The women’s hockey team has struggled in the homestretch of its season, losing the last five games. The team now has an overall record of 8-13-2 and will face off against Amherst in the first round of the NESCAC tournament.
The Polar Bears have one win over Amherst and feel confident going into the first round this weekend, but staying healthy will be key for the team’s success.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries so we’ve had a really small bench,” said Mo Greason ’18. “Marne [Gallant ’17] was injured before the season even started. Now Julie [Dachille ’18] had to go home because she has mono, and one of our goalies, Beth [Findley ’16], has mono. We’ve had two concussions in the past month, and we already have a small roster so it just makes it more physically taxing for all of us because we all have to just play more and some of our best players have been hurt.”
Although some strong players have had to sit out several games, the team believes that they will ready to go this upcoming weekend. Not only will the Polar Bears need to be healthy but they will also need to be mentally tough. As their record shows, they have not been very consistent.
“We’ve played the same team twice in a weekend and so for the first couple of months we would just split every weekend. We would either win Friday and then lose, or we’d lose Friday and then we’d think, ‘Oh, we just have to win on Saturday’,” said Greason.
With the big game coming up, the Polar Bears have been working hard on improving their offense.
“Our forwards are faster than their defense, so we should be able to get on them,” said Greason.
The women’s hockey team will play in the first round of the NESCAC tournament against Amherst Saturday at 3 p.m.