Stellar offense has men's hockey off to quick start

The next night, the Jeffs tied the Beavers of Babson College in another high-scoring game, 6-6. Again, six different players scored the six Amherst goals. Junior forward AJ Greco joined Kretzman and Schoppel in finding the back of the net for the second night in a row. First-year forward Andrew Schrempf notched the first goal of his career, while forward Scott Aldrich ’05 and defender Jon Hill ’05 scored their first goals of the young season. Babson’s Johnny Kim scored a power play goal to tie the game with 1:50 remaining in the third period.

“Overall, we played very well, especially moving the puck and working together as a team,” said junior defender Steve Nelson. “We had a couple of letdowns, giving up three separate leads. That shouldn’t happen.”

A week later, on Nov. 27, Head Coach Jack Arena’s troops faced off against host Connecticut College in the two-game Charles Luce Tournament. Though the Jeffs dominated the game, outshooting the Camels 34-15, the Jeffs could not capitalize on their many opportunities. Meanwhile, the Camels scored two goals, one in the second period and another in the third, to get the shutout and their first win of the season.

The Lord Jeff squad had more luck scoring the following evening against Little Three rival Wesleyan University, winning the game 3-1. Aldrich, Schrempf and Schoppel put up the three Amherst goals. Cardinal goaltender Steve Binswanger could not contain Amherst’s potent and selfless passing game, as the Jeffs totaled six assists including two from Kretzman. The Cardinals tallied their only goal with just 3:33 left in the game, proving no threat to the Jeffs. The goal was the only blemish on Fillman’s otherwise clean slate, chalking up an impressive 27 saves in the process.

Perhaps most impressive thus far in the season has been the strong performances by Jeff rookies. First-year Schoppel leads the team with three goals, and Shrempf is tied for second with two goals. “All of the rookies are really chipping in,” said junior forward Jack Greeley. “They’re getting a ton of ice time and living up to our expectations.”

Amherst moves into its first two home games this weekend with a record of 2-1-1. On Friday, the squad will face St. Michael’s College (4-0-0), followed by a Saturday evening showdown with the second-ranked Cadets of Norwich University (3-0-1). “Norwich beat [top-ranked] Middlebury [College] in a shootout this weekend, and they’ve firmly established themselves as one of the top two teams in the country,” said Nelson. “It’ll be good to play them at home. It should be a tough battle.”