The Bowdoin women’s ice hockey team has had a busy January, ending the month on a high note after beating Wesleyan at home 4-0 last Saturday following a 0-0 tie the day before. The team now sits fifth in the NESCAC with a conference record of 4-5-1 and an overall record of 7-8-2.
During Friday’s game against Wesleyan, both goalies kept their teams in the game. Bowdoin’s Sophia Lattanzio ’19 earned her first collegiate shutout, but Bowdoin was unable to score the go-ahead goal. As a result, the Polar Bears knew they had to raise their level of play going into Saturday. Miranda Bell ’18 scored first for Bowdoin after Marissa Fichter ’19 set up the play in the first period. During the second period, three goals were scored in six minutes; two back-to-back by captain Ariana Bourque ’16 followed by one from Julie Dachille ’18. Meanwhile, goalie Lan Crofton ’17 earned the team’s second shutout of the weekend.
“Everyone was just determined,” said Head Coach Marissa O’Neil of the 4-0 win. “At this time in the season, we know how valuable every game is and how every point in our conference truly matters when it comes down to the playoff seedings.”
The team also played extremely well during its Amherst weekend in the middle of January. Amherst was undefeated coming into the weekend, making the Polar Bears the underdogs. However, the Bears pulled out a close 3-2 victory in the first game. While they did lose on Saturday 3-1, O’Neil asserts that the Polar Bears outplayed Amherst and actually played better during the second game. She believes that since the team is very young, having a weekend like this was very important for team confidence.
“The atmosphere in the locker room was buzzing with excited energy, and we translated that energy well onto the ice,” said Bourque of the Friday game. “Not only was it our most fun game of the season, but we also showed that when we play to our full potential, we have the ability to beat any team in this competitive conference on any given day.”
Unfortunately, the team has faced trouble with injuries this season and are still not completely healthy. However, Bourque believes that being able to adjust to these setbacks will only help down the road in the postseason. Most of the injured players have rehabilitated themselves enough to be able to play through the pain, so the team has more numbers now than earlier in the season.
However, Bowdoin experienced a challenging weekend the following week at Middlebury, losing the first game 2-0 and the second 4-2. According to O’Neil, the team was not psychologically ready going into the weekend and suffered a mental and physical letdown. However, O’Neil believes that this should motivate the team if they face Middlebury again in the playoffs.
“We’ve struggled throughout the season with playing an entire 60 minutes of hockey,” said Maddy Hall ’17. “Oftentimes we won’t come out right away ready to play.”
Earlier this season, the team made a shift in strategy to having three defenders back. This alignment plays to the team’s strengths and has proved helpful offensively, keeping play alive in the opponent’s defensive zone. While it has taken some time getting used to, the Winter Break period helped the team settle into the system. Although the Polar Bears knew January would be a tough month, O’Neil noted that the team has worked together better during the last couple of weeks, which has led to overall improvement. Furthermore, the first years have stepped up to the challenge, learning and implementing the system and being thrown into leadership roles not typically given to underclassmen.
“We win as a team; we lose as a team,” said O’Neil. “[The team] wants to be there. They want to do well...they’ve certainly created an environment in which they can all thrive.”
Looking ahead, Bowdoin will be competing against conference opponents that are only separated by a few points in the standings. With a lot of parity in the conference, the rivalries are getting more heated as the competition grows.
“The biggest thing I think is that we’re each fired up and mentally prepared going into games,” said Hall. “We leave the ice knowing we gave it our all and played the way we know we can and should.”
Although the current goal is to host a quarterfinal game, the team plans to consistently come out ready for each game and to stay healthy. The Polar Bears hope to peak when it comes time for playoffs.
“We are in control of our own destiny for hosting the first round of the playoffs,” said Bourque. “This is a goal that we are working towards every day by focusing on what we know this team is capable of.”