It was another frustrating week for the Amherst men’s hockey team. After a win over a well-respected non-conference opponent, the Mammoths came away from a weekend of NESCAC play with a tie and a loss.
“It’s always frustrating when you don’t get the results you hope for,” junior Jack Fitzgerald said.“But all we can do is put our heads down, continue to work, and trust that those results will come.”
On Tuesday, Jan. 23 the Mammoths traveled to Wellesley, Mass. to take on nonconference foe Babson College.
The Beavers went up early, as Bobby Hall managed to capitalize on a rebound in the opening two minutes.
Amherst was unable to get on the board until the second period, when Joey Lupo ’20 took advantage of a power play opportunity.
Receiving a pass from senior captain Thomas Lindstrom in the slot, Lupo fired a shot past Babson’s Matt Pompa to tie things up.
With the score locked at 1-1 heading into the third period, it was anyone’s game. Ultimately, sophomore standout Patrick Daly served as the difference maker.
Recording his sixth goal of the season, Daly found the back of the net with only six minutes left in regulation.
The Beavers decided to pull their goalie, but the extra skater was not enough to spark a comeback, and Amherst was able to capitalize on the mising net minder.
John Festa ’19 scored an empty-netter in the final two minutes to secure the 3-1 victory for the Mammoths.
Amherst kicked off weekend play with a NESCAC matchup against Little III rival Wesleyan.
Despite a strong offensive effort led by Festa and Phil Johansson ’19, the Mammoths were unable to sneak one past the Cardinals’ net minder.
Fortunately, Connor Girard ’18 made 23 saves in goal for Amherst and rendered Wesleyan scoreless as well.
After a five-minute overtime period, in which neither team could find the net, the game concluded in a 0-0 tie.
The following day, the Mammoths took on Trinity, which is currently No. 6 in the nation. The Bantams were the first to strike, as Mark Knowlton fired a close-range shot past Girard in the 17th minute.
Two minutes later, Barclay Gammill redirected a shot from Nicholas Fiorentino to double Trinity’s lead.
It looked as though the Mammoths would be heading into the second period facing a two-goal deficit. A last second goal from Fitzgerald, however, put Amherst on the board before the intermission.
Unfortunately, the Mammoths were unable to gather any momentum from Fitzgerald’s goal.
The Bantams notched three unanswered goals between the second and third periods to establish a commanding 5-1 lead.
In the final two minutes of regulation, Nick Bondra ’21 ripped a shot that went off the Bantam net minder’s glove and into the back of the net.
But it was too late for Amherst to make a comeback, as the Mammoths lost 5-2.
Next up, the Mammoths will hope to return to winning ways when they face Bowdoin at home in Orr Rink on Friday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. Amherst is again in action the following day against Colby at home at 3 p.m.