Ephs Beat Amherst Away 3-1

Amherst, MA- The Williams College Eph (10-10-1, NESCAC 10-7-1) trumped the Amherst College Mammoths (9-12-2, NESCAC 8-9-1) 3-1 today in Mammoth territory. The game winning goal was made by senior Tyler Cooligan, assisted by Faisal Alsaif and Niko Karamanis early in the third period.
 
Today was the last game of the regular season for the Ephs before entering the NESCAC Tournament. Going into this matchup the Ephs sit 6^th in the conference, while Amherst is in 5^th. In their last three matchups, the Ephs were able to get the best of the Mammoths both away and at home.
 
The strength of both team's defense shined through in the first period. Neither team was able to convert any shots to goals and had no penalties in their favor. They were closely matched in shots on goal with 10 for the Ephs and 12 for the Mammoths.
 
The action started up in the second period, when the Ephs were first to draw blood at 5:00. Williams Mac Carso, assisted by Sean Clarke and Connor Kucharski, drove through Mammoth defense, and tallied the first goal. Amherst was quick to respond with their own goal at 12:00 when Michael Pitts, assisted by Sean Wrenn shot one in for the Mammoths. While there were a couple back and forth penalties in favor of each team, both teams effectively and efficiently shut down and cleared their respective penalties.
 
Going into the third, both teams brought equal aggression—coming out hot from the locker room. A penalty called on Amherst Matt Toporowski at 2:33 gave way to a scoring opportunity for the Ephs. Tyler Cooligan, assisted by Faisal Alsaif and Niko Karamanis, quickly capitalized on the one-man advantage and scored the game winning goal. Later at 17:09, the Ephs further solidified their win with a third goal made by Jack Forrest, assisted by Tyler Cooligan. They were able to capitalize on the built momentum and the Ephs would leave with their 4^th straight win against the Mammoths.
 
"This was a good weekend for us. Coming in we had a good week of practice and it really translated well into our games," commented head coach Bill Kangas. "Today and yesterday's game was a grind where we saw ups and downs. They are both great teams and we are fortunate that we came out on top with 4.5 points. Both Cal Sandquist and Evan Ruschil have been really solid and reliable in the net while the team played well overall".
 
"[As this is our last regular season game before NESCACS], we are excited to work harder and practice hard than before in hopes of seeing good things happen going forward".
 
The Ephs will play again in the NESCAC Tournamnent that starts Feb. 26. The NESCAC Office will announce the pairings, locations, and game times soon.