The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference comprising sports teams from eleven highly selective liberal arts institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III.
NESCAC members maintain some of the largest financial endowments among liberal arts colleges in the world. The largest endowments within the NESCAC belong to the three based in Massachusetts: Williams, Amherst, and Tufts.
Here's a look at the history and recent achievements in NESCAC women's ice hockey.
NESCAC Formation and Early Years
The conference originated with an agreement among Amherst, Bowdoin, Wesleyan and Williams in 1955. In 1971, Bates, Colby, Hamilton, Middlebury, Trinity, Tufts joined and the NESCAC was officially formed. Union withdrew in 1977 and was replaced by Connecticut College in 1982.
Member institutions believe athletic teams should be representative of school's entire student bodies and hew to NCAA Division III admissions and financial policies prohibiting athletic scholarships while awarding financial aid solely on the basis of need. Presidents of each NESCAC institution control intercollegiate athletic policy.
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Four NESCAC institutions are among the 39 that founded the NCAA in 1905: Amherst, Tufts, Wesleyan, and Williams.
Prior to 1993 NESCAC generally did not allow member schools to send teams to NCAA championships. Since then all sports except football have had this freedom, many excelling in the NCAA Division III championships.
The NACDA Directors' Cup, awarded since 1996 to the college or university in each NCAA Division that wins the most college championships, has been claimed at the Division III level by a NESCAC institution every year except 1998.
Recent NESCAC Women's Ice Hockey Highlights
The 2025 NESCAC championship title is the Mammoth’s third in five years, and sixth in program history. With the win, the Mammoths get an automatic bid to the Division III Tournament.
In a skilled competition, the women’s ice hockey team shut out the number-one team in the country, Middlebury, to win the NESCAC championship this past Sunday at Orr Rink. Despite holding the top seed in the tournament, the Mammoths came into the tournament 0-1-1 against Middlebury. After quarterfinal and semifinal wins against Connecticut College and Hamilton, the Mammoths’ clash with the Panthers was inevitable.
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The semifinal round took place on Saturday when the Mammoths took on the Hamilton Continentals on home ice. Going into the match 2-0 against the Continentals this season, the Mammoths were determined to keep their winning streak. The first period was a defensive show from both teams, with neither team finding the back of the net. However, a second-period penalty left the Mammoths woman down, and Hamilton capitalized to take the lead, 1-0.
Fueled by the deficit, with just over a minute left in the second period, Ayla Abban ’28 equalized for the Mammoths. Captain Anna Baxter ’25 sent the puck up to Abban, who slipped it past the Continentals’ keeper from long range. Early in the final period, it was the Mammoths’ turn to shine woman-up.
The Continentals made an initial save, but Maeve Reynolds ’26 corralled the puck on the rebound and scored, giving the Mammoths their first lead of the game. In the 12th minute of the third period, Marie-Eve Marleau ’26 sent an initial shot towards the Hamilton goal. It was initially deflected, but Marleau controlled her own rebound, rocketing it for the score.
With the tally at 3-1, Amherst battled in the final minutes, preventing the Continentals from closing the gap, and punching their ticket to the final. Just the next day, the Mammoths returned to their home rink for the NESCAC championship, taking on the nationally-ranked Panthers.
Middlebury got after it right away, going on the offensive and outshooting the Mammoths in the first period. However, Natalie Stott ’26 - the reigning NESCAC Rookie of the Year - came up big, turned away every opportunity, and the Amherst defense killed two power play opportunities for the Panthers.
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Going into the third period, the teams were still at a 0-0 stalemate. In the third period, the Mammoths were able to capitalize. Abban continued her phenomenal first season, coming up with a huge interception behind the goal. She sent the puck in front of the net, where fellow first-year Bea Flynn ’28 was well positioned for the one-timer.
Flynn masterfully flicked the puck high, over the stick of the Panthers’ keeper. The whole play took less than three seconds, but it was the difference maker. Another power play for Middlebury forced more defensive stops, but it was nothing that the backlines couldn’t handle.
The Mammoths won a crucial final-seconds faceoff in their defensive end, running out the time as they trapped the puck against the board. An ecstatic cheer erupted across the rink as the team stormed the ice. With their first win over the Panthers all season, the Mammoths claimed the 2025 NESCAC championship.
The win grants them an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, where they will host the winner of Colby/Wilkes on Saturday, March 22 in the quarterfinal round.
Bates Field Hockey wins the 2025 NESCAC Championship!
Individual Achievements and Recognition
Connecticut College forward Claire Sammons was voted as the NESCAC Player of the Year and is the first Connecticut College player to garner the Player of the Year honor in team history. Sammons led the Camels with 18 points on six goals and 12 assists in 24 games.
Amherst’s Gretchen Dann was selected as the second-ever NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year after being initially awarded last season. In 25 games, Dann has blocked 24 shots. Dann ranks second on the team in scoring with nine goals, including two game-winners and two power-play tallies, 10 assists, and 19 points.
Connecticut College newcomer Caitlin Pierce is the NESCAC Rookie of the Year. The forward is the first Camel to earn the honor since 2016 (Jordan Cross) and the third Connecticut College player overall to be recognized (Courtney Dumont, 2011).
Bowdoin head coach Marissa O’Neil was voted the NESCAC Coach of the Year by her peers. O’Neil, who is in her 14th season behind the bench and has 158 wins, earns the honor for the second time in his career (2013). She guided the Polar Bears to the No. 1 seed in the NESCAC Championship.
Ayla Abban, a key player for the Amherst Mammoths
Bates College and Their Rise
Over the past three seasons, the Bobcats have been on the rise. The 2024 season saw similar success for the Bobcats, but this time they made it to the championship game after defeating the number one nationally ranked team, Middlebury College, by a score of 2-1.
While the Bobcats fought hard in the championship match up against Tufts University, which was taken to double overtime, they were one goal short by the end of the shootout. By week two of the 2025 season, it was clear that the Bobcats had used their offseason and preseason to continue building upon their winning momentum.
After defeating Trinity College, the Bobcats went on to win five consecutive NESCAC games. According to junior Captain Haley Dwight ‘27, “The adversity this team has faced this season has made us the most contested and challenged team in the NESCAC."
Team Statistics and Rankings
The Mammoths rank first in the conference in goals allowed per game (0.85), shots on goal per game (35.81), penalty-killing percentage (0.972), and faceoff winning percentage (0.578). Abban and Flynn rank first and third respectively in goals on the season, while Reynolds is second in the NESCAC in assists per game, and first in points with 22. Flynn is also first in the conference in game-winning goals, while Marleau is close behind her in third. Reynolds has the most faceoff wins, while Baxter has the conference’s highest face-off winning percentage. Stott, Dann, and Abban have all received conference player of the week honors this season, with Stott currently sitting at 523 saves. Dann, Reynolds, and Stott were all honored with All-Nescac First Team Honors, while Alyssa Xu ’25 was named to the Second Team.
NESCAC Women's Ice Hockey: Key Statistics
| Statistic | Mammoths Rank |
|---|---|
| Goals Allowed per Game | 1st (0.85) |
| Shots on Goal per Game | 1st (35.81) |
| Penalty-Killing Percentage | 1st (0.972) |
| Faceoff Winning Percentage | 1st (0.578) |