Women’s Hockey Team Skates into New Year 9-1-1

The winter break did very little to slow down the women’s hockey team, as it remained undefeated since its loss to Plattsburgh over a month ago, and opened the new year with three strong wins and a hard-fought tie.

The team returned to campus with an electrifying overtime win over Elmira on Saturday, Jan. 4. The following Wednesday, Jan. 8, Middlebury recorded a dominant 8-2 win over Salve Regina in the first ever matchup between the two schools. Playing in a doubleheader against Wesleyan over the weekend of Jan. 10 and 11, the Panthers split with the host Cardinals.

The team’s early January game against Elmira bolstered its resume for a high national ranking with a gritty overtime win. The two teams last squared off in last year’s national championship, with the Soaring Eagles skating away with the trophy. This time around the Panthers were able to exact a small amount of revenge for last year’s disappointment.

Elmira jumped out to an early lead, scoring in the first period, and kept up a constant pressure on the Panthers back line. Middlebury got on the board when Katie Mandigo ’16 raced up the side of the rink and rifled the puck over the shoulder of Elmira goalie Kyle Nelson for the extra time win 1:50 into the overtime period.

The Panthers then participated in a midweek contest just four days later against Salve Regina, in which Middlebury walked away with a decisive win by a final tally of 8-2.

Six different players scored goals for Middlebury, with Jane Freda ’17, Emily Fluke ’15, Mandigo, and Hannah Bielawski ’15 each with one, and Katie Sullivan ’15 and Kelly Sherman ’17 each recording a pair. Sullivan stood out with a strong individual performance, recording not only her two goals but also two assists to go with it.

Co-captain Sara Ugalde ’14 commented on the Panthers’ win over Elmira.

“Beating Elmira is a moment that sticks out to me as extremely important to our season, we never gave up and fought until the end,” she said. “Playing top-notch non-conference teams is always a challenge, and it was awesome to come out on top.”

Following up that win with the opening of conference play, Middlebury traveled to Wesleyan for a double-header.

The first of the two games ended in a tie, as each team failed to score in overtime to seal the game. This end result represents just the fourth time in 51 contests that the Panthers have failed to beat the Cardinals, with the last tie coming seven years ago.

Middlebury looked to be on their way to a win, holding a 2-0 lead late into the second period. Wesleyan did not settle for a loss though and came back to score a goal 16:57 into the second period, and another within the first half minute of the third to send the game into extra time.

The next day, however, Middlebury retaliated with a 4-1 win over the Cardinals. The Panthers made constructive use of the power play in this game, converting two of seven opportunities for key goals. Those goals, scored by Pam Schulman ’17 and Ugalde, were the difference in the game.

The Panthers’ offense has been on a tear as of late, recording 17 total goals over their last four games. Sullivan leads the way in overall points with 15, while Bielawski and Fluke ’15 follow behind with 14 total points each.

Eighteen different players have recorded points for the Panthers this season, or over two thirds of the total roster. On the defensive end, Goalkeeper Annabelle Jones ’15 boasts a .929 save percentage, 145 saves out of 156 shots faced.

“With the younger players playing hard and learning how to produce even more from our older girls, this team is headed in the right direction offensively,” head coach Bill Mandigo said. “I’m excited to see what else we can do moving forward.”

With these most recent results, Middlebury now sits at 9-1-1 overall and holds down a number-two national ranking. The Panthers will attempt to keep up its offense’s explosive pace this weekend against Amherst, with whom they are tied atop the NESCAC standings.