Women’s ice hockey struggled in its season opener on the road, falling 4-1 to Plattsburg State, the top-ranked D-III team according to U.S. College Hockey Online. The women recouped the one-sided loss a few days later, beating UMass Boston by the same score. 
Plattsburg State went one for three on power-plays and outshot Bowdoin 36-19. They scored three goals in the second period, two in quick succession. 
The Polar Bears notched their first goal in the third period on a power-play.
Jay Greene ’13 shot the puck from the top of the defensive zone and it flew between the goalie’s legs. Kenzie Novak ’13 and Ariana Bourque ’16 were each credited with an assist. 
Goal keeper Tara Connolly ’13 stayed busy in front of the net, making 32 saves in total.
Coach Marissa O’Neil was impressed with her team despite the loss. Plattsburgh State is consistently one of the best teams in the nation and had started its season a few days before Bowdoin did, according to O’Neil.  
She has made it a priority to play many difficult, nationally ranked opponents to increase Bowdoin’s chances at receiving one of the three at-large bids to the national tournament. If Bowdoin were to win the NESCAC title, it would receive an automatic bid. 
“In building our program and taking that step forward, you need to have those games on your schedule. If you had an easy schedule, you would never get that at-large bid,” she said.
In its second game, Bowdoin trounced UMass Boston 4-1 at home.
Mallory Andrews ’14 scored the first goal of the night about half-way through the first period, taking advantage of a rebound.
Later on in the first, Bowdoin was awarded a power-play, its first of four later that night. Schuyler Nardelli ’15 took adavantage of the opportunity, netting a wrist-shot from the left defensive zone.
In the final seconds of the first period, Bourque added the third Bowdoin goal, redirecting a shot from Novak. 
In the second period, UMass Boston was awarded a power play and scored, cutting into Bowdoin’s lead.
A few minutes later, Chelsea MacNeil ’15 scored to help put the game out of reach. Connolly compiled a total of 16 saves against UMass Boston.
O’Neil said she has been pleased so far with the team’s play this season.
“The biggest thing we struggled with last year was not playing for the 60 minutes and inconsistent effort,” she said. “Every time you step on the ice you have to play with a purpose and keeping that pace of play up. In both of these things, our opponents were very different, but the players’ recognition of their mistakes was good.”
She was also pleased with the high number of shots Bowdoin generated, which bodes well for  its conference-opener against rival Colby. The Mules have a top-quality goalie, so getting lots of shots off will be important for the team’s success against their rivals, O’Neil said.
“They have all five of their players pretty tight which makes it difficult to get shots through or even any bodies to get ready for the rebound,” she said. “However, since their players are so low [in the zone] they cannot put as much pressure to cause turnovers and get transition plays, which takes away from their offense.”
Bowdoin begins NESCAC play with its first game at Colby on November 30.  On December 1, Bowdoin will host the Mules at Sidney Watson Arena.