After a successful weekend against Wesleyan and Trinity, the women's hockey team will take the ice both Saturday and Sunday at Watson Arena against Sacred Heart University.
Last Saturday, the Polar Bears bounced back from a January 16 loss at Connecticut College with a 6-1 home victory over Wesleyan, who entered the contest with a 2-9-1 record. Although Wesleyan goaltender Ashleigh Corvi was impressive in the first period and racked up 20 saves, Stephanie Ludy '13 was finally able to find the back of the net around the 14th minute to give the Polar Bears an early lead.
Jill Campbell '11 and Kayte Holtz '13 each added a pair of goals, while Emily Tang '14 rounded out the scoring with three minutes to go in the game. The Polar Bears out-shot the Cardinals 54-12, and were three-for-five with their power play opportunities.
On Sunday, the team pulled a tie out against Trinity, who entered the game ranked seventh in D-III. Jay Greene '13 scored the game's first goal with a little over three minutes to go in the first period. Trinity's Kim Weiss then scored both Bantam goals, leaving the Polar Bears down 2-1 until Madeline Lane '14 evened the score with six minutes remaining.
Tara Connelly '13 stood tall through the end of regulation and overtime, racking up a total of 27 saves on the game and 12 in the third period alone, helping the Polar Bears at least achieve a tie.
Captain Michaela Calnan '11 said that "although the game ended in a tie, it was a major moral victory" for the team.
"It was truly a team effort," Calnan added, "with everyone winning the battles for loose pucks and focusing on doing the little things right."
The two teams were evenly matched in terms of shots on goal, with Trinity narrowly outshooting Bowdoin 29-27. However, the Polar Bears' power play efficiency kept them in the game. The team was two-for-three with said chances, while the Bantams were only one-for-six.
The Polar Bears are currently in third place in the NESCAC, with a 9-5-2 overall record. Although Sacred Heart is a non-conference opponent, the matchups this weekend at Watson Arena are important if Bowdoin wants to set itself in the right direction heading into its final six games—all of which are against NESCAC teams.
The Pioneers should not be taken lightly, though. Despite their 7-15 overall record this season, Sacred Heart has won three straight games and appears to be peaking just in time to ensure an interesting weekend of women's hockey at Watson Arena. The first face-off is at 7:30 Saturday night, followed by a 2 p.m. start on Sunday for the second game.