The women’s ice hockey team ventured up to Maine this weekend to compete in two critical NESCAC games. On Friday night, the Cards defeated the Colby Mules in a close 3-2 victory, and then closed out the weekend with a tough 8-0 loss against the Bowdoin Polar Bears on Saturday afternoon. Wesleyan needed this win over Colby in order to maintain a realistic chance of making the NESCAC tournament.

Although the Mules outshot the Cards 8-4 in the first period, the Cards managed to take the lead as Jaime Bonner ’12 scored an unassisted goal 8:23 into the period. Julia Mulhern ’12 then scored a power-play goal with an assist from Julia Heffelfinger ’11 late in the period, giving the Cards a 2-0 lead.
The Cards advanced their offensive play into the second frame and doubled the number of shots on net. Halfway through the period, power forward Sena Ito ’11 scored a third goal for Wesleyan, lifting the score to 3-0. Becca Koppel ’13 and Emma Ram ’12 were credited with assists on Ito’s goal, her third of 2009-10.

Heading into the third period, the Cards slowed down their level of play and let the Mules gain control. Capitalizing on this opportunity, the Mules scored a quick goal 40 seconds after the puck dropped and then tapped in another goal only six minutes later, raising the score to 3-2.

Despite this short breakdown, Wesleyan held strong defensively until the end. With the help of goalie Nicole Bonneau ’13, the Cards prevented the Mules from scoring again before the clock ran out, even after Colby pulled its goaltender for the final 44 seconds, and ended the game with a final score of 3-2 for their first win in Waterville since January of 2004 (3-1).
“We knew Colby was a very big game and would help be a deciding factor as to whether or not our team will make it to NESCACs,” Koppel said. “For that reason, we came out skating for all three periods. I think the key factor as to why we won the game was because we actually shot the puck! We played our game and made them adjust to it, which led to a win.”
Wesleyan came into the game just 3-18-1 all-time against Colby, but has nearly doubled its win total after sweeping the season series against the Mules this season. Including the Wesleyan men, Wesleyan has gone 4-0 in its last four games on the ice against Colby after going 3-36-3 in the first 42.

 On Saturday, the Cardinals moved on to Bowdoin to complete their Maine weekend. Starting with the first period, the Bears dominated the game both offensively and defensively. Outshooting the Cards 50-11, Bowdoin scored two goals in the first period, four more in the second, and then picked up another two in the third period, ending the game with a final score of 8-0.

“The Bowdoin game was a tough loss, with our immense effort the day before showing in our tired legs,” Heffelfinger said. “Even though we ended the weekend on a bad note, it was still successful. We came up and did what we needed to do by beating Colby, a crucial win for our post-season hopes.”

“Everyone was dead tired after a hard-fought game against Colby and it showed,” Koppel added. “We were not skating and therefore getting beat to pucks and as a result, they dominated the game. In the beginning we had a few chances, but we did not have very many shots and became more tired as the periods went on.”

Concluding the weekend with a 1-1 record, Wesleyan’s playoff hopes lie in the final two games next weekend. The Cardinals will take on Hamilton at home on Friday before concluding the regular season with an afternoon game against Conn. College on Saturday. A tie in either game would likely secure a playoff berth for the Cardinals. The puck drops at 7 p.m. Friday as the Cardinals begin their playoff push.