Panthers stay unbeaten - top NESCAC poll Women skate past Hamilton twice while earning a tie against Williams

Author: Anna Christina-Furney

Panther hockey shows no weakness when it comes to its female force. While the women's hockey team has begun the most challenging portion of their season, the players do not appear hesitant when it comes to their opposition. With a 13-0-1 record, and riding the first place position in the NCAA Division III standings, the Panthers are ready to bring their strong team dynamic into the next few weeks. After showing their domination on the ice against the women of Hamilton College, the team prepared for the harder of their season's games against opponent, Williams. After two wins against Hamilton on January 14 and 15, the team managed to tie the Williams purple-cows in a 1-1 score on Jan. 18.

The team's captain, Jackie Cohen '05 reflected on the games against Hamilton by saying that the second of the two was more successful in terms of the team's ability to handle both the ice and their opponent. After the first Hamilton game, which they handily won with an 9-2 score, the Panthers felt as if their next game against the same team would be an opportune time to connect on the ice. Cohen says that it was better passing and more of an eagerness to win that sparked the 8-1 defeat of the Hamilton team. The two game sweep was highlighted when the national Division III polls indicated that Middlebury was ranked number one.

With this boost of confidence, the women prepared for a greater challenge in the Williams team. It was a tough day for Middlebury. Only after the first and second periods did the team grit their teeth and go for the win. The unfortunate portion of the match came when two of the Panther goals were called off. At the end of the game, the women were forced to be contented with a 1-1 tie. While it hardly hurt their untarnished record, Cohen remarked that "they should have won."

After speaking with Cohen, it became clear that the team we see on the ice is a network of hardworking friends. Cohen says, "As a whole, our team has the same mind set as other seasons, but different players" they are closer than years past and, as a result, read each other better when on the ice. "As opposed to throwing their sticks on the ice" and just playing for the sake of playing, these past games against Hamilton revealed to Cohen the effectiveness of the team's mentality. They are more successful as a group when they aren't playing "nervous hockey." Cohen says that they cannot approach games protecting themselves from a loss, but instead, need to play to win. But if the women's season has been any indication of the games to come, they should have no problem finding the back of the net.

Now that the team's season is in full swing, they look forward to the challenge in opponents such as Plattsburgh, Colby and Bowdoin.

While the team's next match-up is in New York State, against Plattsburgh, be ready to bring your MIDD cheer to the hockey rink on Feb. 8 when the women play Plattsburgh at home. Keep an eye out for strong play from #11 Shannon Sylvester '07, #4 Emily McNamara '07, #12 Emily Quizon '06, #21 Alison Graddock '07, #26 Lorna Gifis '05, #3 Shannon Tarrant '07 and #9 and senior Allison Liati.