Amherst, Mass. (February 6, 2024) – The Golden Bears skated in Amherst, Massachusetts, tonight against Amherst College, ranked number four in the nation leading up to the game. The Mammoths struck first with a goal late in the opening period of play. The Golden Bears answered with two goals of their own in the second period of play. The Mammoths had three goals in the third and won 4-2. Jenna Lynch and Kelly Yorkey scored the goals for the Golden Bears.

Records:

• Western New England: 13-7-2 (9-5-1)
• Amherst College: 17-2-2 (10-2-2)

How it Happened:

Rieley Jessie-Gerelli and Natalie Stott got the starts in goal for the Golden Bears and Mammoths, respectively. The puck was dropped, and the game started with Anna Baxter winning the opening faceoff for the Mammoths. The Mammoths started the game with intensity. They had 22 of the first 24 shots. They sent shot after shot at the net. However, Rieley Jessie-Gerelli made save after save. The Golden Bears kept weathering the storm until a penalty was called on the Golden Bears with 8:50 left in the opening period of play. The Mammoths had six shots during their power play. Only one of the shots got to Jessie-Gerelli, and it was saved. The Golden Bears had a shorthanded shot during the penalty kill. Jenna Lynch tested Stott, but the shot was saved. 

Amherst College kept the pressure on the Golden Bears with eight shots in a row after the power play was completed. Six of those shots were on goal, and Jessie-Gerelli kept making save after save to keep the Mammoths off the scoreboard. The Golden Bears countered with three shots and one shot on goal. However, with 1:34 left in the opening period of play, Emily Hohmann sent the puck over to Mary Thompson, who skated down the left side of the boards and fed a pass to Marie-Eve Marleau, who pushed the puck into the goal from right in front of the crease. The Mammoths had a 1-0 lead. The opening period of play ended with the Golden Bears taking three shots and the Mammoths taking two. After one, the Mammoths had 39 shots with 24 on goal. The Golden Bears had nine shots, with three on goal. The Mammoths had more faceoff wins, 10-3, and one more power play than the Golden Bears. The Golden Bears had more saves, 23-3. The Mammoths led 1-0 at the first intermission. 

Anna Baxter won the opening faceoff in the second, as well. The Mammoths took the first four shots, with the Golden Bears countering with two of their own. After some back-and-forth action, the Mammoths had five shots in a row. The Golden Bears would flip the script with a Jenna Lynch goal 6:05 into the second. Julia Roman pushed a pass to Zoe Galanoudis by the Golden Bear net. Galanoudis sent a pass off the boards to Jenna Lynch, who skated down the length of the ice and sent a shot wide of net, which ricocheted off the end boards and then the goalie for a Golden Bear goal. The Mammoths answered with four of the next five shots during the game.

The teams went back and forth for a little while. Then, the Mammoths put pressure on the Golden Bears again. They had five shots in a row before the Golden Bears had three, with the third shot being a Golden Bear goal. Kelly Yorkey sent a shot from the top of the Golden Bear offensive zone. It slid past the goalie and into the back of the net. The Golden Bears led 2-1 with 5:42 left in the second. The Mammoths were then called for a penalty, and the Golden Bears were on the power play. After 1:33 of the power play, the Golden Bears were called for a penalty, and the teams skated 4-on-4 for 27 seconds. The Mammoths had one shot during that time. They then had five shots on the power play and seven after it was over to finish the second. After two, the Mammoths had more total shots, 33-9, and more shots on goal, 9-2. Both teams had a power play opportunity. The Mammoths had eight faceoff wins to the Golden Bears' five. The Golden Bears had more saves, 9-0. After two periods of play, the Golden Bears led the Mammoths 2-1.

The final period of play started the same as the first two, with Anna Baxter winning the opening faceoff. Both teams opened the third with two shots. Then, the Golden Bears were called for a penalty. The Mammoths had seven shots during the power play, with six on goal. Jessie-Gerelli stood strong and made each save. Amherst College had one more shot before another Golden Bear penalty. The Mammoths' fourth power play opportunity would yield a goal on their third shot. Jayna Park won the faceoff for the Mammoths. The puck slid to Marie-Eve Marleau, who sent it to Mary Thompson at the top of the Golden Bear defensive zone. Thompson sent an arching shot that fell into the back of the net. The Mammoths tied the score at two 5:46 into the third with a power play goal. The teams would skate back and forth for a little while. Both teams had multiple shots in a row. The Golden Bears had their second power play opportunity with 11:06 remaining in the game. They had three shots during the power play. The Mammoths had one shorthanded shot during the penalty kill. The Mammoths kept putting more and more pressure on the Golden Bears. They had shot after shot, which eventually ended in two goals in forty seconds. The first of the two goals was scored by Maeve Reynolds. Rylee Glennon got the puck on the end boards and sent it back to Alyssa Xu in front of the net, who sent a shot at Jessie-Gerelli. The shot was saved, but Maeve Reynolds was there to make a move and put the puck over the line for the goal. The Mammoths led 3-2 with 6:40 remaining in the game. With six minutes remaining, Emily Hohmann sent the puck to Maeve Reynolds behind the Golden Bear net. Reynolds skated the puck around the net and passed it to Kelsey Stewart, who took a quick shot and scored. The Mammoths extended their lead to 4-2. The Mammoths would keep the puck and have the rest of the shots in the game. They finished the game with seven shots in a row. The final stat line showed the Mammoths with 106 total shots and 56 on goal. The Golden Bears had 25 total shots and seven on goal. The Mammoths were 1-4 on the power play, and the Golden Bears were 0-2. The Mammoths won more faceoffs, 34-12, and the Golden Bears had more blocked shots, 16-13, and more saves, 52-5. The Mammoths won the game 4-2.

Inside the Crease:

• The Golden Bears and Mammoths took the ice at the Orr Arena in Amherst, Massachusetts, on Tuesday night.
• Marie-Eve Marleau notched the opening goal 18:26 into the first period of play. Mary Thompson and Emily Hohmann were credited with the assists. The Mammoths led 1-0.
• Jenna Lynch tied the game with a goal 6:06 into the second period of play. Zoe Galanoudis and Julia Roman were credited with the assists. The game was tied 1-1.
• Kelly Yorkey gave the Golden Bears the lead 14:18 into the second period of play. The goal was unassisted. The Golden Bears had a 2-1 lead.
• Mary Thompson scored the equalizing goal for the Mammoths 5:46 into the third. Marie-Eve Marleau and Jayna Park had the assists. The score was tied 2-2.
• Maeve Reynolds gave the Mammoths the lead back 13:20 into the third. Alyssa Xu and Rylee Glennon had the assists. The Mammoths led 3-2.
• Kelsey Stewart doubled the lead for the Mammoths 14:00 into the third. Emily Hohmann and Maeve Reynolds were credited with the assists. The Mammoths led 4-2.
• Rieley Jessie-Gerelli made 52 saves.
• Natalie Stott had five saves and got the win.
• The Mammoths beat the Golden Bears 4-2.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears will travel to Levy Rink in Burrville, Rhode Island, for their next game against Nichols College. The game will be played at 5:40 PM on Friday, February 9.
• The Mammoths will travel to Milton, Massachusetts, to take on Curry College for their next game on Friday, February 9, at 7:00 PM.