Women’s Hockey Unstoppable; Easily Puts Seven Past Williams

The women’s hockey team finished the regular season with two shutout wins against Williams last weekend, skating to a 2-0 away win on Friday, Feb. 19, and a 7-0 victory on Saturday, Feb. 20 in Chip Kenyon ’85 Arena. With the victories, the Panthers secured the top seed for the NESCAC women’s hockey tournament for the sixth-straight and 11th time overall.

On Friday, the Panthers beat Williams (12-10-1, 8-7-0) 2-0 in Williamstown, Mass. Middlebury took an early lead 6:29 into the game on the power play via the sophomore squad: Jessica Young ’18 scored her ninth goal of the season and was assisted by Elizabeth Wulf ’18 and Maddie Winslow ’18.

In the second period, the Panthers extended their lead to 2-0 at the 15:42 mark. Rachael St. Clair ’19 passed the puck to Katherine Jackson ’19, who skated in one-on-one against Eph goalie Julia Mini, faked to the right, then lifted a wrister to the short side above the shoulder of Mini for her fifth goal of the season.

The Ephs fought hard in the third period to make up lost ground. They held a 10-4 advantage in shots on goal that period, and pulled their goalie with a minute left in favor of an extra attacker. The Williams squad outpaced Middlebury in overall shots on goal (24-20) and had five power plays, but converted none of them into goals.

Middlebury goalie Julia Neuburger ’18 picked up her fourth shutout of the season with 24 saves between the pipes.

The two teams faced off again on Saturday, Feb. 20, in Kenyon Arena in a “Pink the Rink” game in support of finding a cure for breast cancer. The fans, decked out in pink, also celebrated the graduating seniors for Senior Night: Captain Julia Wardwell ’16, Alternate Captain Katie Mandigo ’16, Marisa Dreher ’16, Micaela Thibault ’16 and Anna Van Kula ’16.

The Panthers scored four goals in the first period, and the first three came within a span of less than two minutes. At the 7:48 mark, Julia Wardwell ’16 drove the puck into the back of the net from the left point for her first collegiate goal. Thirty seconds later, Rachael St. Clair ’19 doubled the lead with a wrap-around goal. Twenty-one seconds later, Haley LaFontaine ’18 sent the puck from inside the blue line through the legs of Williams goalie Mini. Eight minutes after, on the power play, LaFontaine passed the puck to Kelly Sherman ’17, who directed a shot on goal from along the goal line that Mini touched but could not block. The Panthers dominated the first period with a 4-0 lead and a 13-3 edge in shots on goal, including not allowing a single shot in the first 10 minutes of the period.

Middlebury made it a 5-0 game 3:56 into the middle period, scoring again on the power play when Wardwell cut into the slot and kept the puck low into the back of the net for her second goal of the season on assist by Winslow. Williams had two shots on a power play later in the period, but Middlebury goalie Neuberger made a pair of stick saves to keep the Ephs scoreless.

Winslow picked up her team-leading 13th goal of the season at the 13:50 mark to bring the score to 6-0. With 1:24 left in the third period, Shanna Hickman ’19 tipped in an insurance goal — not that it was needed for the victory. Middlebury held a 29-17 edge in shots on goal for the game. The Panthers went 3-5 on the power play, while Williams was scoreless in its man-advantage.

“I think we have played well in the past few weeks,” Head Coach Bill Mandigo said. “The players are working hard and many are making significant contributions. I am excited about this team and their prospects as we head into the playoffs.”

The Panthers will be looking for their eighth conference title when quarterfinal action starts on Saturday, Feb. 27. If the Panthers win on Saturday, they will host both semifinals and the final on March 5 and 6 as the highest seed remaining. This year’s NESCAC champion will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Middlebury (17-4-3, 13-0-3 NESCAC) has won 12 of its last 13 games since Jan. 15. The team looks to win their first NESCAC title since 2012, which would be the eight in program history. Last year, Middlebury advanced to the championship game before falling to Trinity in overtime, 3-2.      

The Panthers, ranked seventh nationally, will face No. 8 seed Colby (3-12-1) in the quarterfinal round. A Middlebury victory against Colby would bring the Panthers’ unbeaten streak to 30 games and give them home ice for the semifinals and finals. The Panthers hope to avenge last year’s fumble in the finals at the hands of third-seed Trinity.