WILLIAMSTOWN, MA— Williams bounced back from a tough loss last night, defeating Wesleyan 4-2 this afternoon. A strong team effort by the Ephs contributed to the win, as each goal was scored by a different player.
The first period featured back and forth play on both ends of the ice. Wesleyan started out strong, controlling the puck for the first part of the period, but the Ephs maintained possession for the latter portion of the frame. Both teams had several solid scoring opportunities, but netminders Ashleigh Corvi and Catherine Tremble kept the contest scoreless.
The Ephs took a 2-0 lead in the middle frame after several close chances. With 14 minutes to play in the period, Hannah Systrom poked away the puck on the Ephs' blueline and carried the puck down the right side of the ice on a breakaway. Systrom ripped a high wrist shot, but the attempt bounced off the left post. Nicolle Perry had another solid opportunity four minutes later, sliding the puck across the crease behind Corvi, but the shot missed just wide of the right post.
Perry gave Williams the lead with 7:19 remaining in the second. Jacqueline Berglass passed to Becca Nichols, who looked to Perry. Perry carried the puck into the slot, then wristed a shot that trickled past Corvi to put the Ephs up 1-0.
Freshman Haena Lee gave Williams a 2-0 advantage less than 4 minutes later. Senior captain Lauren Zurek passed to Lee at the bottom of the left circle, who beat Corvi to create a two-goal cushion for the Ephs.
Wesleyan made the contest a one-goal game early in the third period, when Julia Heffelfinger took a high shot that squeezed just inside the top right post with 16:08 to play in the game.
The Ephs retaliated shortly after, when freshman Ally Ensor ripped a hard shot from the blue line to give Williams a 3-1 lead. With 13:40 to play, Ensor took pass and rocketed a slapshot by Corvi.
The Cardinals, however, would not let up their intensity. With 7:03 remaining, Jill Reynolds took a pass from Julia Mulhern in the slot and slapped a high gloveside shot over Tremble's outstretched attempt, making the contest a 3-2 game.
Lauren Zurek notched the Ephs' last tally 20 seconds later to finalize the score at 4-2. Haena Lee passed to Zurek on the blue line, who slapped a shot on the ice through Corvi's five-hole.
Tremble recorded 19 saves in net for Williams, while Corvi also had a strong showing for Wesleyan with 24 stops.
Williams coach Joey Lye was pleased with the end result of the game, saying, "We didn't come out with the same intensity as last night at the drop of the puck, but we managed to convert some good scoring opportunities in the second and third."
Williams improves to 2-7 overall (2-5 NESCAC), while Wesleyan drops to 2-8 overall (0-6 NESCAC). The Ephs have a two-week hiatus before they take on their next opponent, Middlebury, on January 22 at 7:30 pm.
