Ephs Trump Polar Bears Behind Strong Special Teams Performance

Williamstown, MA - The Williams College Ephs (1-1-0, 1-1-0 NESCAC) avenged their loss to the Bowdoin College Polar Bears (1-1-0, 1-1-0 NESCAC) in the second match-up between the two teams this season.

With Williams up 2-1 in the third period, the Ephs found themselves on the penalty kill. The Polar Bears had the puck on the blue line, seeking to tie the game with a power play goal, but forward Leah Rubinshteyn put a dent in those plans. Stealing the puck from the Bowdoin defenseman, the forward took it herself through the neutral zone, into the offensive zone. One-on-one with the goalie, Rubinshteyn went to her left and snapped a wrist shot that found its way into the back of the net (17:03). That Ephs goal was the first of four in the third period that secured the team their first win of the season by a score of 5-2. 

The Polar Bears were the first to score in this afternoon's contest. 4:59 into the first period, Elena DiMagno found herself with the puck in the crease after the Polar Bears won the face off, and the sophomore shot the puck high into the net to put Bowdoin up 1-0 early.

The Ephs quickly responded, their offense today powered primarily by their special teams units. On the power play, freshman defenseman Celine Mayer took a slap shot that ricocheted off the Bowdoin's goalie's pads; senior captain Robin Kitazono got the rebound on the right side, and her shot tied the game at 1-1 (8:48).

The Ephs second power play of the day was not as successful, as the Polar Bears' Sally Solotaroff-Webber held strong in the cage during the two minutes. As the first period came to a close, the Ephs picked up a penalty that would give the Polar Bears another power play opportunity.

The Ephs penalty kill unit remained strong as the 2nd period began and successfully killed another Bowdoin power play opportunity. Once Maddie Zack picked up a checking penalty (4:54), the Ephs penalty kill unit once again went back to work, killing another Polar Bear power play. While the Ephs' defense excelled, their offensive efforts were also noteworthy. The second period saw the Ephs' forwards playing with tenacity, keeping the puck in their offensive zone and getting a number of shots on net. Despite the best efforts of Kitazono, Claire Murphy, and Jaelyn Kiever, who all recorded shots during the period, Bowdoin's Solotaroff-Webber was a clamp in the cage, not allowing a goal during the period. Similarly, Erin Pye was stellar in net for the Ephs, also not allowing a goal during the period. 

The third period was action packed for the Ephs; prior to Rubinshteyn's goal, Lucie Bond scored her goal first of the season 5:51 into the third. Down 3-1, Gia Massari of the Polar Bears responded with a goal, shortening the Ephs lead (18:21). 

With the game winding down, the Polar Bears pulled their goalie and the Ephs capitalized. Kiever scored the first empty net goal for the Ephs (19:00). The second empty net goal came when Chloe Noxon executed a pretty pass, sliding the puck through the legs of a Bowdoin defender to find the stick of senior captain Christina Halloran, who scored the fifth goal of the game, putting an exclamation mark on the Ephs' first win of the season. 

Head Coach Meghan Gillis was happy with how her team responded to yesterday's loss, especially her special teams units: "They kept it simple and took what was given. They had good patience in key moments. The game was won or lost on special teams yesterday and again today, it just worked in our favor today."

The Ephs scored on two of their three power play attempts on the day, while their penalty kill unit killed all four of Bowdoin's power play opportunities. The Ephs will look to build on this win on December 1st, when they face Connecticut College in New London, CT at 7 P.M.