Bowdoin College's Kayte Holtz '13 netted her fifth career hat trick and the nationally ranked No. 8 Polar Bears rolled to a 6-1 NESCAC victory over Hamilton College at Bowdoin’s Watson Arena on Feb. 8.
Bowdoin (15-4-2 overall, 9-3-1 NESCAC) leads the conference in scoring offense with 3.43 goals per game. The Polar Bears have won three of the last four meetings with the Continentals and lead the series, 24-3-3.
It was the first hat trick for Holtz, who also added an assist, since 2010-11. Stephanie Ludy '13, Colleen Finnerty '15 and Ariana Bourque '16 tallied the other goals. Rachel Kennedy '16 was credited with two helpers and Kim Tess-Wanat '13 and Chelsea MacNeil '15 each recorded one. Kennedy leads all first-year NESCAC players with 24 points on 12 goals and 12 assists.
Kayla Lessard '13 made 14 saves for her ninth win this season. Lessard is ranked fourth in Division III with a .947 save percentage and leads the NESCAC with a 1.28 goals against average.
Abby Runyon '13 scored the goal for Hamilton (11-9-1, 5-7-1). Katie Zimmerman '13 and Naomi Woolfenden '16 had the assists. Zimmerman leads the NESCAC with 25 points. Becca Hazlett '13 made 19 stops and was relieved after 47:40 by Tori Bogen '14, who turned away two shots in the final 12:20.
The Polar Bears took advantage of their only power play of the night and grabbed a 1-0 lead 5:08 into the first period. Bourque collected a rebound in front of the net and lifted a shot over Hazlett. Kennedy and MacNeil earned the assists.
Bowdoin extended its lead with 7:44 remaining in the period while skating short-handed. Holtz carried the puck from her own blue line, beat three defenders and fired a shot into the top right corner. Holtz has two short-handed goals this season.
The home team added two goals in a span of 35 seconds to go up 4-0 midway through the second period. Finnerty put back a Holtz shot that was saved at 11:45. Moments later, Holtz blasted a one-timer after a give-and-go with Tess-Wanat.
Holtz completed the hat trick at 7:40 of the third period on a low shot from between the faceoff circles that snuck inside the right post for her 65th career goal. The teams traded goals less than two minutes apart late in the third. Runyon scored her sixth goal for the Continentals on a rebound with 5:06 left to play. Ludy notched Bowdoin’s final goal after she intercepted the puck with 3:10 to go.
The Polar Bears outshot the Continentals 27-15. Bowdoin scored on its only power-play opportunity and successfully killed two Hamilton chances. The teams meet again in Brunswick, Maine, on Saturday, Feb. 9. The game time has been pushed back to 5 p.m.
