The Amherst women’s ice hockey team had an exciting interterm, notching a record of 4-1-2 against a lineup of tough opponents. The Mammoths opened 2018 with a 4-2 loss against perennial NESCAC powerhouse Middlebury. In the loss, senior Alex Toupal picked up a goal in the second frame, while fellow senior Emma Griese added a goal of her own in the third period.

However, Amherst’s defense fully recovered for the next day’s rematch. With the first two periods scoreless, both teams entered in the final stanza ready to go. With an onslaught of exciting offensive opportunities for both teams, Middlebury finally scored the first goal of the game eight minutes in. Seven minutes later, though, Toupal sent a puck to first-year Emma Flynn who tied the game at one goal apiece. Bailey Plaman ’18 registered 25 saves in net, helping to preserve the tie despite a late offensive surge by the panthers.

The Mammoths’ next game was against Southern Maine University, against whom they put forth a stellar offensive performance in a 4-0 win. Katelyn Pantera ’19 got on the board first with an assist from Laura Schmidlein ’19, before Griese notched the second goal of the period. Flynn then registered an unassisted goal, before Kaitlin Hoang ’21 sealed the win with a late goal assisted by first-year Mia Del Rosso.

Next, the team would capitalize on their home-ice advantage against NESCAC rival Bowdoin, picking up two wins against the Polar Bears. In their first matchup, Amherst bested their Maine foes by a score of 3-1 and outshot their opponents 32-22. Amherst got out to an early lead as they notched three unanswered goals within seven minutes of each other in the first period. Ava Simoncelli ’20 struck first off a pass from Griese on a power play, followed just one minute later by a strike from Flynn. Miriam Eickhoff ’19 added the third and final goal of the game with an assist awarded to Flynn. The Mammoths managed to hold onto the momentum for the remainder of play.

In their next match, Amherst bested Bowdoin once again, winning 4-1 with two goals from Toupal and a goal each from Flynn and Hoang.
Amherst moved on to their next conference matches just a week later against Colby. The Mammoths tied the Mules 0-0 despite outshooting them 47-28. While tough goaltending was the story of the teams’ first meeting, the next day Amherst put its offensive prowess on full display.

Jamie McNamara ’19 struck first off an assist from Hoang, and Katie Savage ’19 added a goal of her own less than a minute later. After Colby cut the lead to 2-1, Jocelyn Hunyadi ’19 added an unassisted score of her own to swing the momentum back toward the Mammoths.

In the second period, Colby once again cut the deficit to 3-1, but senior Brenna Sullivan clinched the win off a pass from Hoang in the second period.

Amherst next plays on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at home aginst Plattsburgh State at 7 p.m.