Sports
Bantams beat Buff & Blue: Women's ice hockey season ends
By by John Wulf '12, Sports Staff Writer
March 1, 2012
Every season has an expiration date. No matter how hard a team trains, how many injuries it plays through or how much a team bonds and comes together, there is always an end. Often times, it is unceremonious and swift. For the Hamilton women’s ice hockey team, that end came this past Saturday in Hartford, CT.
As the fifth seed in the eight-team NESCAC tournament, Hamilton had to play on the road against arch-nemesis Trinity College. In their five most recent match-ups, Trinity had won all of them. The Continentals, however, showed no signs of apprehension.
In the week leading up to the game, Riley Smith ’12 believed strongly in her team, speaking with determination that this game would be different. Star forward Katie Zimmerman ’13 echoed her captain, saying, “We went into the game feeling really confident. I think all of us were really excited about the idea of going to Middlebury.”
But alas, the trip to Middlebury will have to wait awhile. That’s because for the second straight year, Trinity cut Hamilton’s season short.
Like in last year’s playoff game, Trinity took the early advantage and scored first. Thanks to an ugly sequence of penalties, Trinity capitalized on a four on three power play three and a half minutes into the game. For a team that hadn’t won a playoff game in five years, it was the worst possible start for the Buff and Blue.
Then, later in the first period— after the game had settled down, and Hamilton had a few opportunities of its own—Trinity scored with under a minute left to play. But to Hamilton’s credit, the team did not collapse.
“None of us hung our heads after they scored. We rebounded really well in the second [period],” recalled Zimmerman.
The team didn’t score in the second, but it created good opportunities, and Becca Hazlett ’13 made spectacular saves to keep hope alive.
Then, on a power play four minutes into the third period, Laura DiCarlo ’12 deflected a shot over the goalie’s glove to bring Hamilton within one. Suddenly, after two periods of hanging on, Hamilton had life.
With ten minutes left in the game, it looked like Hamilton was on the verge of a memorable comeback. The team had just staved off another Trinity power play and had earned one of its own. But out of nowhere, Hamilton committed a turnover on its own end of the ice. The errant pass resulted in a quick Trinity wrist shot that beat an understandably surprised Hazlett.
From there, the game and Hamilton’s season painfully slipped away. Hamilton would lose by a final score of 3-1. Despite the defeat, Zimmerman was still able to see the positives.
“Sometimes they don’t go our way,” Zimmerman said, “but in a weird way, it was reassuring knowing that every player was in it and was out there playing for the team.”
As for the season, she said, “It was absolutely a successful season. I think we’ve done nothing but grow and develop as a program; [. . .] we really pulled together as a unit, and there are nothing but exciting things for us in our future.”
While the future is surely bright, one cannot forget the contributions of this year’s seniors. When asked to reflect on the impact of Meredith Bitterman a’12, DiCarlo, Jennifer Keefe ’12, Kristen Pallen ’12 and Smith, Zimmerman’s eyes lit up: “They were absolutely incredible. Every one of them has contributed significantly to the program in their own unique way. We’ll miss them very much.”