Box Score
AMHERST, MA - In their first game since December 12th of last year, the Williams College men's hockey team (7-1-1) was handed their first loss by NESCAC rival Amherst College (6-2-2) in a closely fought battle.
Both teams started out the game with strong defense, as both the Ephs and the Lord Jeffs killed penalties to keep the game scoreless midway through the first period. The first break of the game went to Amherst, and it came with just three minutes remaining in the first frame. After a Williams turnover in the neutral zone, Amherst defenseman Jeremy Deutsch skated into the offensive zone and capitalized with a goal to put the Lord Jeffs ahead 1-0 heading into the locker room.
The Ephs fought back hard in the second period, and their hard work paid off at the 14-minute mark with a power play goal from Connor Olvany '11 that knotted the score at 1-1. After an Amherst slashing penalty, Williams set up a strong power play in the offensive zone, and with a minute remaining on the power play Bryden McGhee '14 made a nice pass to find Olvany in front of the net for the easy goal.
Amherst refused to let the Ephs gain momentum, however. Less than three minutes after Olvany's score, the Lord Jeffs added a power play goal of their own to take a 2-1 lead heading into the final period. After a number of scoring chances from both sides early in the third period, Amherst struck again with 14 minutes remaining. Taking advantage of another neutral zone turnover by Williams, the Lord Jeffs took off on a 2 on 1 breakaway and slipped it by goaltender Ryan Purdy '12 to extend their lead to 3-1.
Things looked bleak for the Williams down two goals late in the final period, but forward Ben Contini '11 gave the Ephs life with just four minutes remaining. Taking a pass from Eric Rubino '13, Contini skated into the offensive zone heavily guarded by an Amherst defender and fired a quick wrist shot. The puck sailed through the defenseman's legs and just inside the post for the Ephs' second goal of the night.
With the score at 3-2, the Ephs continued to pressure the offensive zone in an attempt to tie the game, but their attack was hampered by a late penalty that left them shorthanded for two of the final four minutes. While they created some shorthanded scoring chances, Amherst netminder Cole Anderson managed to quell the Eph attack and preserve the victory. Amherst forward Matt Rhone added an empty-net goal with 0.5 seconds left after Williams pulled their goalie to make the final score 4-2 in favor of Amherst.
Both teams finished with 29 shots on the night; Purdy made 25 stops in 59:45 minutes for Williams, while Anderson made 27 saves in 60 minutes for Amherst.
With tonight's victory, Amherst moves into sole possession of first place in the NESCAC, while Williams drops to second place in the conference. After losing two games in a row early in the season, Amherst has not lost in seven straight games.
Head Coach Bill Kangas commented that the team's long hiatus over the holidays could have affected their play Friday night: "We didn't play with the same energy and we weren't as sharp as we have been in the past. We also took some timely penalties which cost us down the stretch."
Nevertheless, with a game against NESCAC foe Hamilton scheduled for tomorrow, Kangas stressed that his players must be "fast learners" and noted the importance of "taking something away from this game so we can be ready for tomorrow."
The Ephs will travel over night to Clinton, NY, where they will face the Continentals (5-4-1) in another conference game. Game time is 3 PM.
