This past weekend, the Colgate wom­en’s hockey team secured its fifth and sixth ECAC Hockey wins of the season when it shut out Rensselaer 2-0 at home on Friday night and Union 1-0 on Saturday afternoon in Starr Rink.

Rensselaer started the game off on the offensive, creating a series of scoring op­portunities. This forced Colgate to play defense in the beginning of the first frame. However, the Raiders soon found their rhythm, blasting off some tough shots of their own. With the enthusiasm of the crowd on their side, the Raiders kept up their momentum and scored at the 12:42 mark. Sophomore Amanda Kirwan scored the goal, giving Colgate a 1-0 lead. Soph­omore Brittany Phillips was also credited with the assist.

In the second period, both teams came out playing aggressively, firing shots and battling it out on the ice. However, the second frame remained scoreless, with Colgate holding on to its 1-0 lead heading into the final period.

With the support of the crowd, Colgate carried the offensive momentum into the final 20 minutes of play. Less than a min­ute into the final frame, sophomore Jenna Klynstra found the net while on a 5-on-3 advantage. Senior Jessi Waters received a pass from Phillips and then sent it across the goal line to Klynstra on the far post. Klynstra then knocked it home to give Colgate the 2-0 advantage.

“I think that our fans contributed to the win equally as much as the players on the ice, as their excitement in the rink fueled us. It was great to see how many people in the Colgate [and] Hamilton communities were willing to spend their time and en­ergy to support a great cause, in addition to supporting our hockey team,” Sass said.

Though Rensselaer desperately looked for goal opportunities in the last period, the Engineers could not get the puck past junior goaltender Kimberly Sass, allowing Colgate to defeat the Engineers 2-0. Sass posted 21 saves and recorded her fourth career shutout win.

The Raiders recorded their second con­secutive shutout win when they defeated Union 1-0 on Saturday. The game marked the team’s fifth shutout of the season.

The first period started off with both teams on the offensive and attacking their opponent’s net. As the game progressed, Union began firing off a series of shots at Colgate’s net but did not find success. The Raiders retaliated by turning the ta­bles and playing on the offensive, forcing the Dutchwomen to play defense. Their efforts soon paid off with a short-handed goal at the 17:31 mark, which was scored by Kristi-Lyn Pollock to give Colgate a 1-0 lead.

In the second frame, the Raiders started off on the attack, firing a series of shots on Union’s net. Unfortunately, Colgate was unable to tally a second goal. The tone re­mained the same throughout the period as Colgate outshot the Dutchwomen 15-4. Even though sophomore Brittany Phillips had a near-goal opportunity at 17:41, the period remained scoreless.

In the final frame both teams were hun­gry for a goal. Similar to the second period, however, neither team was able to find the net and the Raiders defeated Union 1-0 for the second time this season.

“I think our success this weekend in both games stemmed from our solid de­fending as a team. The defensemen did a tremendous job stepping up early to elimi­nate chances, breaking the puck out of our zone smoothly, as well as clearing any rebounds,” Sass said.

By the end of the tilt, Sass had posted 17 saves for Colgate.

The Raiders will play the St. Lawrence Saints Friday in Canton, New York at 7 p.m. and the Clarkson Golden Knights on Saturday in Potsdam, New York.