Hartford, CT - The Williams College Ephs (8-9-2, 5-6-1 NESCAC) upset the #9 ranked Trinity College Bantams (12-5-2, 5-5-2 NESCAC) by a score of 2-1.
The Ephs went up 1-0 about midway through the second period on a goal by
Chloe Noxon assisted by
Quinn Dawson after sophomore forward
Jaelyn Keiver fired a shot that was blocked by the Bantams' Hannah Leclair. The Ephs
Leah Rubinshteyn, was positioned in the crease. Off one knee, Rubinshteyn was able to shoot the puck into the back of the net to secure a 2-0 lead (10:21).
The Bantams came out firing getting off seven consecutive shots in the first period. The midway point of the period proved to be where the momentum changed. From 10:41 in the first, to 15:12, the Ephs rattled off 8 consecutive shots. With under two minutes to go in the period, the Ephs drew a penalty and entered the 2nd period with a man-up advantage (18:57).
Despite not being able to convert on the power play, the Ephs maintained their offensive surge with
Sophia Hoppe,
Claire Murphy, and
Keira Harder all garnering quality looks.
Chloe Noxon found herself in the crease and scored off a rebound for the Ephs (7:21). Shortly after Noxon's goal, the Ephs picked up a penalty putting the Bantams on the power play (8:03). The Ephs' penalty kill unit excelled and kept the Bantams scoreless.
The Bantams came out in the third period with high energy and this resulted in them dominating play at the beginning of the period. Putting a dent in the momentum was Rubinshetyn, scoring the goal to put the Ephs up ahead 2-0. Trinity responded three minutes later with a goal of their own (14:00). Despite pulling their goaltender with under a minute left Trinity was unable to find the equalizer.
Eph goaltender
Erin Pye made 26 saves to secure the win.
After the game, Eph head coach Megan Gillis stated, "I think the team was connected and relentless and played one of our most complete games of the season. It was a huge team effort tonight. Those are the type of games we are going to need to win to keep our season going."
Next up for the Ephs, they will face the Middlebury College Panthers Friday, February 9th, at home in Lansing Chapman Rink. Puck drop will be at 7 PM.
