The Amherst men’s hockey team concluded their regular season this past weekend with two NESCAC contests on the road.
Coming away with a loss and a tie, the Mammoths finished third in the conference standings with an overall record of 11-8-5.
On Saturday, the Mammoths took on archrival Williams.
The Ephs got off to a quick start, as Daniel Woolfenden notched the first goal of the matchup only 2:51 into the first period.
Less than five minutes later, Jack Fitzgerald ’19 tied things up with a one-timer into the bottom left corner of the Williams net.
The game remained even for a few minutes, but the hosts soon broke the game open.
The Ephs recorded two unanswered goals before the first intermission, before tallying three more goals in the second period to go up 6-1.
Down by five with one period left to play, Amherst had a daunting task in front of them.
Fortunately, Joey Lupo ’20 provided the spark that the Mammoths needed.
Lupo scored two goals in the opening nine minutes of the third period to keep Amherst in the game. Building on the newfound momentum, senior captain Thomas Lindstrom capitalized on a power play to bring the Mammoths within two. With three minutes remaining in regulation, Patrick Daly ’20 scored Amherst’s third power play goal of the game, and the Mammoths looked poised to complete a remarkable comeback. The visitors continued to put the Ephs under pressure until the final whistle, but unfortunately, their efforts were not enough.
Despite a valiant final push, Amherst walked away with a 6-5 loss.
The next day, the Mammoths traveled to Middlebury for another NESCAC matchup.
Lindstrom gave Amherst the first lead of the contest halfway through the first period.
Receiving a pass from Noah Gilreath ’20, Lindstrom went five-hole on Middlebury’s Stephen Klein.
The Panthers managed to tie things up before the first intermission.
Eric Jeremiah took advantage of a tussle in front of the Amherst net and snuck a shot over the goal line.
Fitzgerald restored Amherst’s lead about midway through the second stanza.
Racing down the ice on a three-on-two rush, Fitzgerald sent a wrist shot into the top corner of the Panther’s net.
The Mammoths held onto the lead until the final 23 seconds of the period, when Owen Powers scored on a Middlebury power play.
After a scoreless third period, the game went into overtime, before eventually resulting in a 2-2 tie. Amherst will return to the ice on Saturday, Feb. 24, when the team will take on sixth-seeded Colby in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC tournament. The Mammoths went 1-1 against the Mules earlier this season.
“We’re pretty excited to be able to play at home in the first round,” Lindstrom said. “We have been playing some of our best hockey in the past few weeks, and we’re looking forward to carrying that momentum into the postseason.”