Women's Hockey Skate to Five Consecutive Wins During Break

The Middlebury women’s hockey team kept its unbeaten streak alive through the end of February break; the women have yet to suffer a defeat through 14 games

The Panthers defeated Bowdoin on Friday, Jan. 24 before tying the Polar Bears on the following afternoon. Middlebury then took two on the road at Hamilton on Friday, Jan. 31 and Saturday, Feb. 1. Middlebury played a mid-week game at home against Utica and won in a nail-biter, 5-4. Last weekend, on Friday, Feb. 7 and Saturday, Feb. 8, Middlebury outscored Conn. College 6-2 in two wins.

Katie Sullivan ’15 opened the scoring for the Panthers 5:01 into the second period in their first meeting with Bowdoin, which Middlebury won 4-0. One minute and forty-two seconds later, the Panthers’ lead had stretched to 3-0. Sara Ugalde ’14 netted a power play goal with help from Emily Fluke ’15, followed by a second goal from Sullivan. With 13:14 remaining in the third, a shot from Julia Wardwell ’16 was tipped home by Katie Mandigo ’16 for the game’s final goal.

Middlebury’s offense was less explosive on Saturday, Jan. 25 when the Panthers and Polar Bears fought to a draw. Bowdoin took the 1-0 lead halfway through the game on a rebound off of Annabelle Jones ’15, who had 28 saves and has yet to suffer a defeat this season. Jennifer Krakower ’14 scored the equalizer less than a minute into the third period while on a power play.

On Friday, Jan. 31, Middlebury dominated Hamilton in their first meeting. The Panthers recorded their fifth shutout of the season and outshot the Continentals 34-11. Middlebury was the beneficiary of ten power plays, scoring all three goals while on the man advantage. Mandigo, Fluke and Sullivan each tallied a score.

The next day’s matchup between the two squads was more hotly contested, though Middlebury again prevailed, this time 3-2 in overtime. The Panthers took advantage of their power play opportunities, as they had the day before. With 14:20 left on the clock in the second period, Fluke gathered a carom off the boards and knocked it in for the 1-0 lead. Minutes later, a slap shot from Laura McConney ’15 found the back of the net. Hamilton scored on a breakaway late in the second period, and tied the game with just over five minutes left to play in regulation. Seventeen seconds into overtime, Fluke tossed a backhander on net that the Continentals’ goalie seemed to cover up, but the puck squirted through for the game-winner.

More Fluke heroics were on display on Tuesday, Feb. 4 in the Panthers’ defeat of a visiting Utica squad. Utica took an early two-goal lead, but Krakower cut that lead in half late in the first period. After a power play goal from Utica, Krakower again responded with her own score on the power play, off of assists from Carly Watson ’17 and Ugalde, making it a 3-2 game. Pam Schulman ’17 tied the game when she netted her own rebound in the last minute of the third period. Two goals from Fluke after the second intermission made it a 5-3 Middlebury advantage. Utica found the back of the net once more, but in the end the Panthers were victorious by a score of 5-4.

Middlebury’s first meeting with Conn. College on Friday, Feb. 7 saw multiple shots in the period’s final seconds. Conn. opened the scoring with 4.7 seconds left in the first period. Anna Van Kula ’16 tipped home a shot from Victoria Laven ’17 to tie the game in the second period. Fluke sent Middlebury into the second intermission with a 2-1 lead by finishing a rebound on a shot from Watson. After the Camels tied the game in the third, with time winding down, Ugalde scored the game-winner with :57 remaining in the contest.

Middlebury shut out the Camels the following day, 3-0. Mackenzie Martin ’15 scored the first Panther goal. Teammates Sullivan and Fluke added to the scoring, securing the fourth shutout of the season for Jones.

Back on the ice for a matchup with rival Plattsburgh on Tuesday, Feb. 11, the Panthers hit a roadblock that they could not overcome, falling 5-2 to the host Cardinals. While Middlebury jumped ahead early with a first-period goal from Jane Freda ’17, Plattsburgh came roaring back with a trio of second-period goals to seize the lead. Jennifer Krakower added a late power-play goal for the Panthers – who were outshot 28-7 in the second and third periods – in the losing effort.