Ephs skate to 1-1 tie against No. 2 Amherst in home opener

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - Senior goaltender Erin Pye made 51 saves and senior Jaelyn Keiver scored a first-period goal for the Williams College women's ice hockey team Friday evening, as the Ephs battled No. 2-ranked Amherst to a 1-1 tie during the season opener for both teams in Lansing Chapman Rink.

The Mammoths won the shootout, 1-0, as Maeve Reynolds scored the lone goal in the third round. Pye turned aside eight shots in the first period, 13 in the second, 22 in the third and eight during the five-minute overtime session. Senior goaltender Natalie Stott made 28 stops for Amherst.

"I was extremely proud of the way that the whole team played for the full 65 minutes tonight," said head coach Meghan Gillis. "It was an absolute battle against one of the best teams in Division III. There is a lot to build off of and things to improve on moving forward."

Amherst opened the scoring with 16:32 remaining in the first period, as Clare O'Connor cycled the puck around the back of the net. Marie-Eve Marleau sent a pass right across the front of the goal, and then Reynolds one-timed a shot from the left edge of the crease into the back of the net.

Williams responded on a power-play goal with 3:11 left in the opening period, as senior Lucie Bond sent a pass over to senior Claire Murphy in the slot. Murphy found senior Jaelyn Keiver in front of the net and she flipped a shot over the goalie to even the score at 1-1. Sophomores Charlotte Fetherston and Zoe Rosenberg each finished with team highs of four shots, while first-year Laney Read blocked a group-leading four shots.

The Ephs will compete against Amherst Saturday at 3 p.m. in Lansing Chapman Rink.