WILLIAMSTOWN -- Two goals in the first period proved to be enough for the Amherst Lord Jeffs (19-3-1) as they handed the Williams Men's Hockey team (10-8-5) their fifth straight defeat.
Craig Kitto '15 deposited the lone goal for the Ephs with 1:26 remaining, but it proved to be too little too late. Amherst goaltender Jonathan La Rose finished with 42 saves for the Lord Jeffs, who are currently ranked 3rd in the nation and first in the NESCAC with 19 wins.
"I thought the compete level on both sides was good," noted Head Coach Bill Kangas after the game. "Obviously they've lost one game [in the NESCAC], and they're the one seed for a reason."
Looking to further extend their lead atop the NESCAC standings, the Lord Jeffs gave the Ephs all they could handle in the first period. Less than thirty seconds into the action, they gained the early advantage after a nice feed from senior forward Eddie Effinger placed the puck on the stick of linesmate Mike Moher in front of the net. Moher flicked a wrist shot into the net from the left side to give Amherst the 1-0 lead.
The Ephs battled back after the opening goal, increasing their physicality and creating chances in the offensive zone. Their best scoring chance came with just under eight minutes to go when Mark Lyons '13 found Evan Dugdale '13 in front of the net for a one-time attempt. Dugdale fired a slap shot from point-blank range but was denied by La Rose.
The Lord Jeffs ended the period the way they started it, creating offensive pressure that led to another goal with just 1:26 remaining. Scoring off an Amherst face-off win was sophomore forward Brian Safstrom, who deposited a wrist shot in front of the net to give the Lord Jeffs a 2-0 edge after one period.
The second period produced no goals from either squad, but it was not lacking in action and scoring chances. Three minutes into the frame, the Ephs went on the power play for the first time and almost cashed in. After a blast from Mike Brofft '13 from the blue line was stopped by La Rose, Evan Dugdale nearly put in the rebound but was denied yet again by the Amherst netminder.
Five minutes later, the Lord Jeffs went on a power play of their own after an Eph penalty, but Williams goalie Ryan Purdy '12 made several key stops to keep the Lord Jeffs off the board.
Purdy was solid all night for the Ephs, finishing with 37 saves on 40 shots in 57:11 minutes of play.
The Ephs nearly cut their deficit in half with five minutes remaining when Justin Troiani '12 snapped a wrist shot from the right side. Troiani's shot trickled between La Rose's legs, but an Amherst defender swept the puck away just before it crossed the goal line to prevent the goal.
A flurry of late scoring chances in the second period were denied by the Amherst defense, and the Ephs entered the final twenty minutes trailing 2-0.
Williams came out strong in the final frame and had its best chance to score when Amherst forward Andrew Kurlandski was assessed with a game misconduct seven minutes into the period, giving the Ephs a five-minute man-advantage. The Eph power play generated a number of shots, but the Lord Jeffs pounced on rebounds and cleared the zone to prevent any goals. The Ephs came away empty-handed in a crucial penalty kill for the Lord Jeffs.
Williams was then assessed a penalty of their own, and the Lord Jeffs took advantage. With 4:16 remaining, senior forward Mark Colp delivered the dagger with a shot from the left side that ricocheted off the far post. The referees stopped play to deliberate, and the goal stood to put Amherst up 3-0.
The Ephs made a final comeback attempt when Kitto took a nice feed from John Wickman '13 on the right side and flicked a wrist shot into the upper right corner of the goal, cutting the lead to 3-1.
That would be all for the Williams offense, however, as La Rose stopped several shots as time wound down to preserve the Amherst victory.
"I thought we were better today than we were last Saturday [against Middlebury]," added Kangas. "We improved on where we were a week ago, so now [it's just] getting a win. It's hard in this league; everyone's good and every game is a battle."
The loss dashes any hopes of a home game in the opening round of next weekend's NESCAC tournament for the Ephs, who will finish ranked fifth in the NESCAC standings regardless of Sunday's outcome. The top four teams earn home berths in the tournament, meaning that Williams will most likely travel to Tufts to take on the Jumbos next weekend.
Williams wraps up its season on Sunday afternoon against the Hamilton Continentals (4-11-2). Game time is 3 PM at Lansing Chapman Rink.
