First-years burst onto the hockey scene

Author: Dan Stevens

In a slew of games surrounding the Thanksgiving recess, the women's hockey team returned in dominating form with a stunning core of new players as the 2007-2008 season got underway. With scores of 9-0 over Hamilton, 4-0 over Wesleyan and 3-1 over Elmira, the Panthers drew on their new, vibrant youth in order to jump-start what looks to be a successful season.

In the inaugural game of the season, first-year Anna McNally '11 came on strong as the Panthers thwarted the Soaring Eagles from Elmira, N.Y. McNally netted a goal and delivered an assist to returning goal-scorer Annmarie Cellino '09. Cellino netted two goals of her own in the 3-1 victory, but the real story was how the first-years stepped up to replace the six graduating seniors from last year's squad.

While McNally came on as the offensive threat for the new class, the defense was lead by rookie defender Kristen Wilson. Wilson had a number of take-aways in the opener and was a solid presence on the ice.

"The freshmen were really taken under the wing by the upperclassman," said McNally, "making it so much easier to jump into college hockey. We knew we had pretty big shoes to fill, but things have really been coming together in practice, so I think we're on our way to being a pretty solid team."

The contest against Elmira also brought former Panther, Tory MacNeil, back to Vermont in her first game after transferring from Middlebury last year. MacNeil was involved in a number of skirmishes and drew a penalty late in the game, perhaps stemming from hard feelings over her departure. MacNeil, though, chatted with her former teammates after the game, seeming relaxed in her role with her new squad.

The opener against Elmira was the first game in the Middlebury Classic with Williams and Plattsburgh rounding out the competitors. After Plattsburgh dismissed Williams in its opener, the Panthers and Cardinals laced up for a rematch of last year's national championship game. Unfortunately, the results of both games would be the same - a loss for Middlebury.

Initially, the Panthers appeared cool and collected as they controlled the puck for the first two periods. The offense gathered itself in the zone several times, something it failed to do as successfully against Elmira. The first-year success continued with McNally and Julia Ireland '09 each netting a goal for the Panthers.

As the Zamboni drove off the ice for the last time, the Panthers seemed poised for redemption with a 2-0 lead over the defending national champs and only 20 minutes to play. The Cardinals, however, had something else in mind as tournament MVP Danielle Blanchard stepped up her game. In a span of 11 minutes in the third period, Blanchard changed a near Panther victory into a Middlebury defeat as she garnered a hat trick and delivered a win for the Cardinals.

"Despite the loss I think that we stand in a great position," said co-captain Margaret MacDonald '08. "We know what we need to work on, but more importantly we know what we are capable of. I think that our team has a lot of potential and each game for now on we will look to build upon past games and get better every day."

Indeed the Panthers did build on the loss to Plattsburgh as they demolished a different set of Cardinals - the birds from Wesleyan - after enjoying a healthy dose of turkey. In a dominant show on offense, the Panthers won the shots on goal category 49-9 with a second period differential of 26-1. The first-year prowess continued as goaltender Lexi Bloom '11 picked up her first career win.

And continuing the wave of offense generated by the win over Wesleyan, the Panthers destroyed the Continentals from Hamilton by a score of 9-0. McNally continued to beat all expectations, netting her first career hat trick. Cellino showed her experience netting two goals and four assists as the Panthers cruised to victory.

Through the first four games of the season, the Panthers stand 3-1, 2-0 in NESAC play. Cellino and McNally are the leading scorers with 12 and 11 points respectively. Conference road games against the Amherst Lord Jeffs and Connecticut College Camels are up next for the Panthers as they look to defend their NESCAC title.

"Right now our focus is on NESCAC games and hopefully having success throughout the rest of the season," said Cellino.