BOX SCORE

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - The Bowdoin College women's ice hockey team scored three goals in the third period to stun Williams, 4-2, in a NESCAC Quarterfinal game on Saturday afternoon. The fifth-seeded Polar Bears (12-11-2) avenge last weekend's regular season finale loss to the fourth-seeded Ephs and return to the NESCAC Semifinals for the first time since 2007.

The Polar Bears advance to play at top-seed Amherst College next Saturday in the semifinals at 1:00 p.m. More information will be available next week.

Bowdoin dominated the pace of play, holding a 42-22 advantage in shots for the game, but Williams goaltender Sara Plunkett singlehandedly kept her team in the game, stopping 14 shots alone in a scoreless first period. The Ephs got on the board first when the forechecking of Eph freshman Sam Weinstein opened up space for a shot from the circle. The rookie sniped home her 6th goal over the shoulder of Bowdoin's first-year netminder Kayla Lessard at 1:32, putting Williams in front 1-0.

The Polar Bears would answer five minutes later with their own even-strength score, after sophomore Alexandra Fahey's low blast kicked off the left pad of Plunkett directly onto the stick of an uncontested Kim-Tess Wanat '13, who tossed into the open net for her 8th of the year at 6:37.

The stalemate was broken again a short while later on a Williams power-play. After Weinstein was denied on a shifty shot from between the circles, the puck found its way to senior tri-captain Tracey Ferriter, who uncorked a wrister on net that bounced off Lessard into a crowd of bodies. A diving effort by sophomore Hannah Systrom reclaimed the lead at 9:37, as she wrapped the loose puck through traffic and goalie pads for her fourth goal of the season.

The score would remain in favor of the Ephs until 2:24 into the final stanza, when the Polar Bears countered with a power-play strike on a deflection by freshman Stephanie Ludy that leveled the count at 2. Fahey's low slapshot from the point earned her another assist on the score.

Then just moments later, Chlebeck caught the Williams defense pinching at the blue line and scampered down the ice on a breakaway. The sophomore finished the play with a strong forehand-to-backhand move to give Bowdoin their first lead of the day at 3-2.

Both teams continued to generate chances for the rest of regulation, but Williams could not solve the riddle of Lessard and the Polar Bear defense. The Ephs yanked Plunkett for the extra attacker with about two minutes remaining on the clock and sophomore Shelagh Merrill maneuvered into space and fired in an empty netter to punctuate Bowdoin's 4-2 victory.

Lessard made 20 stops in the win for the Polar Bears.