Samantha Slotnick scored two goals and added one assist as Colby College breezed to a 6-1 win against Hamilton College in the NESCAC regular season finale for both teams at Colby's Alfond Rink on Feb. 18.
Colby (6-16-2 overall, 3-12-1 NESCAC) squeezed past Wesleyan University and into the 2012 NESCAC championship as the eighth and final seed. The Mules play at No. 1 seed Middlebury College in the quarterfinals on Saturday, Feb. 25.
Hamilton (10-13-1, 7-9-0) had already clinched the No. 5 seed before Saturday's game. The Continentals are playing at No. 4 seed Trinity College in the quarters on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Lauren Guarente chipped in two goals for Colby, and Caroline Chessare added one goal and one assist. Karlyn Donovan tallied the other goal. Marissa Simmons and Meredith Reynolds were credited with two assists apiece. Brianne Wheeler stopped 36 shots, including 17 in the second period.
Gigi Fraser '14 scored her fifth goal for Hamilton, and Hannah Jaiven '14 tied a team high with her 11th assist. Becca Hazlett '13 played the first two periods in goal and made 20 saves. Tori Bogen '14 replaced Hazlett at the start of the third period and turned aside four shots.
The Mules took half of their 30 shots in the first period and led 3-0 after 20 minutes. Guarente scored her first of the afternoon at 9:25 and added her fourth this season with 4:02 left. Slotnick scored just 30 seconds later.
Chessare made it 4-0 on her third goal with 2:30 remaining in the second period. Fraser finally put the Continentals on the scoreboard at 11:19 of the third period. Slotnick restored Colby's four-goal cushion with her sixth this season 41 seconds later, and Donovan's first of 2011-12 capped the scoring with 6:37 left.
Hamilton held a 37-30 shot advantage, but tied a season high with the six goals allowed. The Continentals blanked the Mules 4-0 on Friday night.
Neither team scored on the power play. Hamilton went 0-for-1 with its lone chance all weekend. Colby had two opportunities on Saturday and four in the two-game series. The Mules' six goals are a season-high.
