2016-17 Amherst Men's Hockey Year In Review

Next up on the recap tour before the season starts this Friday is fifth place Amherst.

Dave Cunningham ('16) moved straight from the net to the
bench as an assistant coach for Amherst

5. Amherst
2016-17 Reccord
9-6-3 (6th in NESCAC)
14-7-3 Overall

Stats:
Overall (Conf. Rank)                                     Conference Games (Conf. Ranks)
Offense - 3.07 G/GM (6th)                                                       Offense - 2.44 G/GM (7th)
Defense - 2.04 G/GM (3rd)                                                       Defense - 2.11 G/GM (4th)
Power Play - 25/92 27.2% (1st)                                              Power Play - 16/69 23.2% (2nd)
Penalty Kill - 104/116  89.7% (2nd)                                              Penalty Kill - 73/84 86.9% (3rd) 
Penalty Minutes - 12.6/Gm (4th)                                             Penalty Minutes - 11.4/Gm (4th) 

Season Review
The Purple and White looked to return to regular season success in the first full season with the Unofficial-Mascot-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named banished from campus. Jack Arena's charges made the 2016 NESCAC finals the season prior despite a disappointing sixth place finish in the regular season
 in which Amherst lost to Hamilton for the first time since 2006 and to Wesleyan for the first time since 2008.

Amherst opened up 2016-17 against Hamilton with a 1-1 tie in which junior netminder Conor Girard went blow-for-blow with eventual D-III Player of the Year Evan Buitenhuis. The squad, which included only three seniors, then went on to impressive out-of-conference wins over ranked opponents at Utica and home against Babson after disposing of frequent Amherst whipping post St. Michael's.

Amherst would then go on to a six game winning streak, only it was book ended on the front end by a three game losing streak and a five game winless streak on the backend. Another three game win-streak earned them a trip to bete-noir Williams in the NESCAC Quarterfinals in which they lost a tightly contested 2-1 affair.

Despite not making the NESCAC semis for the first time since the 2012-12, Amherst looks to the future with a frosh that tied Thomas Lindstrom for the team lead in points in Pat Daly (12-10-22) and a new team mascot in the Mammoths.

High Point
A six game win-streak including five in conference is certalinly more important to any NESCAC team's stated goal of winning a NESCAC chaampionship, but early season wins over then fourth ranked Utica in OT at the Aud and then at home against nationally ranked Babson the next day takes the cake for us in terms of excitement.

Low Point 
A lot can happen in two days, be it the exhilaration of the above mentioned OOC wins or the dejection of a point-less trip to Bowdoin and Colby in early February that removed Amherst from the national rankings and ultimately did in their chances for a home playoff game.

MVP
Thomas Lindstrom (F, '18) There's certainly a case for goalie Connor Girard, who won Hanford Award, the team's own most outstanding player recognition,  but we'll go with last year's Hanford winner, Minnesota son who made second team All-NESCAC.

Amherst went from Purple and White walkers to extinct, elephant like mammals shortly after the end of the season. Here's Mastodon with "White Walker" offer the HBO official Catch the Throne double volume mixtape.