CLINTON, NY—The visiting Ephs fought back for the win tonight, after an early score from the Continentals put Williams in a hole. Strong penalty-killing for the Ephs helped seal the victory, Williams' 6th of the season.
The Continentals were the first to make their mark, thanks to senior Riley Smith's (Rhinelander, WI) goal 9:02 into play. Working from even strength, Smith found the back of the net with help from Emily Baxter (Stuart, FL) and Hannah Jaiven (Holland, MI) to give Hamilton the 1-0 edge.
The Continentals, however, would not hold their lead for long, as Hannah Systrom (Winchester, MA) and the Ephs struck back 3 minutes later. Systrom's 2nd score of the season would come off helpers from Aimee Dennett (Highlands Ranch, CO) and Cristina Bravi (Montreal, QC), and would put even out the score at 1-1.
About 2 minutes later, senior Kristen Tubbs (Garden City, NY) would give Williams a 2-1 advantage, a lead the Ephs never relinquished. Her 9th tally of the season, Tubbs would capitalize off aid from Gabrielle Vukasin (Princeton, NJ) and Sarah Herr (Princeton, NJ).
Heading into the second period with just a goal separating the teams, the Ephs added to their cushion late in the frame. A trio of Williams forwards, Haena Lee (Bethesda, MD), Andree Heller (Toronto, ON), and Eliza Foster (Chatham, MA), worked the puck up ice for a 3-on-1 with a Continental defender. Foster ripped a shot on cage, which Continentals netminder Becca Hazlett (Grosse Pointe Park, MI) was able to turn away, but Lee was there to put home the rebound to put the Ephs up 3-1 going into the final 20 minutes. In net for Williams, freshman Chloe Billadeau (Chaska, MN) turned away 13 Continental shots in the frame to maintain the Ephs' comfortable lead.
Four penalties in the third would not prove costly for the Ephs, as Williams successfully killed off all five of their penalties tonight. "We did a really great job of blocking shots and looked very strong on the penalty-kill," Williams coach Meghan Gillis praised, "Our penalty-kill unit looked pretty good out there."
Early in the period, the Continentals would close the gap to 3-2 after Hamilton forward Katie Zimmerman (Plymouth, MI) recorded her 11th goal of the season. Laura DiCarlo (Chicopee, MA) and Jaiven would chip in the helpers for the hosts.
Now within striking distance, the Continentals would receive two powerplay opportunities, neither of which they would able to capitalize. However, with 9:27 remaining in the contest, the Ephs would put Hamilton away for good when Bravi converted on a look from Sam Weinstein (Marblehead, MA). Adding to her team-leading 16 points, Bravi's goal finalized the game at 4-2 in favor of the Ephs.
Billadeau turned in another strong performance between the pipes for the Ephs, making 28 saves, while Hazlett finished up the night with 18 stops for the Continentals. Gillis was pleased with her team's performance tonight, but emphasized Williams' need to maintain their focus heading into tomorrow afternoon's matchup. "Hamilton played very well tonight, and they'll be back at it tomorrow. We capitalized when we got the opportunity tonight and need to be able to put together a full 60 minutes tomorrow," Gillis remarked.
Williams (6-6 overall, 3-2 NESCAC) again plays at Sage Rink tomorrow, taking on the Continentals starting at 3 pm.
