The women’s hockey team hosted then third-ranked Plattsburgh on Tuesday. Riding a seven-game winning streak in which they had allowed just three goals, the Panthers overcame their struggles against Plattsburgh, beating the Cardinals for the first time since the 2006 National Championship game.
Middlebury was winless against the Cardinals in their previous 10 games (0-7-3). Senior goaltender Alexi Bloom ’11 made 20 saves in the game and led the Panthers to their 10th shutout victory of the season. Her performance earned her the NESCAC player of the week, the second time she’s been honored with the award this season.
The Panthers and Cardinals combined for 12 shots in a goalless first period, but after nearly 40 minutes of scoreless hockey the Panthers capitalized on a mistake made by Plattsburgh goaltender Mandy Mackrell ’11 who was unable to control the shot of Lauren Greer ’13 who came away with the game’s only goal with less than a minute remaining in the second period. The goal was Greer’s seventh of the season and was assisted on the play by Julia Ireland ’11. Greer and Ireland maintained their spots atop the Panthers scoring leaders. For Ireland the assist was her sixth of the year and was her18th point of the season. Greer meanwhile has 10 assists along with her seven goals for 17 points on the season. Bloom made eight saves in the final period as the Panthers closed the door on a 1-0 win over the Cardinals.
This win came in stark contrast to the last time the Panthers and the Cardinal faced off, which ended in a 5-0 loss for the Panthers. Following that loss on January 3rd the Panthers are 10-1-1 and have allowed just six total goals in all the games during that time.
“This game was very different than the one back in January,” said Bloom. “We came out a completely different team, and I think we can contribute it to our success in the last month. All we needed to do was to build up some confidence. Once you can convince yourself that you are capable of winning, anything is possible.”
The Panthers have been led by the play of Bloom who leads all of Division III women’s hockey in save percentage, shutouts and goals allowed. Tuesday she improved her save percentage to an astounding .958 on the season.
“Lexi continues to play very well,” said head coach Bill Mandigo. “She exudes confidence, and it has an effect on all of her teammates. I thought Madison Styrbicki [’13] played very well too.”
The defensive play of the Panthers was also drastically improved in their second meeting with the Cardinals. In the first meeting, Plattsburgh pounded 48 shots on net. Tuesday the Panthers limited their SUNY rivals to just 20 shots. Now allowing less than a goal per game, the Panthers defensive unit currently ranks as the second best in Division III women’s hockey.
While this win draws immediate comparisons between this team and the 2006 National Championship team as the last two teams to beat Plattsburgh, Bill Mandigo put the win in perspective.
“We like to play good teams to measure how much we have improved,” he said. “We are very happy with the win, but there are still three important games remaining in the regular schedule.”
The fourth-ranked Panthers will have their work cut out for them as their regular season comes to its close. Middlebury hosts third-ranked Norwich on Tuesday and then travels to Colby and Bowdoin this weekend to finish the regular season.
Bloom and the Panthers will have their hands full with the second-ranked scoring offense in the country on Tuesday. Norwich scores 4.91 goals per game, trailing only RIT in that category. The Cadets are led by senior forward Sophie Leclerc who leads the nation (D-III) in total points.
“This will be our toughest week of the season,” said Bloom. “Norwich is a great team, and they will come after us harder than Plattsburgh. Then we’ll head up to Maine, which is one of the toughest weekends travel-wise. Nothing is promised from here on out, and we’ll really need to earn every win.”
Both Middlebury and Norwich (18-3-1) bring eight game winning streaks into their matchup Tuesday. The Panthers and Cadets drew 2-2 last year.
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