By Claire Gulbin '22

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College women's ice hockey team suffered a 4-2 setback against Bowdoin on Friday evening at Dayton Arena.
 
Connecticut College got on the board first by capitalizing on its first of six power play opportunities. After the Polar Bears cleared the puck into the other end, the Camels' Abby Munger started the charge the other way by finding Melanie Conca at center ice. Conca then skated in and made a diving pass to her left which was finished by Natalie Witkowski from the left doorstep to make it 1-0 at the 13:40 mark.
 
Senior Melissa Alexander nearly scored with the team playing shorthanded, but her attempt off a Witkowski feed was turned away from point-blank range by Meagan Miranda. The hosts still went into the first intermission with a one-goal lead.
 
The Polar Bears, however, recovered in the second and quickly tied it up just 54 seconds into the frame. Angelina Joyce fired a shot from the left corner which was initially saved by junior Abby Wieczorek (Winnetka, Ill.), and Brett Stoddard potted the rebound.
 
After Witkowski was robbed of a goal by another point-blank save by Miranda off a Conca pass midway through the frame, Bowdoin (7-5, NESCAC 3-4) used the momentum to take its first lead of the game at the 10:32 mark on a power play. A pass in by Kathryn Kester from the right point was one-timed past Wieczorek from the left side to make it 2-1 in favor of the visitors.
 
But before the end of the period, the Camels were able to knot the score back up courtesy of a marker off the stick of Camille Phelan. Casey Godfrey poked a puck she won along the boards in the Camels' defensive end to Morgan Bronstein, who found streaking Phelan down the left side for the equalizing tally at 16:36. The goal sent the teams tied into the second intermission.
 
Bowdoin, however, outshot the hosts by a 12-6 margin in the third period and seized the momentum back by burying a second power play goal shortly after a charging call. Ali Dougal kept a Camel clear attempt in the team's offensive zone and sent a pass along the left boards to Angelina Joyce, who found Peyton Mulhern at the top of the slot for a shot that clinked off the right post and in.
 
The Camels earned a power play down the stretch and also pulled Wieczorek to try to tie the game for a third time, but it was to no avail. Following a faceoff win by Izzi Stoddard, Brett Stoddard shot the puck three quarters of the way down the ice to put the game away with 44 seconds left.
 
Miranda picked up the victory between the posts by stopping 17 shots, while Wieczorek suffered the setback after making 26 saves.
 
Connecticut College (4-6-2, NESCAC 0-5) will look to avenge the loss to the Polar Bears when the teams meet again tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m.