the purple and white again came out strong and dominated the Mules in a 5-1 blowout. Amherst secured the lead with a three goal second period, in which Toupal notched her second goal of the game and 13th of the season. In the third period, Amherst executed on a power play, and Sara Culhane ’17 scored the fifth and final goal with nine minutes left on the clock.
The purple and white faced their highest-ranked opponent so far this year on Tuesday, Jan. 24, when they took on Elmira College at Orr Rink.
Although Amherst commanded the offensive play in all three periods of play, leading Elmira in shots 9-6, 14-8, and 9-6, they couldn’t manage to find the back of the net as Elmira held them scoreless. Elmira managed to net four goals over the course of the match against Plaman in goal, despite her 20 saves. Neither team capitalized on their power play opportunities, with Amherst going 0-4 and Elmira 0-5 with advantge.
The packed stands for the Tuesday night Elmira game at Orr Rink provided an electric energy for the women, and although they failed to pul out a win, they look forward to a competetive weekend of matchups.
Amherst stands at 9-5-2 on the season after their successful interterm campaign. The women hope to extend their winning streak on Friday, Jan. 27, when the purple and white will travel to archrival Williams before hosting the Ephs the next day, Jan. 28, at Orr Rink.
