While most Bowdoin students were relaxing and enjoying a month away from campus, the women's hockey team was on campus practicing and playing a series of games as the season moves into its last leg. With play heating up in the month of January, the Polar Bears went 5-5-1, maintaining their overall winning record at 9-7-2 (6-3-1 in NESCAC).
Most recently, the Polar Bears blanked the overmatched Plymouth State Panthers, winning in a blowout 15-0. The loss dropped the winless Panthers to 0-17-0. Bowdoin dominated early on and throughout with goals from ten different players as they outshot Plymouth State 49 to 4. The action started off with an early goal from first year Kim Tess-Wanat before the game had reached two minutes in the first period. The barrage of scoring continued with a goal from Katie Herter '12, followed by back-to-back goals from first year Kayte Holtz within a minute of one another, and then a goal from first year Kenzie Novak to extend the first period lead to 5-0.
The second period proved to be more of the same as Bowdoin put up eight more goals in the second period behind sophomore Kendra Sweet's first goal of the season to effectively ice the game at 13-0. First year Stephanie Ludy's two-goal final period sealed the deal at 15-0. Holtz recorded a hat trick to increase her team-leading 11 goals this season. Also notable were junior Jill Campbell's four assists and first year Tara Connoly's first collegiate win and shutout.
The win against Plymouth State ran the Bowdoin women's unanswered points streak to 22 following their 7-0 win at Wesleyan (3-12-0; 1-9-0) last Saturday. Led by sophomore Shelagh Merrill's two goals and junior Chelsea Young's three points, the Polar Bears took advantage of the inexperience of Wesleyan's first year goalie Ashleigh Corvi. Corvi was peppered with shots as Bowdoin out-shot Wesleyan 59-13, making Bowdoin sophomore Sage Santangelo's day a little bit easier as she sailed to her second win of the season with 13 saves.
After building a 3-0 lead on goals by Young, Merrill, and an unassisted goal from Wanat, the Polar Bears played efficiently in the second period with first years Holtz and Novak scoring on back-to-back shots. Merrill's second goal of the game and Herter's third period goal ensured Wesleyan's decade-long struggle against the Bowdoin women would continue. The last time the Cardinals women's team beat Bowdoin was the '98-'99 season in a 4-3 overtime victory. The two teams will meet up again on February 14 at Watson Arena.
The first game of last weekend's road trip proved to be a tougher task for Bowdoin as they dropped a 4-1 loss to a hot Trinity College team (14-1-2, 7-1-2 NESCAC). Trinity jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after one period, riddling first year goalie Kayla Lessard with 17 shots. However, five minutes into the second period tri-captain Shana Natelson '10 put Bowdoin in striking range with a power-play goal. Trinity pulled away with a final second period goal, before both goalies neutralized their opponent's attacks in a scoreless final period, giving Trinity the 4-1 victory. Trinity is currently placed second in the NESCAC standings and have only given up 17 points all season. Bowdoin will get another shot at Trinity at home on February 12.
The team has no games scheduled for this coming week, but will pick up the action with back-to-back games at Amherst next weekend. This road trip should prove a challenge as Amherst has yet to lose a NESCAC game yet this season and sits atop the NESCAC standings.