AMHERST, Mass. -- Alyssa Xu and Jayna Park each scored their first collegiate goals as the Amherst College women's ice hockey team scored three power-play goals in a 4-1 win over Johnson & Wales University on Sunday at Orr Rink.
The reigning NESCAC champion Mammoths (2-2) won on back-to-back days in their opening weekend at Orr Rink and will next host Middlebury for a pair of NESCAC contests beginning Friday (Dec. 3) at 7 p.m. The Wildcats (6-4) split a weekend against NESCAC foes after an overtime win at Connecticut College and will next face Sacred Heart in a home-and-home series.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- The Mammoths opened the scoring on their first power-play of the game when Xu knocked in a rebound 5:29 into the game for her first collegiate goal.
- The 1-0 lead held until late in the second period when the Wildcats tied the game with a power-play goal of their own. Skylar Robert sent a pass to Haylee Owen in front of the net and Owen scored her first collegiate goal at the 17:56 mark.
- The Mammoths earned two more power-play opportunities in the third period and scored on both of them. First-year Anna Baxter gave the Mammoths the lead when she sent the puck towards the crease from behind the net and the puck deflected off a Wildcat defender over the goalie's shoulder and into the net. That goal held up as the game-winner, the first game-winning goal of Baxter's young career.
- Senior Stephanie Nomicos added to the Amherst lead on the power play at 12:31 in the third with a shot from the blue line that found its way through traffic for her first goal of the season.
- The only even-strength goal of the game came less than a minute later when Park scored on a backhand shot for her first collegiate goal.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Making her first appearance of the season, senior goaltender Anna Kruesel needed to make only 6 saves to earn the win as the Mammoths held a 38-7 advantage in shots on goal.
- Daly tallied 2 assists to finish the weekend with 5 points in 2 games after scoring a goal and adding 2 assists in yesterday's win over Manhattanville.