We had a wild week of Women’s hockey out east as we had three shocking upsets, two involving the same teams and one involving a team that hadn’t been shutout since 11/24/2018! Weeks like this show us once again how the competition levels have never been better and the amount of dominant teams are decreasing by the year. We also look at another team who seems to be finding their stride as of late.
Amherst shocks #3 Middlebury… Twice
#11 Amherst entered the weekend with a 3-1 record facing #3 Middlebury (4-1) on the road for a pair of huge NESCAC games. Amherst pulled off back-to-back upset wins by the score of 4-2 in both games. On the statsheet, Amherst was dominant, outshooting Middlebury by a combined 69-38 in the two games and seemed to have no trouble at all controlling the game and playing to their desired style. However, the way the goals came were interesting and not what you may expect. In game one, Amherst opened it up first as Maeve Reynolds scored a shorthanded goal at 11:44 of the 1st period to go up 1-0. Middlebury would then score once in the second and first in the 3rd period to take a 2-1 lead. Amherst then scored three-unanswered goals at 6:09, 11:45, and then 18:59 to seal the deal and get the first of the two 4-2 wins. Goaltender Natalie Stott got the victory, recording 10 saves.
In game two, Middlebury came out firing early, scoring goals at the 1:25 and 4:56 mark of the 1st period to go up 2-0 in under 5 minutes of play. Amherst then answered and scored a pair of goals late in the 1st period to tie it 2-2. Carley Daly then scored the game-winner at 14:33 of the 2nd period, the Mammoths then added another one at the 3:14 mark of the 3rd period to make it 4-2. Goaltender Natalie Stott recorded 24 saves in the victory.
Head Coach Jeff Matthews had this to say about his team’s performance over the weekend: “On Friday, we enjoyed a total team effort, and everyone competed hard for a full 60. We played to our standards, and had great energy as a team. After a slow start in the first 5 minutes on Saturday, we returned to playing how we wanted to, and were able to tie things up before the period ended. We built on that momentum in the 2nd period, and seniors Carley Daly and Kate Pohl put us in the lead by connecting on a terrific play on the rush. We were able to sustain our effort the rest of the way, and add one more in the third. Overall, both games were very fast paced and hard fought, and exciting to be a part of. The NESCAC is an extremely competitive league, top to bottom, so to beat anyone in our league two days in a row is always a difficult task, no matter who you play. We were very happy to get the two wins.”
After this weekend, Amherst (5-1) is now ranked #6 on the USCHO poll, Middlebury drops to #9.
Cortland shuts out the #4 Cardinals
The Cortland Red Dragons, coming off a season where they missed the NCAA Tournament by a tenth of a point in the pairwise ranking to Colby, is now back and looking to make another run at a tournament bid this year. This weekend they hosted #4 Plattsburgh and shut them out 1-0, something that hasn’t been done to Plattsburgh since November 24, 2018 vs Adrian in the Panther/Cardinal Classic, Adrian won 1-0.
In this game, the lone goal of the game came at 10:55 of the 2nd period from Mia Hlasnick, assisted by Beth McArthur & Molly McCabe. Goaltender Molly Goergen recorded the 30 save shutout victory over the Cardinals. Interestingly enough, the game had zero penalties occur by either team, while Plattsburgh outshot Cortland 30-27, but in the end it didn’t matter.
Head Coach Rick Filighera, when asked about his team dropping a few games early to rival Oswego State and then another to Williams, but coming back and getting a victory like this, said: “The Oswego games were no different than any other the last three years. Each game either ended in a Tie or a 1 goal win or loss. Both teams are very similar, and the games will always be competitive. The Williams game was more on our special team’s lack of execution and some puck luck. We attempted 59 shots in that game and Williams finished on many of their grade-A chances. In the Plattsburgh game we needed a 60-minute A+ game effort to have a chance and we were fortunate enough to get that first goal and execute our defensive zone system with great goaltending. The biggest difference moving forward for us will be to not be anxious with the puck as we hit skates, pads, and mishandled passes late. We are young, lots of first year and second year players and we will only get better with experience.”
When asked for comment on being the first team to shutout Plattsburgh since 11/24/2018, Coach Filighera said: “As a team we have a motto Don’t Blink! It would’ve been very easy for us to lose confidence after the previous three games. So, my favorite part was the energy we brought for 60 minutes. It encompassed what we want to be about. We executed our defensive zone system and even after some tough shifts the players didn’t think twice and did not hesitate and were committed to our systems. We played fearlessly and that is what made the coaching staff proud.”
Utica making some noise
#13 Utica University is 8-1-1 and making some noise in the polls and the UCHC after another pair of wins this past weekend. Utica is unbeaten in it’s last nine games, their only loss coming opening night to (at the time) #4 Elmira 2-3. The Pioneers picked up a pair of wins vs Alvernia, winning 3-1 & 4-0. The point leader of the weekend for Utica was Carly Stefanini (1 goal, 2 assists). Goaltender Angela Hawthorne had a 19 save victory and a 15 save shutout victory.
Head Coach Dave Clausen was asked about his team’s tough start to the season in terms of playing an opponent like Elmira on opening night and then tying Arcadia, but finding their stride as they’ve won seven in a row and are outscoring their opponents 54-8 on the season. “The opening loss on the road at Elmira was a tough pill to swallow. While we didn’t play our best, we did feel like the final goal not being waived off for a kick was rough. We like our team in the 3v3 OT format and feel that could have gone our way. Arcadia is a solid team this year with some very good players. They played well and showed us what can happen if we are not ready to go on game day. After the Arcadia weekend we made a few changes lineup wise, and seem to have found our stride. Right now we have 4 lines contributing offensively, and that’s a great place to be. It makes calling lines easy when as coaches you have confidence in every group. Our defense has played well, and goaltending has been exceptional. Hopefully we can come back from break and find the same groove.”
Another fun fact about Utica is they now are playing games in the newly built Nexus Center, connected to the Utica Auditorium. Coach Clausen talked about the new rink and the amenities that come with it: “It’s exciting to play in the new Nexus Center. Our players will truly be spoiled in the new facility with their off-ice area, locker room, changing room, training room and lounge. The in-ice experience is quickly developing into one of the best in Women’s College Hockey. The fans are right on top of the ice surface, and with the video board, suites, restaurant, etc it has to be the premier facility in all of Women’s College Hockey. Moving forward we are looking forward to playing the majority of our games at Nexus.”
Other Notable Results
#6 Norwich defeated Salem St. 6-0 & U. Southern Maine 8-1.
#7 Elmira defeated Plymouth State 2-0 & Castleton 4-1.
#8 Colby (6-0-0) swept Bowdoin 3-2 & 2-0, also defeated U. New England 9-1.
#10 Nazareth swept Neumann 5-0 & 12-0, lost to Williams 4-1.
#15 Oswego State defeated Buffalo State 9-2 and lost to #4 Plattsburgh 3-2.
Trinity upset #6 Norwich on Tues. Dec. 6, winning 3-0.
Williams upset #10 Nazareth on Tues. Dec. 6, winning 4-1.
Canton is now 9-1-1, sweeping Anna Maria 2-1 & 6-1, also beating Potsdam 4-1.
Western New England is 7-2-2, sweeping Nichols 6-5 & 5-1.
