AMHERST, Mass. – The best season in Hamilton College women’s hockey history ended on Friday night with a 2-0 loss against the Amherst College Mammoths in the semifinals of the 2023 NCAA Division III Women’s Hockey Championship at Amherst’s Orr Rink.
Season Update
The nationally ranked No. 6 Continentals (22-6-2 overall) set a team record for wins in a season, advanced to the NESCAC championship final for the first time, and made its first appearance in the NCAA championship by receiving one of the three at-large bids. The No. 3 Mammoths (26-3-0) host the final on Sunday, March 19 at 3 p.m. They will play Gustavus Adolphus College, which defeated SUNY Plattsburgh 3-2 in double overtime in Friday’s first semifinal, for the national title.
How It Happened
After a scoreless first period, Amherst’s Maeve Reynolds won the second period’s opening faceoff to Carley Daly, who drove hard down the right side and below the right faceoff circle. Just before Daly reached the crease, she sent a pass across the low slot to Reynolds and she tapped the puck into a wide-open net just nine seconds into the period. Hamilton went on the power play midway through the second and applied some pressure as the Continentals put three shots on net and had another one blocked. At one point there was a huge scrum in front of the net and several players ended up on the ice. After a video review, it was determined one of the Mammoth skaters closed their hand on the puck in the crease, which resulted in a penalty shot. All-American Nancy Loh ’23 was selected to take the shot and she glided across the low slot from left to right. Loh tried to sneak a backhand shot past Natalie Stott but she stuck out her left leg and kicked it away 9:05 into the period. Hamilton received a power-play opportunity with 5:45 left in the third period and recorded three shots on goal along with two others that were blocked. The Continentals called their timeout with 2:01 remaining and pulled their goaltender for an extra skater 21 seconds later. Amherst’s Rylee Glennon gained possession of the puck shortly thereafter in the neutral zone near the right-side boards and took the shot from near the blue line. The puck slid into the empty net and effectively ended the game with 1:22 to go.
Notes
Evie Sheridan ’26 made 29 saves for Hamilton and wrapped up a fantastic first year. Sheridan ended up with a 1.41 goals against average, a .941 save percentage and a 15-5-1 record with five shutouts. Sami Quackenbush ’24 led the defense with three blocked shots for the Continentals. The Mammoths held a 31-18 shot advantage, and Hamilton won 29 of 57 faceoffs. Both teams were 0-for-4 on the power play. Stott stopped 18 shots for the shutout. Amherst hasn’t allowed a goal in five postseason games. The Mammoths’ only home loss this season was against the Continentals back in mid-November. Nine seniors played their last game at Hamilton: Mya Berretta ’23, Allie Curry ’23, Jess Eccleston ’23, Maura Holden ’23, Maddie Hong ’23, Abby Kuhns ’23, Loh, Hyla Mosher ’23 and Katherine Solohub ’23.
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