Amherst sophomore Justin Pitrack scored the game-winner off a feed from first-year forward Mike Kreger with 8:45 remaining in the second period to break open a 2-2 tie, as the Lord Jeffs defeated the visiting Colby White Mules, 3-2, Saturday afternoon. Senior goaltender Nick Rieser had 13 of his 37 saves in the third period to preserve the victory.
Colby opened the scoring 5:33 into the first session, as junior Bobby Nagle beat Rieser. Amherst knotted it six minutes later when junior Bob Miele found classmate Greg Carr in the top left corner for his tenth goal of the season, but Colby took a 2-1 lead into the locker room at the end of the first period after senior Jeff Fishbone scored off a feed from forward Ken Kearns.
In the second period, senior defensemen Jim Smith picked off a pass and wristed a shot past White Mule goalie J.D. Hadiaris for his team-leading 12th goal of the season, tying the game at 2-2 and setting the stage for Pitrack’s goal four minutes later.
In the third period, Colby mounted a furious comeback, but Rieser stonewalled the White Mules 13 times in the period, including a point-blank shot from sophomore Brock Barton with 2:18 remaining.
The visitors attempted to pull Hadiaris with 38 seconds remaining after a timeout, but the Lord Jeffs were able to keep the puck in the Colby zone long enough to prevent Hadiaris from leaving the ice quickly, thwarting the White Mules’s effort.
Hadiaris had 24 saves in defeat.
With the win, Amherst moves to 14-4-3 overall, and the Jeffs’ 10-2-3 league mark ties them with Colby for second place in the NESCAC. Colby’s loss drops them to 13-7-1, 11-3-1.
The White Mules await Tuesday’s matchup with archrival Bowdoin, while the Jeffs return to action Friday at Mass College, before Saturday’s faceoff against archrival Williams.
