WILLIAMSTOWN, MA— After 55 minutes of scoreless hockey, Sam Weinstein notched the late game-winner for the Ephs, carrying Williams their 4th NESCAC win of the season. Chloe Billadeau backboned the Eph defense, recording her 4th shutout of the season.
The first period ended in a scoreless draw, with the Eph and the Mules providing both solid play on both ends of the ice. A Williams penalty late in the frame provided the visitors with a man-up opportunity, but several saves from first-year Chloe Billadeau (Chaska, MN) and the Eph penalty-kill unit prevented Colby from capitalizing on the advantage. On the other end of the ice, sophomore netminder Brianne Wheeler (Brussels, ON) turned away 7 Williams shots to keep the game tied at 0 after 20 minutes.
Penalties on both teams gave the Ephs and the Mules several powerplay opportunities in the second, all of which ended successfully for the shorthanded squad. Williams, however, dominated the period offensively, posting 16 shots to Colby's 4.
Early in the second, the Ephs were on the defensive. A pair of quick penalties on Williams forwards gave the Mules a 5-on-3 advantage about 5 minutes into the frame, both of which the Ephs successfully killed. Billadeau was kept busy in net, turning away several Mules shots.
Cristina Bravi (Montreal, QC) almost put the Ephs on the board with about 12 minutes remaining in the frame. Picking up the puck in the neutral zone, Bravi made a nice move to beat a Mule defender, then flipped a backhanded shot just wide of the net.
Williams would get a 5-on-3 of their own about halfway through the frame. The Eph powerplay unit tested Wheeler several times, passing the puck around the perimeter. Sam Weinstein (Marblehead, MA) rocketed a few shots on net, which Williams forwards were able to deflect on cage, but Wheeler and the Colby defense were able to deny the attempts.
It appeared that the Ephs had notched the game's first goal with 7:38 to play in the 2nd, when Andree Heller (Toronto, ON) managed to knock the puck on the goal line behind Wheeler. Senior captain Hannah Systrom (Winchester, MA) tipped the loose puck into the net, following her shot into the back of the goal. However, the goal was waved off when it was determined that Systrom had fallen into the cage before the puck crossed the line.
The Ephs managed 16 shots on net in the period, most coming in the second half of the frame. One of their strongest chances of the frame came with less than a minute to play, when Weinstein carried the puck into the Mules' defensive zone and crossed a pass to a streaking Aimee Dennett (Highlands Ranch, CO) in front of the net. Dennett one-touched the puck on cage, but Wheeler was able to come up with the big save to keep the game knotted up heading into the final 20 minutes of play.
Back-and-forth play kept both teams in the hunt for a goal, until Weinstein made good on a Williams powerplay late in the frame. The Mules kept the Eph defense busy with 6 shots, while Williams kept the pressure on offensively throughout the period.
One of the Ephs' best early opportunities of the frame came with just over 8 minutes remaining in the game, when the puck squirted in front of the Colby net. A Williams forward wristed a shot on cage, but Wheeler made a sprawling save to again deny the Ephs a goal.
After a penalty on the Mules' Carolyn Fuwa (Wilmette, IL) gave the Ephs a powerplay with 5:08 to play, coach Meghan Gillis called a strategic timeout to focus Williams for their man-up advantage. "We had had a lot of chances, and they had had a lot of chances. Obviously with a 0-0 game that's the time to turn things around," Gillis remarked of the timeout, "We were tired and needed to collect ourselves and realize that we can do this if we focus right now."
Williams' mentality paid off, and the decisive tally came with 4:31 remaining in the game, when Weinstein capitalized on the Eph powerplay to notch the game-winner. Off a faceoff, Weinstein controlled the puck and skated into the zone. With Gabrielle Vukasin (Princeton, NJ) screening Wheeler in front of the cage, Weinstein rocketed a gloveside slapshot to give the Ephs their first and only lead of the game. "Sam capitalized and made a great individual effort on that goal," Gillis praised.
Colby did not give up, however, fighting hard until the final buzzer. With under a minute left to play, Wheeler was pulled from the net, giving the Mules 6 skaters. However, the Ephs were able to clear the puck out of their defensive zone and hold on for the win.
Billadeau turned away 18 Colby shots, while Wheeler's 29 saves kept the Mules in the hunt until the end.
Looking ahead, Gillis hopes that her team can carry over some of tonight's momentum into tomorrow's contest. "We really want to harness those last 10 minutes heading into tomorrow. We've been winning the Friday game and we want to follow up with a win on Saturday."
With tomorrow's contest, the Ephs will look to even up their recent record against the Mules, who hold a slight 5-3 win advantage since 2007. Williams hosts again tomorrow at Lansing Chapman Rink, with the NESCAC matchup scheduled to begin at 3 pm.
