Women’s Hockey Wins the NESCAC

In a skilled competition, the women’s ice hockey team shut out the number-one team in the country, Middlebury, to win the NESCAC championship this past Sunday at Orr Rink. Despite holding the top seed in the tournament, the Mammoths came into the tournament 0-1-1 against Middlebury. After quarterfinal and semifinal wins against Connecticut College and Hamilton, the Mammoths’ clash with the Panthers was inevitable.

The semifinal round took place on Saturday when the Mammoths took on the Hamilton Continentals on home ice. Going into the match 2-0 against the Continentals this season, the Mammoths were determined to keep their winning streak. The first period was a defensive show from both teams, with neither team finding the back of the net. However, a second-period penalty left the Mammoths woman down, and Hamilton capitalized to take the lead, 1-0. Fueled by the deficit, with just over a minute left in the second period, Ayla Abban ’28 equalized for the Mammoths. Captain Anna Baxter ’25 sent the puck up to Abban, who slipped it past the Continentals’ keeper from long range. Early in the final period, it was the Mammoths’ turn to shine woman-up. The Continentals made an initial save, but Maeve Reynolds ’26 corralled the puck on the rebound and scored, giving the Mammoths their first lead of the game. In the 12th minute of the third period, Marie-Eve Marleau ’26 sent an initial shot towards the Hamilton goal. It was initially deflected, but Marleau controlled her own rebound, rocketing it for the score. With the tally at 3-1, Amherst battled in the final minutes, preventing the Continentals from closing the gap, and punching their ticket to the final.

Just the next day, the Mammoths returned to their home rink for the NESCAC championship, taking on the nationally-ranked Panthers. Middlebury got after it right away, going on the offensive and outshooting the Mammoths in the first period. However, Natalie Stott ’26 — the reigning NESCAC Rookie of the Year — came up big, turned away every opportunity, and the Amherst defense killed two power play opportunities for the Panthers. Going into the third period, the teams were still at a 0-0 stalemate. In the third period, the Mammoths were able to capitalize. Abban continued her phenomenal first season, coming up with a huge interception behind the goal. She sent the puck in front of the net, where fellow first-year Bea Flynn ’28 was well positioned for the one-timer. Flynn masterfully flicked the puck high, over the stick of the Panthers’ keeper. The whole play took less than three seconds, but it was the difference maker. Another power play for Middlebury forced more defensive stops, but it was nothing that the backlines couldn’t handle. The Mammoths won a crucial final-seconds faceoff in their defensive end, running out the time as they trapped the puck against the board. An ecstatic cheer erupted across the rink as the team stormed the ice. With their first win over the Panthers all season, the Mammoths claimed the 2025 NESCAC championship.

The next two weeks, the team will return to the process as they prepare for what will hopefully be a deep NCAA tournament run. Baxter reiterated that their coaches champion that “the recipe is the same” when it comes to preparation. “We prepare for every weekend the same because we treat every game like we are playing the best team in the country,” she said. Gretchen Dann ’26, the 2025 NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year, added that all players are “committed to the process of the grind.”

“I think beating Middlebury emphasizes for us that our systems work and when the whole team is giving 100% and playing our game … We are a very hard team to beat,” Baxter added.

With talent at every position and each class, it takes strong leadership to bring these different skills and personalities together. Junior Captain and defender Emily Hohmann ’26 explained that “always being around people who hold themselves to the highest standard makes playing for this program and wanting to be great for one another so effortless.” She also credited her older fellow captain Baxter as “one of the best role models and leaders I have come across … who shares the passion and love for the game.”

The feeling of caring and closeness is unanimous. When asked to describe the team in one word, Dann and Flynn both separately responded with “love.” Flynn explained that “everyone has such love and respect for each other and we all share a mutual love and passion for the game,” while Dann noted that this love “shows when it comes to tough moments athletically.” Hohmann added that “Coach Jeff Matthews mentioned that he sought to create a program built out of love and I think that really shines this year.”

Aside from the championship this past weekend, the team is having a banner season. The Mammoths rank first in the conference in goals allowed per game (0.85), shots on goal per game (35.81), penalty-killing percentage (0.972), and faceoff winning percentage (0.578). Abban and Flynn rank first and third respectively in goals on the season, while Reynolds is second in the NESCAC in assists per game, and first in points with 22. Flynn is also first in the conference in game-winning goals, while Marleau is close behind her in third. Reynolds has the most faceoff wins, while Baxter has the conference’s highest face-off winning percentage. Stott, Dann, and Abban have all received conference player of the week honors this season, with Stott currently sitting at 523 saves. Dann, Reynolds, and Stott were all honored with All-Nescac First Team Honors, while Alyssa Xu ’25 was named to the Second Team.

These honors speak for themselves, but the intangibles are what make this team truly special. Dann explained that winning Defensive Player of the Year “means the world.”

“It means that I have done my job for the team,” she said. “However, I feel like it’s a team award. The women around me push me to be the best player I can be. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

The 2025 NESCAC championship title is the Mammoth’s third in five years, and sixth in program history. The win grants them an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, where they will host the winner of Colby/Wilkes on Saturday, March 22 in the quarterfinal round.

Over the next two weeks, the battle-tested Mammoths will refocus and prepare for their final stretch of games. Being in season since October is certainly taxing, but they rely on each other for love, support, and confidence. Hohmann added that “It’s win-or-go-home time of the year, so I think just understanding that the time we have left this season is precious and to make the most of it, from film, to the locker room, to the ice.”