Williams Icers Win NCAA Tourney Opener

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- Brynn Puppe’s slap shot that may have been deflected by the stick of a Norwich defender eluded Cadet goalie Emily Lambert giving Williams (21-4-3) a 2-1 lead at 5:39 of the third period.
 
Soon after, Avery Dunn’s power play tally at 11:50 ended the scoring in the contest as Williams claimed its first ever NCAA Tournament win 3-1 and eliminated the defending NCAA champions.
 
“We had just been told to throw pucks at the net”  Puppe said. “ We hadn’t been testing the goalie enough so it was just important to get pucks to the net quickly. The forwards created traffic around the net and we were really motivated by Chloe’s amazing save since she was doing her job and so it was time for us to step up and do our job.”
 
Abby Brustad and Annie Rush assisted on the Puppe tally that provided Williams a lead they would not relinquish, while Amanda Reisman and Eliza Quigley earned assists on the Dunn goal.
 
Williams started off slowly in the first period as Norwich slightly outshot the Ephs 9-6. However, first year goalie Chloe Heiting denied the Cadets a goal and Lambert kept Williams off the scoreboard as well.
 
Williams scored the first goal of the game at 3:27 into the second period. Meghan Halloran received a pass from Amanda Reisman and fired a shot, which bounced off the crossbar and senior captain Abby Brustad buried the puck off the rebound. The one goal Williams lead did not last long, however, as Norwich responded with their own goal a few minutes later. Norwich’s Amanda Conway netted her DIII-leading 30th goal of the year for the Cadets on a power play at 7:09.  Maggie Conroy and Jessica Piracini assisted on the tying goal.
 
 Eph first year Chloe Heiting made one phenomenal save after another, the most important being an incredible sprawling kick save on a Norwich two on one in the second period when the Cadets out shot the ephs 18-8. “I really trusted my forwards and defense to help me,” said Heiting, “I knew they could depend on me and I could depend on them so it’s a two way street.”
 
 The Ephs then solidified their lead when Reisman, after a pass from senior Eliza Quigley, centered the puck from behind the net to sophomore Avery Dunn, who buried it. “We had a lot of momentum going off the last few minutes,”said Dunn, “It was a great pass from Mandy behind the net and I just focused on working the puck low.”
 
“I think we had a little bit of nerves starting out for the NCAA game for everyone,” head coach Meghan Gillis said. “Chloe made some huge saves and let us settle in.”
 
By the end of the game, Heiting had saved 32 of 33 shots while Norwich’s Emily Lambert had saved 22 of 25 Williams’ shots.
 
“Defense capitalized in the third period on some key plays just from good cycles and Brynn’s goal, keeping it simple and getting it to the net,” Gillis added. This victory marks the Ephs first ever NCAA Tournament win and a program record for the most wins in a season at 21 wins.
 
The Ephs now advance to the Quarterfinals of the NCAA DIII Women’s Ice Hockey Tournament. Williams will play Plattsburgh State on Saturday in Plattsburgh, N.Y.
 
“It’s good that Plattsburgh had their game as well today, that’s huge for us,” Gillis said. “This is the time of year we just try to continue to play the best."
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WCMA: 'Cracking the Code on Numerology'

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) opens a new exhibition, "Cracking the Cosmic Code: Numerology in Medieval Art."
 
The exhibit opened on March 22.
 
According to a press release: 
 
The idea that numbers emanate sacred significance, and connect the past with the future, is prehistoric and global. Rooted in the Babylonian science of astrology, medieval Christian numerology taught that God created a well-ordered universe. Deciphering the universe's numerical patterns would reveal the Creator's grand plan for humanity, including individual fates. 
 
This unquestioned concept deeply pervaded European cultures through centuries. Theologians and lay people alike fervently interpreted the Bible literally and figuratively via number theory, because as King Solomon told God, "Thou hast ordered all things in measure, and number, and weight" (Wisdom 11:22). 
 
"Cracking the Cosmic Code" explores medieval relationships among numbers, events, and works of art. The medieval and Renaissance art on display in this exhibition from the 5th to 17th centuries—including a 15th-century birth platter by Lippo d'Andrea from Florence; a 14th-century panel fragment with courtly scenes from Palace Curiel de los Ajos, Valladolid, Spain; and a 12th-century wall capital from the Monastery at Moutiers-Saint-Jean—reveal numerical patterns as they relate to architecture, literature, gender, and timekeeping. 
 
"There was no realm of thought that was not influenced by the all-consuming belief that all things were celestially ordered, from human life to stones, herbs, and metals," said WCMA Assistant Curator Elizabeth Sandoval, who curated the exhibition. "As Vincent Foster Hopper expounds, numbers were 'fundamental realities, alive with memories and eloquent with meaning.' These artworks tease out numerical patterns and their multiple possible meanings, in relation to gender, literature, and the celestial sphere. 
 
"The exhibition looks back while moving forward: It relies on the collection's strengths in Western medieval Christianity, but points to the future with goals of acquiring works from the global Middle Ages. It also nods to the history of the gallery as a medieval period room at this pivotal time in WCMA's history before the momentous move to a new building," Sandoval said.
 
Cracking the Cosmic Code runs through Dec. 22.
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