Box
Score
Photo
Gallery
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA -- The Williams women's hockey squad was in the
midst of their worst slump of the '08-'09 season entering tonight's
game against conference rival Hamilton, but to the delight of a
large and loud home crowd, the Ephs ended a seven-game slide with a
4-1 victory over the Continentals. A pair of first period
power-play goals would prove to be all they needed for the win, as
a responsible Eph defense held Hamilton to a modest 21 shots and
one power-play opportunity. Williams (7-15-1) and Hamilton
(9-12-2) are seated at 7 and 8 in the NESCAC conference, with
respective records of 5-9-1 and 3-10-2.
Williams applied offensive pressure right from the opening
face-off, catching Hamilton on their heels in the first twenty
minutes. Their aggression caused the Continentals to commit
seven penalties in the first period. After failing to score
on their initial chance and nullifying their second opportunity
with an interference penalty, the Ephs found the net on their third
try at 14:48, when freshman forward Eliza Foster lit the red light
from the slot for her 5th this season. After consecutive
Hamilton penalties, senior defenseman Mallory Green stepped up from
the point and rocketed the 5-on-3 game-winner past Hamilton's
sophomore goalie Meg Shine for her 1st goal this year.
Assisting on both the Foster and Greene scores were freshman
forward Hannah Systrom and sophomore defenseman Lauren Zurek.
Greene would add another tally on the scoreboard with four
minutes left in a relatively uneventful middle frame, one in which
neither team committed a penalty. Sophomore forward Torrey
Taussig and freshman forward Kristen Tubbs helped set-up the third
Eph goal. Hamilton was limited to just six shots in the
period.
In the final twenty minutes, Hamilton made a strong push to
spoil the shutout, and about midway through the period, junior
forward Amy Allen did just that with her 15th goal this
season. But just as the Continentals were showing signs of a
comeback, Tubbs took a feed from Taussig and lifted a shot into the
top corner to clinch the win at 12:16. Her 6th goal was also
assisted by senior defenseman and co-captain Joey Lye.
Junior netminder Sara Plunkett played a steady game, as she
denied 20 of the 21 Hamilton attempts. Her counterpart Shine
made 32 stops on 36 Eph shots.
Williams will try to make it back-to-back wins against
ninth-place Wesleyan in their final weekend of regualr season
play. The last home game this year will take place at 3pm
tomorrow in the Lansing Chapman Arena. Seniors Joey Lye,
Mallory Green, and Sam Tarnasky will be honored before the start of
play.
