Hartford, Conn. – The visiting Williams College Ephs came out on top, 5-3, after a back-and-forth battle with the Trinity College Bantams in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) women's ice hockey action this evening on Williams Rink in the Koeppel Community Sports Center. Trinity drops to 4-5-3 overall and 1-4-1 in the NESCAC and Williams improves to 5-5 overall and 3-1 in the league after sweeping the two-game series this weekend.
Williams took an immediate lead, as rookie Sarah Lehman (Lexington, Mass.) netted a goal just 2:14 into the game. Late in the period, Trinity evened things up, as sophomore Brooke Heron (South Salem, N.Y.) ripped a shot on Williams junior goalie Chloe Billadeau (Chaska, Minn.), and despite a strong effort to come up with the stop, the puck trickled through to the back of the net, tying the game at 1-1. Trinity rode the momentum for the remainder of the period, creating several more opportunities before the first horn. Junior Lucy Robinson (Toronto, Ontario) made a strong move before clanking the puck off the right goal post. Moments later, in the period's final seconds, senior Abby Ostrom (Carlisle, Mass.) found herself in a breakaway, making a nifty stick move before firing a shot off the pad of Billadeau. The score remained tied heading into the first break.
The second period was packed with action right from the whistle. Williams senior Gabrielle Vukasin (Princeton, N.J.) connected with sophomore Michaela Levine (Lititz, Pa.) on a one-timer that appeared to go in the back of the Trinity net, but it turned out that Pujol had reached back to snag the puck with her glove. The play initially fooled the referees, who had ruled it a goal, only to reverse the call after consulting. Soon after, Williams got the goal back, when Williams junior Andree Heller (Toronto, Ontario) scored to put the Ephs back on top, 2-1. Later in the period, Trinity evened the score at 2-2 when junior Lily Gacicia (Milton, Mass.) ripped a slap shot from just inside the blue line, which junior Lauren Fitzgerald (Milton, Mass.) was able to deflect into the Williams net. Williams regained the lead when rookie Hanna Beattie (Whitehouse Station, N.J.) weaved her way past three Trinity defenders and buried a backhander top shelf to put the Ephs up 3-2.
Trinity nearly tied the game early in the third period, when sophomore Emma Tani (Orange, Calif.) deeked Billadeau and flipped a backhand shot high of the crossbar. Two minutes later, Levine put one off the Trinity crossbar before rookie Emily Krueger (Manasquan, N.J.) gave the Ephs a 4-2 lead. Fitzgerald nearly scored her second goal of the game, but her shot was denied by the Williams post, but less than two minutes later, she connected with sophomore Cheeky Herr (Princeton, N.J.) on a one-timer to bring the Bantams back within a goal, 4-3. Midway through the third, Trinity senior goalie Alexa Pujol (New Canaan, Conn.) made a clutch stop, as the intensity level rose as a result of the unpredictability of the game. Trinity pulled their goalie with just over a minute to play, and Williams senior co-captain Cristina Bravi (Montreal, Quebec) iced the win for the Ephs with a long distance empty-net goal.
Pujol finished the game with 31 saves, including 16 stops in the second period, while Billadeau made 15 saves to earn her second win in as many nights for the Ephs. Trinity hosts Manhattanville this Tues., Jan 14, at 7 p.m.
Box score
