Skaters dominating run continues Middlebury makes quick work of #5 St. Thomas, rolls to 14-0-0

Author: James Kerrigan

The women's hockey team started 2006 just like they ended 2005 - by winning, a lot. January has given the Panthers seven opponents and seven victories. In the midst of a 20-game win streak going back to the end of last season, the women are dominating competition from all over the country.

The year '06 began with a 6-0 win in the team's first ever encounter with St. Anselm College. Morton Grove, Ill. native, Karen Levin '08, was in the groove on Jan. 3 as she lit the lamp on two occasions and set up three more goals. Senior co-captain Kate Kogut stopped all nine St. Anselm shots and earned her first shutout of the season.

Returning home for a weekend of NESCAC action, Middlebury once again proved why they are the defending National Champions and the team to beat. On Jan. 6, Middlebury's first-year forward Annmarie Cellino scored the game's first goal with an assist from Shannon Tarrant '07 before Bowdoin took a 2-1 lead in the second period. But the Polar Bear's lead lasted only 2:31 as Erika Nakamura '09 netted the equalizer. Emily Quizon '06 banged home the go-ahead goal late in the second frame and Ellen Sargent '07 added an insurance goal in the third.

On Saturday, Jan. 7, the Panthers squared off against the Mules from Colby. Although the Mules were only two spots behind Middlebury in the NESCAC standings, they looked a long way from being able to keep up with the Panthers. After netting the opening goal, the Colby defense watched Middlebury score seven unanswered goals on 37 shots. Abby Kurtz-Phelan '07 scored two goals and added two helpers on the night. According to Coach Mandigo, "her offensive productivity has been exceptional." She was matched by Shannon Sylvester '07 who also had two goals and two assists. Cellino '09, Quizon '06, and Liz Yale-Loehr '06 scored the final three goals while Levin '09 contributed two assists.

Jan. 12 saw the country's ninth-ranked Wisconsin-River Falls come to town. Despite outshooting Wisconsin 32-14, the Panthers were taken into overtime with the score 2-2, but the tie didn't last long. Just 36 seconds in, the Panthers scored the game-winner on a power play which began late in the third period. Tarrant took a shot from the left point that was redirected into the net by Kurtz-Phelan from the right side of the slot.

Over the next three games, Middlebury unleashed 147 shots, including 99 over a two-day span against NESCAC's Wesleyan. Middlebury beat Wesleyan 4-1 on Saturday, Jan. 14, then again on Sunday by the same margin (3-0). Nakamura scored thee goals in the double header, while Kurtz-Phelan added wo more. Sophomore Angie Todd earned her second shutout of the season on Sunday.

Middlebury then faced the Tommies from St. Thomas who came into the contest ranked number five in the country. With two undefeated teams battling, something had to give, and it did - early. Nineteen seconds into the contest, Emily McNamara '07 banged home the puck on the doorstep after Cellino's high shot bounced downward. The Panthers struck early, and never looked back. They fired 48 shots and converted on three of them. Cellino contributed on all three goals as Quizon added a goal and an assist. In the end, Middlebury earned their 20th consecutive victory and established themselves as the only unbeaten team in women's college hockey (in both Division I and III of the NCAA).

The unbeaten streak is a non-factor to the team. Says Mandigo, "I don't think the record is a distraction. I think we are playing game-to-game and only concentrating on the next game. Our goals are always the same - get better each practice and play to the best of our ability in every game."