AMHERST, MA -- The Williams Men's Hockey team (14-6-3) outlasted Amherst (14-6-3) on Friday night for a key NESCAC victory that broke a three-way tie in the conference standings and put them within striking distance of second place with just one game remaining in the regular season.
The Ephs have now swept the season series against Amherst, having beaten their bitter NESCAC rivals by a score of 2-1 earlier this season at home. Williams entered the 2012-2013 campaign with a five-game losing streak against the Lord Jeffs and had not beaten Amherst since 2007.
"There's a rivalry for a reason," head coach Bill Kangas remarked after the game. "They've had our number for the last few years, and to be able to win two [this year] is great."
Leading the charge offensively in this crucial matchup was forward Nick Anderson '14, who notched two goals early on as the Ephs jumped out to a 3-0 lead. The Lord Jeffs came storming back with two scores late in the second period to make it a one-goal game, but a goal from defenseman Zander Masucci '16 eight minutes into the third period put the game out of reach.
Friday night's contest was a game of momentum swings, and the Lord Jeffs set the pace in the game's early stages by killing a Williams penalty just two minutes into action and continuing that momentum with a series of shots on Eph goaltender Sean Dougherty '15.
Despite Amherst's fast start, it would be the Ephs who got on the board first after a strong penalty kill effort produced their first shorthanded goal of the season. Setting up the score was forward Eric Rubino '13, who fired a shot on goal in the offensive zone with nine minutes left in the first period. Amherst goaltender Nathan Corey made the initial stop, but Anderson was waiting on the doorstep to poke in the rebound and give the Ephs an early 1-0 lead.
The Lord Jeffs had a great opportunity to tie the score in the closing minutes of the first period when a pair of Eph penalties gave them a 5-on-3 man advantage for over a minute. The Williams defense held firm, though, aided by a key stop from Dougherty and a nice pass interception from co-captain Mark Lyons '13 to keep the score at 1-0 heading into the first intermission.
"The penalty kill guys have done a great job taking away shooting lanes," added Kangas. "Sean has played well in goal during those times as well, and that was big for our momentum."
Sure enough, the Ephs stormed out of the locker room in the second period and notched two goals in three minutes to take a commanding 3-0 lead.
The first of these two scores came just over two minutes into the frame with the help of a bit of good luck, as an odd bounce placed the puck on the stick of co-captain John Wickman '13 on the right side of the offensive zone. Wickman found a wide-open Cody Skinner '13 in front of the net, who flipped the puck in on his backhand to give the Ephs a 2-0 advantage.
Forty seconds later, the Ephs widened the gap to 3-0 with the help of a strong forecheck from forward Craig Kitto '15, who created an Amherst turnover and won the puck in the offensive zone. Kitto then found Anderson in the middle of the ice, who deposited the puck from point-blank range for his second goal of the evening.
The battle between the two rivals was far from over, however, and the Lord Jeffs began to turn the tide midway through the period with some quality scoring opportunities. The Ephs called on Dougherty to make a handful of key stops, but the surging Amherst offense would not be denied for long.
With three minutes left in the period, the Lord Jeffs got on the board when a shot from the blue line by forward Andrew Fenwick ricocheted off Dougherty and found its way to forward Brian Safstrom, who tapped it in to narrow the Eph lead to 3-1.
A Williams penalty with just over two minutes left in the period gave the Lord Jeffs another opportunity to score, and they made the most of it. After an Eph clear to the Amherst end of the ice, defenseman Aaron Duestch took a feed from Corey and skated the length of the ice into the offensive zone. Deustch fired a shot on net that was saved by Dougherty, but he was able to corral his own rebound and tap it in the right side to cut the score to 3-2, giving the Lord Jeffs a full head of steam heading into the final period of action.
Amherst continued to roll early in the third period, testing Dougherty with a number of shots on net. The Eph netminder held strong, however, allowing the Eph offense to deliver the dagger with twelve minutes remaining in regulation.
The Ephs' final goal was the result of great puck movement, as Rubino fed Kitto from mid-ice to the right corner of the net. Kitto corralled the puck and tapped it quickly across the crease to Masucci, who was waiting on the left side to bury the wrister and give his squad a 4-2 lead.
After Masucci's score, the Eph defensive unit tightened up to deny Amherst any opportunity of a second comeback. The back line gave up their bodies to block shots headed towards the net, and Dougherty handled any attempts that made it through. The sophomore goaltender put forth a strong effort in the win, tallying 35 saves on 37 Amherst shots in 60 minutes of play.
The Ephs will close out the regular season in Clinton, NY on Saturday against Hamilton College (6-14-3) in a game that will have strong implications for the final NESCAC standings. The Ephs can move to as high as second place with a victory or fall to as low as fifth with a loss. Game time is 3 pm.
