THE INSIDE STORY Panthers' Streak All the Numbers

Author: David Lindholm

The Middlebury women's hockey team's 4-1 loss to Manhattanville on Saturday signified the beginning of a new challenge for the team; the Panthers' loss, like the tie with Bowdoin last year, shows that the team is not invincible. Every team will be gunning for the Panthers now, knowing that they have a chance against the league's Goliath.

However, this also brings about an exciting time for the women's hockey team. Manhattanville's win shows that Division III is becoming a tighter league, with more good teams and fewer bad ones. Now, for the Panthers, every win means something more, and to rebound from the loss and earn a trophy this year would be a great achievement for the team. They may meet Manhattanville again, and the Panthers will be ready.

The Eastern College Athletic Conference began in 1995-96 for women's hockey, and since the inception of this conference, the Panthers had not lost.

So now that the streak has ended, let's look at the accomplishments this team made before the Manhattanville game, by the numbers.

122 – Wins in the ECAC Conference since its inception.

1 – Ties over this same period.

0 – Losses in the ECAC.

6 – Times the Panthers have won the ECAC Championship, every year since '95-'96. Also the number of times Middlebury has hosted the tournament.

136 – Games in the Panthers' unbeaten Division III streak

7 years, 12 days – Time since the Panthers' last Division III loss.

83 – Games in the home winning streak for the Panthers, including 41 straight wins at Kenyon Arena, a streak that dates back to February 11, 1994.

115 – Goals scored in 17 ECAC games during the 1999-2000 campaign.

6 – ECAC goals allowed in the same season.

9 – Shutouts the team has posted in 12 Division III games this year.

4 – Number of women's hockey coaches in history to have earned 200 wins, a list that has included Bill Mandigo since January 19, 2001.

2 – Times Mandigo has earned ECAC Coach of the Year honors since 1996.

1 – Times Mandigo was National Coach of the Year, awarded by American Hockey Coaches Association

2 – National titles won by the hockey team, also the number of times the tournament has been held.

Here are just a few more numbers about the road ahead for the Panthers:

3 – Number of home games remaining for the Panthers.

3 – Number of these games that are against NESCAC teams (Williams, Bowdoin, Colby).

This is getting good!