Women fall to Elmira in OT thriller

Author: Tom McCann

After a tough loss to Bowdoin two weeks ago, it was important for the women's hockey team to bounce back with a two-game road trip to Williams. The women were not there to face the Ephs but instead took the ice against Utica College on February 19th, before a showdown against Elmira College. The Soaring Eagles and Panthers were ranked first and second in the nation, respectively, before the games.

The Utica Pioneers took the lead in the Saturday dual, with a goal just after the 10 minute mark of the first period. The goal seemed to have the effect of stirring the women into action as it took just 90 seconds for the Panthers to strike back. Karen Levin '08 took full advantage of a powerplay as she found the back of the net for her fourth career goal. This would be the last of the goal scoring in the first period as the buzzer sounded with the teams knotted at one.

Whatever Coach Bill Mandigo said at half-time must have been heeded by the women as they came out firing in an explosive second period. Just 45 seconds in, Lorna Gifis '05 found the net, taking an assist from sophomore Emily McNamara. Six minutes later, with the game delicately poised at 2-1, Lindsay Jones '05 found Tania Kerry '08 to make it 3-1, with the defensewoman netting, giving Middlebury a crucial two-goal cushion. Utica was able to pull within a goal on a powerplay with 15:30 on the clock in the second period, but just as they did in the first period, allowed a goal almost immediately after scoring themselves. Just 14 seconds after making it a one-goal game, Allison Graddock '07 solved goaltender Sarah Detwiler, once again, pushing the advantage back out to two goals. Gifis then added her second of the game, with two minutes remaining in the second period on another powerplay, giving the Panthers a big 5-2 lead heading back to the locker-room.

With four goals on just 14 shots in the second period, Middlebury held the advantage moving into the final period, but Utica came back at the Panthers once more. A 6-on-4 powerplay for the Pioneers led to a goal at the 2:58 mark, but could not solve Kate Kogut '06 in the Middlebury net after that. With 1:38 remaining on the clock, and two goals adrift, Utica pulled their goaltender in a desperate attempt to pull back another goal. Levin netted her second goal of the game against the empty net with 61 seconds on the clock to complete the scoring at 6-3.

Captain Jackie Cohen '05 commented, "Overall, we could have played better. I think we played down to their level rather than have them play up to ours." However, she also noted, "Good teams find a way to win no matter what, even if it's a sloppy game. We found a way to put the puck in the net." Next up though was a head-to-head with Elmira, matching the two top-ranked teams against each other.

The Soaring Eagles got off to the best possible start with a goal inside the first five minutes, but could not hold the lead as the first period went on. Emily Quizon '06 latched onto the puck from Kenny and found the back of the net. The score remained tied at 1-1 as the players went in for the break.

The second period followed the same pattern as the first, with Elmira taking the lead through an early goal, this time 2:35 into the period. However, once again they could not establish the two-goal cushion and Middlebury pegged back Elmira for a second time. On this occasion it was Gifis with her third goal of the weekend who solved goaltender Edith Racine, with the assist going to Quizon at the 15:19 mark. A tense third period saw just 16 shots shared between the two teams with neither one able to find the crucial third goal.

In a game between two of the best teams in the nation it was fitting that the game should need an extra stanza in decide to find a winner. The goal came 3:05 into the overtime period, the third time Middlebury had conceded a goal inside the first five minutes of a period in the game. Cohen described the goal as "a fluke as the girl was behind the net to the left and tried to pass it in infront. It hit the goalie and went in - she didn't even know it hit her." Kogut ended the game with 26 saves for the Panthers, but after a somewhat fortunate deflection the Soaring Eagles emerged with the win.

Despite the defeat, Gifis said, "We played extremely well. A lot of people thought we dominated so we have a lot of confidence going into next weekend."

Despite having dropped two big games in recent weeks, the morale on the team is still high. Cohen said, "We're feeling pretty good and I think the losses will help us. I think we went into the season after winning nationals thinking we would beat anyone, but in reality we have to work that much harder to stay on top." She went on to say, "It's almost harder being the number one team - it's like you have a target on your back."

The results of the weekend leave the Panthers with a 20-3-1 record heading into the off-season. As second seeds for the NESCAC Championships, the Panthers are due to face Trinity on Feb. 26 at 1 p.m. The Panthers will be confident of overcoming the Continentals after handing them a 7-1 defeat on the road, followed by an 8-1 rout at Kenyon a few weeks ago. However, Gifis urged caution, saying, "It's important we don't overlook them or they could upset us. We'll need to be ready to play." Should the Panthers overcome Hamilton, a trip to Bowdoin for the semi-final and final of the NESCAC Championships and a chance to avenge the recent 5-2 defeat awaits.