February 27, 2014
Twenty-two women, 24 games over the course of four months, eight wins, 14 losses, two ties. Hamilton’s women’s ice hockey team battled through adversity to salvage the end of their long season by splitting the series against Colby this past weekend.
The Continentals earned their second NESCAC win of the season with their 2-1 win at Colby on Friday.
“Even though we were out of the playoffs, we still battled hard and pulled out a great win” commented Hannah Bartlett ’16. 10:12 into the first period, Hannah Jaiven ’14 took advantage of the power play and put Hamilton on the scoreboard with assists from Jill Tokarzyk ’14 and Nikki Haskins ’14.
The trio of seniors have heavily impacted the program both this season and over their careers. Tokarcyzk leads the team with 10 assists this season, Haskins leaves a legacy of 47 points scored over four years, and Jaiven ends with a team leading 98 games played with Hamilton.
“I can’t stress enough how greatly our seniors will be missed next year,” stressed Meg Ahern ’17. “Though our record doesn’t reflect the best statistical year, this was one of the most memorable years for me as an athlete ...and much of that is credited to the incredible group of seniors.”
The winning goal came 14:47 into the final period, fueled by the younger members of the Hamilton squad. Naomi Woolfenden ’16 scored her first goal of the season with assists from Katie Parkman ’17 and Sara Taffe ’17.
Parkman ends the season tied with captain Gigi Fraser ’14 for the team lead for goals and total points with 10 and 16 respectively.
Colby scored with 1:33 left in the final period, and in an attempt to tie the game, the Continentals pulled their goalie with 1:20 remaining. The attempt proved futile as the Hamilton defense held their ground.
Goaltender Tori Bogen ’14 recorded 29 saves, bringing her career numbers up to 496 total saves made while facing 553 shots. Her career save percentage rests at an admirable .897, and in her final season, an impressive .901.
The final game resulted in a 2-1 Colby win, solidifying their spot in the NESCAC playoffs.
Ahern notched the lone Hamilton goal late in the first period, scoring her third goal of the season with assists from Hannah Jaiven ’14 and Teal Gosselin ’17. Ahern commented on the game, “Even after we knew we were out of playoffs, we came out against Colby and ruined their senior night with a win and overall ended our season with a great weekend on and off the ice.”
Colby scored once more in each remaining period to permanently place themselves ahead of the Continentals.
Despite losing their final game, Hamilton displayed their gutsy nature in the extremely competitive NESCAC league with a win on Friday.
All teams within the NESCAC are very closely matched in terms of playing ability, making contests nerve wracking and pressured. Hamilton beat the odds by defeating both Bowdoin and Colby in the final weeks of their season.
The buff and blue also took first-place Middlebury into overtime, and kept every game close over the course of the season.
Looking forward, all members of the senior class will be greatly missed. Stephanie Lang ’14 leads all Hamilton players with 50 points in the course of her career.
Stalwart defenseman Julia Williams ’14 has provided skillful play in 89 collegiate games. Finally, captains Haskins and Fraser will definitely leave huge shoes to fill.
Nevertheless, the competitive nature and successes of the first-years and other underclassmen will surely continue to grow and develop in the coming years. Despite not qualifying for the postseason, there are signs of a bright future.
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