The women's ice hockey team has spent much of Winter Break on campus, training for the season ahead and competing in matches against fellow NESCAC teams. The Polar Bears seek to advance in conference standings at home in Watson Arena this week after mixed results in their last two road matches, hosting Wesleyan tomorrow and Trinity on Saturday.
The team suffered a tough loss at Connecticut College last Sunday, with the Camels scoring three goals in the second period.
Kim Tess-Wanat '13 scored the first goal of the evening for the Polar Bears and Bowdoin led 2-1 for much of the second period after Emily Tang '14 found the back of the net early in the frame.
However, two quick goals by the Camels, just 53 seconds apart, gave the home team a 3-2 lead. At the tail end of the second period, Kelsey Kirker put the puck past Bowdoin goalkeeper Kayla Lessard '13 to give the Camels a 4-2 advantage going into the third period and outshooting the Bears 18 to 9.
Ten penalties in the third period gave Bowdoin an opportunity to take advantage of a 4x4.
"At one point we had six on three but we couldn't get it past the goalie," said coach Marissa O'Neil '05.
Dominique Lozzi '12 scored for Bowdoin with 12:01 left in the period, narrowing Connecticut's lead to 4-3. Though Lozzi's goal was not quite enough momentum for the Polar Bears to pull off a tie, Bowdoin managed to prevent the Camels from scoring in the third period. Bowdoin keeper Tara Connolly '13, who replaced Lessard at the start of the third, stopped all 20 scoring attempts during her time in the goal.
"It came down to not capitalizing on chances," said O'Neil. "Conn. found the back of the back of the net. We didn't."
"I think we had moments where we played really well together as a team, however we were unable to play the whole 60 minutes. We battled hard in the third, but we had a good number of penalties, which tired us out quickly and was hard to overcome," said Lozzi.
Despite last Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Camels, Bowdoin tallied a decisive win against Hamilton last Saturday.
The team was slightly apprehensive going into the game, however.
"They came up here in December and we didn't play well. We didn't do anything to combat their approach."
Things were different for last Sunday's game, according to O'Neil.
"We were able to establish our forecheck," she said. "We were able to gain a lot of scoring chances."
Lozzi scored early in the first period and Hamilton's Katie Zimmerman put one between the pipes soon after. The Polar Bears regained their lead after an unusual goal by Michaela Calnan '11. Calnan shot the puck off the glass from just past the center of the rink as Bowdoin was in the midst of a player swap. Hamilton's keeper, Becca Hazlett emerged from the net to move the puck down the ice but the puck ricocheted off the glass and made into the empty goal. At the end of the first, Bowdoin had established its dominance with an 18-5 shot advantage.
Despite three power plays in the third period, the Continentals failed to get one past Lessard. With just one minute left, Hamilton pulled Hazlett off the ice and put in another skater in an attempt to tie. But Bowdoin's Stephanie Ludy '13 scored off a pass from Lozzi with only 10.5 seconds remaining in the game.
"Everyone who stepped on the ice contributed to what we were trying to accomplish," O'Neil said. "It was a good team effort more so than any individual performance."
"Hamilton was our first game where we clicked as a team for the entire game," Lozzi agreed. "Everyone had their heads where they needed to be and we were very happy with our performance."
With a weekend of mixed results behind them, the Polar Bears are at fourth in the NESCAC standings with a 5-3-0 record. Games against upcoming challengers Trinity (3-1-2) and Wesleyan (0-6-0) will be crucial in determining Bowdoin's place in the conference.
"These are two teams we haven't faced yet this year," said O'Neil. "Every game in the NESCAC is huge."
But O'Neil said her main priority is improving how the Bowdoin team plays, not scoping out the competition.
"We are still a young program," O'Neil said. "Our focus is more on us than [on] our opponents. No matter who the opponent is, we always have the opportunity to compete for a victory."