While most of the campus population spent the last five weeks resting and relaxing, Wesleyan women’s hockey was in full swing. The Cardinals had a tough lineup of 11 matches over the 2012-2013 winter break, which included six matches versus NESCAC rivals Middlebury, Bowdoin, and Conn. College.

The Cardinals started 2013 with a non-conference match at home against the Pilgrims of New England College on Tuesday, Jan. 1. NEC took the early lead, quickly scoring two minutes into the first period. Kelsey Muller ’13, assisted by sophomores Hannah Jellinek and Mackenzie McPike, evened up the score several minutes later. Laura Wasnick ’15 gave Wesleyan the lead in the middle of the third period, assisted by Jordan Schildhaus ’15 and Cara Jankowski ’15. Jankowski solidified the win by scoring with two minutes left of play. The Cardinals ultimately bested the Pilgrims by a margin of 3-1.

The squad hit the road later in the week, taking on Middlebury in back-to-back matches on Friday, Jan. 4 and Saturday, Jan. 5. The Panthers dominated the first of these consecutive matches, taking the lead early and never looking back. Middlebury scored an impressive four goals in the first 15 minutes of play and added another tally midway in the second period. For the Cardinals the lone score happened when Wasnick, assisted by Muller and Lilah Fones ’15, netted a goal late in the second period. Despite Wesleyan’s strong effort, Middlebury’s defense simply proved too hard to handle, as the Panthers defeated Wesleyan 6-1. The Cardinals rallied in the subsequent match, when Jellink posted the first goal of the game early in the second period. The Panthers came back toward the end of the second period, however, scoring twice within a 50-second interval. Middlebury scored again in the third period, ultimately winning 3-1.

The following weekend saw the Cardinals taking on the Bowdoin Polar Bears at home for yet another set of back-to-back matches. Bowdoin scored two early goals in the contest and never lost its momentum. Schildhaus scored Wesleyan’s sole goal of the game midway through the second period, assisted by Jankowski. The final score of the match was 4-1 in favor of Bowdoin. Saturday’s match also belonged to the Polar Bears. Despite Wesleyan’s early goal by Glenn Hartman-Mattson ’14, the swift skating of Bowdoin’s forward line propelled its team to a dominating lead as the players scored four goals in a 12-minute span. In the third period, Schildhaus netted a point for the Cardinals, but Bowdoin’s lead ended up being too much to overcome and Wesleyan lost by a 7-2 margin.

The Cardinals took on NESCAC rival Conn College the weekend of Jan. 19 and 20 for two matches at home. The Camels controlled most of the first meeting, scoring early on and holding the lead throughout. Wesleyan’s sole goal came from Laura Mead ’16, who was assisted by fellow freshman Lottie Barton. The final score of the match was 4-1 in favor of the Camels. The next day’s game started out much like the Cardinals’ previous NESCAC battles, but the team managed to rally from its initial deficit. A pair of back-to-back goals by Jellinek and Schildhaus tied the game in the second period. In overtime, however, a swift score by a Conn College forward decided the match. Wesleyan was ultimately bested by a final score of 3-2.

The Cardinal’s final match of winter recess took place on Tuesday, Jan. 22 at home versus Plymouth State College. After an early goal by Plymouth in the first period, a triumvirate of goals by Becca Koppel ’13, Jankowski, and Schildhaus gave Wesleyan a strong lead. The Cardinals skated away to victory over Plymouth 4-2.

At the close of this week’s round of play, the Cardinals currently stand at 5-12-0 overall and 1-9-0 in conference play. Wesleyan will take the ice again on Friday, Feb. 1 against NESCAC competitor Hamilton in Clinton, N.Y.