Sports
Women’s hockey ties Conn College in inaugural FebFest Classic
By Daphne Assimakopoulos ’17
February 25, 2016
Tags sports
The energy was palpable in Sage Rink as the women’s hockey squad wrapped up the regular season against the Connecticut College Camels in the first FebFest Classic on Saturday, Feb. 21. Co-sponsored by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the Social Traditions Committee, the annual tradition will be a women’s hockey game occurring during the week of FebFest. The game was also the team’s home and regular-season finale.
In back-to-back home games on Friday and Saturday against the Camels, the Continentals came away with two 1-1 ties, clinching a spot as the sixth seed in next weekend’s NESCAC Championship. The conference tournament, which is a single-elimination, eight-team tournament, will again pit Hamilton against Conn College for a rubber match at New London, CT.
In the Friday nightcap, Hamilton recovered from a late start to tie it up in the third period and force overtime. Connecticut College jumped out with an early lead, scoring 9:04 into the first period. Hamilton gained back some momentum in the second period, outshooting the Camels 11-10.
Hamilton’s mounting pressure finally paid off 2:16 into the third period. Hannah Bartlett ’16 netted a goal off of assists from Steph DiPietro ’18 and Sara Taffe ’17 to knot the game up at one and force overtime. Goaltender Sam Walther ’18 had another strong showing, recording 32 saves on the night. Twelve of her saves came in the third period and in overtime to preserve the tie.
On Saturday, the Continentals celebrated their six graduating seniors with a small ceremony prior to the match. Meg Ahern ’17 commented on the impact of the class, noting, “Our senior class is very diverse as a group of players, but it is their diversity that has made them so impactful. All six of them have changed the dynamic of our team on and off the ice and will be greatly missed.”
Once the game began, Bartlett again scored Hamilton’s only goal, converting a turnover in the offensive zone at 6:55 of the second period. However, despite holding a lead going into the final frame, the Continentals could not deliver a victory on Senior Day, conceding the tying goal at 7:51 of the third. Bartlett ended her regular season with 16 goals, good enough to lead Hamilton and rank third overall in the NESCAC. Walther also ended the regular season on a high note, recording 25 saves in Saturday’s showing. This leaves her season total at 540 saves on 572 shots, good for a save percentage of .944, third overall in the NESCAC.
Moving forward, the Continentals will need to deliver again against Conn College, this time on the road. The Camels are just 4-6-1 on their home ice this year, however, making this a winnable game for Hamilton.
“We are really excited to be matched up against Conn College again,” commented Ahern. “After two back to back ties against them this weekend, we are really wanting to win when it counts; it’s great to have that opportunity while the frustration of coming so close to beating them is fresh in our minds.”
The women’s hockey team has not won a NESCAC playoff game since the conference instituted a postseason tournament for the 2007-08 season. This year’s team will hope to snap that drought when the puck drops this Saturday at 3 p.m.