Panther Tie in Maine Puts Polar Bears at the Top

Author: Peter Yordan

The Middlebury women's hockey team topped off their regular season in heart-stopping fashion, surviving a gut check weekend in Maine with a last- minute tie against arch-rival Bowdoin and a stirring overtime victory against Colby. The Panthers now turn their attention to the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) tournament, where they will take on Amherst on Saturday as the two seed.
Last Friday, Middlebury made their first stop in the vacation state to renew their young but fiercely competitive rivalry with Bowdoin. The league's two best teams had skated to an inconclusive 1-1 tie on Jan. 18.
"They are a more physical team, and we are a finesse team," said Team Captain Audrey Pellerin '03. "It's a mental thing when we play; who wants it more determines who will win."
Both sides picked up where they had left off last time in a tough first period where neither squad could find the net.
"We were really excited and played strong in the first period, but we were a little too nervous to begin with," said Assistant Captain Angela Kapus '03.
The second period was a different story, as both sides found their goal-scoring spark. The Panthers didn't waste any time getting started this go-around, with Lorna Gifis '05 poking home her 14th goal of the year two-and-a-half minutes in. The lead was short-lived, however, as the Polar Bears broke back seven minutes later with a tying goal and then scored again with five minutes left in the period to take the lead 2-1.
"We were frustrated that we let things slip and lost our momentum after our goal," said Kapus.
But Middlebury refused to go quietly in the third period, heaping on the pressure in search of another goal. Though the Panthers outshot the Polar Bears 13-5 in the period, it was to no avail; as the Bowdoin defense held firm until the waning moments. With 23 seconds left and the Middlebury net empty, the Panthers came through as team sniper Amber Neil '03 snatched a last gasp goal to send the game into overtime. Neither side could prevail in overtime to break the 2-2 deadlock.
"It was a great feeling to score like that right at the end, and a great effort by everybody on the ice," said Kapus. "We still have to work on not letting up, having no lapses for 60 minutes."
The next day the team turned around to face middling Colby College in what proved to be a tough fight. Though Middlebury had easily put the White Mules away with a 9-1 victory earlier in the season, the Panthers' rollercoaster ride of uneven play continued when Colby put the team back on their heels by taking a 1-0 lead with the only goal of the first period.
"They were a lot more pumped playing in their own house," said Pellerin. "We were a little tired from the Bowdoin game."
Middlebury bounced back halfway through the second with Amber Neil's 19th tally of the year, and then took the lead with a goal by Liz Yale-Loehr '06 with a minute-and-a-half left in the period. The Panthers had one skate out the door for the second intermission when Colby scored with two seconds left in the period to make it 2-2.
The game ground to a complete halt in the third period, with each team managing no more than a single shot on goal for the entire 20 minutes. As the teams headed into overtime, Middlebury was facing another embarrassing result against a lightly regarded team after their weak 2-2 performance against Wesleyan two weeks earlier.
"Colby came out fired up for their last game of the season, and we got complacent with our one goal lead," commented Kapus. "We have to have the same intensity and focus no matter who we play."
This time, however, the Panthers pulled themselves together and got the goal they needed. Middlebury came out with fire in the overtime, dominating possesion.
The task of scoring fell to junior Jean Butler, who with less than two minutes left in the game slipped the puck past the Colby goalie to secure the win.
The weekend performance was enough to clinch the number two spot behind Bowdoin in the upcoming NESCAC Tournament, where the Panthers will open at home against Amherst. Middlebury has embarrassed the Lord Jeffs in its two meetings this year, winning both games by a combined margin of 17-2. Complacency, however, is something the squad cannot afford, as the Panthers will be looking to kick their unhealthy habit of easing up against light competition in recent weeks.
"Sticking to our system and having confidence in our team will be the keys against Amherst," said Pellerin. "The reason we've screwed up was because of overconfidence. We definitely can't go into this game overconfident."