WATERVILLE, ME—In their last regular season game, the Ephs fell 4-1 to NESCAC rival Colby. Junior Kristen Tubbs recorded Williams' lone goal, while freshman goalie Rachel Nguyen finished with 30 saves for the Ephs.
Colby took an early lead they never relinquished, putting a 1-0 lead on the board just 1:34 into the game. On the second shift of the game, sophomore Tasha Rivard picked up a loose puck in a scramble and slipped a shot past Nguyen for her 4th goal of the year. The Ephs picked up their forecheck and were able to pressure the Mules for the remainder of the period, but Colby goalie Brianne Wheeler held the Ephs scoreless.
Two more Mules would net goals before Williams was able to notch one of their own in the second period. On a powerplay, sophomore Ally Kane put Colby up 2-0 after her tally 6:58 into the middle frame. Stephanie Scarpato recorded her 100th career point on the goal, helping Kane out with the assist. Just over a minute later, Meghan Tedoldi made the score 3-0 in favor of the hosts.
After some solid puck movement by the Ephs, Williams was able to convert off a faceoff for their sole score of the afternoon. Sophomore Nicolle Perry sent the puck to senior captain Lauren Zurek. After a brief scramble on the boards, Perry regained control of the puck and touched a pass cross-ice to junior Eliza Foster. Foster quickly slid the puck to a streaking Tubbs, who carried the puck in for a semi-breakaway and managed to pop a shot over Wheeler's blocker to make the game 3-1.
Williams coach Joey Lye remarked, "We started to gain some momentum in the second half of the second period that we were able to carry with us throughout the rest of the game."
The Ephs came out on fire to start the 3rd, but were unable to convert on some solid opportunities, including a powerplay. Sophomore Sam Weinstein rocketed a shot that hit the post, while Perry almost put home a rebound.
Halfway through the final period, however, the Mules were able to increase their cushion to 3 goals. Colby converted on a powerplay for the second time, as Caroline Chessare found the back of the net, finalizing the score at 4-1 with 9:58 to play.
"We had some untimely penalties throughout the game that definitely hurt us," Lye noted, "We had lots of offensive opportunities this afternoon, but unfortunately the bounces didn't go our way."
Nguyen was a stalwart in net for the Ephs, turning away 30 shots, while Colby's Wheeler recorded 33 stops between the pipes.
Williams finishes up the regular season at 4-16-1 (3-12-1 NESCAC) and clinches the 8th seed in the NESCAC tournament. The Ephs will travel to Middlebury next Saturday to take on the #1 seeded Panthers (18-4-1 overall), ranked 4th nationally. The puck drops in Kenyon Arena at 4 pm.
Women's Ice Hockey Final Standings
1. Middlebury (14-1-1)
2. Amherst (13-2-1)
3. Trinity (10-3-3)
4. Bowdoin (9-6-1)
5. Connecticut College (8-7-1)
6. Hamilton (6-10-0)
7. Colby (5-11-0)
8. Williams (3-12-1)
9. Wesleyan (0-16-0)
2011 Women's Ice Hockey Championship Seeding
Quarterfinals – Saturday, Feb. 26 at higher seeds
No. 8 Williams at No. 1 Middlebury – 4:00 p.m.
No. 7 Colby at No. 2 Amherst – TBA
No. 6 Hamilton at No. 3 Trinity – 3:00 p.m.
No. 5 Connecticut College at No. 4 Bowdoin – 4:00 p.m.
Semifinals – Saturday, March 5 at Highest Remaining Seed
Lowest remaining seed vs. Highest remaining seed – 1:00 p.m.
Remaining first round winners – 4:00 p.m.
Championship – Sunday, March 6
Semifinal Winners – 2:00 p.m.
