AMHERST — The Amherst College women’s hockey team finds itself in a familiar position entering the final stretch of the regular season.

If the No. 3-ranked Mammoths are to take care of business over their last three games, all against teams with losing records, they will host the entire NESCAC Tournament at Orr Rink for the second straight season.

A year ago, Amherst was ranked No. 1 in the country, navigated through a stacked NCAA Division 3 tournament and into the national championship game. They certainly had their chances to lift the trophy, but the Mammoths ultimately fell 2-1 in a heart-breaking triple overtime loss to Gustavus Adolphus College on their home ice.

It’s always important to peak right before the postseason, and it seems Amherst is – just as it did last season – doing just that. Tuesday’s win over Western New England stood as the Mammoths’ fifth straight victory, and they’ve won nine of their last 10 dating back to Jan. 12.

Senior Mary Thompson, who tallied a goal and an assist in the win over the Golden Bears, admitted last year’s devastating loss is still on the majority of returning players’ minds – but they’re using it as fuel for another upcoming tournament run.

“Absolutely,” Thompson said when asked if last year is used as motivation. “There’s a bigger sense of urgency, especially for us seniors because we know it’s our last go at it. We lost in triple overtime last year in the last game of the season, in the championship. So the goal going forward is, again, make it to the last game of the season. But we want to be the ones on top this time, for sure.”

Just because Amherst has the majority of its team back from last year (four seniors aside) doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed a spot in the championship, but the Mammoths are aware that getting there is now the goal and expectation. Head coach Jeff Matthews knows it, too, but also understands the difficulty behind it.

“That’s always the vision and the goal, to get back there,” Matthews said. “That’s our goal as a program, but it’s hard – very hard – to do. We just want to put ourselves in the best position to get there and be as successful as we can. Anything can happen in those one-game situations. It can come down to a bounce of the puck.”

That bounce of the puck may not have gone Amherst’s way in 2023, but that hasn’t changed how Matthews wants his team to play. The type of goal that sank the Mammoths in triple OT – a fight for a loose puck in front of the net – is exactly what he wants to see from the purple and white. 

Amherst scored twice against the Golden Bears by simply getting pucks on goal and out-working everybody else for the rebound. Matthews believes that strategy needs to continue if the Mammoths are to replicate similar playoff success.

“One of the things we’ve emphasized is getting pucks to the net, getting to that crease area,” Matthews said. “A big focus is just being hungry around the net. Sometimes it comes down to that, just getting there and having the heart and desire to jam it home. Every goal doesn’t need to be a perfect shot or a pretty play.”

With the middle of February approaching, there’s no time for any wholesale changes. It’s tough to make any drastic improvements, but the Mammoths are taking it day-by-day – hoping to stack good days of practice on top of one another to eventually have results pay off on the big stage.

“We’re focusing on figuring out how we can grow each week,” Matthews said. “We know that the best time of year is the end, but we’re just gonna take things slow and try to enjoy it. Put the work in, play as a team and play for each other.”

One of the best postseason preparation tactics Amherst has isn’t even something it does schematically on the ice. Rather, it’s the mere fact that the Mammoths play in the NESCAC – which consists of eight teams (including Amherst) inside the top 25 rankings.

Nearly every game for Amherst is essentially a tune up for what’s ahead.

“In our league and with our schedule, there are no easy games,” Thompson said. “It prepares us for what’s ahead.”

The Mammoths (17-2-2, 10-2-2 NESCAC) head to Curry College on Friday night (7 p.m.) before finishing their regular season with a home-and-home against Williams on Feb. 16 and 17.