The Bowdoin Women's Ice Hockey Team suffered a tough loss last Saturday, falling short 4-2 to the Colby Mules in Waterville.
Colby senior Becky Julian got the ball rolling for the Mules when she scored her first of three goals within the first minute of the game.
Bowdoin's Lindsay McNamara '09 responded six minutes later, scoring the first goal for the Bears on an assist from Alexandra Chlebeck '12.
The Polar Bears, however, could not mantain that momentum, as Julian netted two more goals to put Colby up 3-1 after two periods. In the third period, Colby senior Collette Finley added another to put the Mules up 4-1.
Bowdoin's Jill Campbell '11 rallied, netting the Bears' second goal to cut the deficit to two. Campbell was assisted by Katherine Pokrass '10. However, the Bears were not able to score again, giving Colby its second NESCAC win of the season.
First year Bowdoin goalie Sage Santangelo was strong in the net, making 22 stops throughout the game.
Not surprisingly, the loss to Colby disappointed the Bears.
"The Colby loss was really tough and frustrating because it was a game we could have won," Scooter Walsh '09 said. "As a team, we did not play that well. We had many minutes of good hockey in which we really controlled the game, but in the end it wasn't enough."
Her teammate Pokrass agreed that the loss was hard for the team. "Losing to a NESCAC rival is a huge disappointment," Pokrass said. "Colby is an extremely fast team and applied a ton of pressure. We never really established our game plan and Colby took advantage."
In light of their loss, their third of the season, the team is regaining focus as they prepare for the remainder of the winter.
"I think the Colby game was helpful in teaching us what we need to work on in this month before our next game," Walsh said after the game.
Specifically, the team is focusing on their aggressiveness in their defensive game.
"We are working to improve our decision making in the defensive zone and winning the one-on-one battles, both of which are very important to our system," Pokrass said.
The Bears are prepared to work hard over break to increase their momentum.
"In practice we are focusing on playing an up-tempo game and taking care of the puck," Santangelo said. "As we head towards winter break and the rest of our season we will to focus on playing aggressively and putting together a complete game."