Women’s hockey finishes weekend and regular season with win, loss

After securing its place as host for this weekend’s NESCAC quarterfinal game against Hamilton, the women’s hockey team had a weekend of ups and downs at home.

Ending their regular season with matchups against conference opponents, the women dropped last Friday’s game in a 4-2 upset to Bowdoin before coming back to blank Colby 4-0 the next day.

Despite having won the past 12 games against the Polar Bears, the women experienced a day of missed opportunities on the ice Friday, overwhelming the Bowdoin goalie with shots that could not seem to find the back of the net.

Holding a 46-17 advantage in shots over Bowdoin, the Panthers’ two goals came from Libby Miner ’13 with 30 seconds remaining in the first period and again at 8:23 in the second. Middlebury’s solid lead was short-lived, however, as Bowdoin’s Jill Campbell, Kayte Holtz and Dominique Lozzi fired off three lucky shots in rapid succession two minutes later, stealing the lead for good. Both Holtz’s and Lozzi’s goals came directly after a face-off, after which the Panthers failed to gain hold of the puck in what would prove to be fatal errors.

Bowdoin’s Shelagh Merrill netted an insurance goal early into the third period, moments after Ashley Bairos ’10 attempted to adjust the score of the game.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, Bowdoin’s lead gave the Polar Bears enough confidence to fend off Middlebury’s shots for the rest of the period, culminating in a loss for the home team.

“I think the biggest challenge in the Bowdoin game was our inability to pick up our game in the second period after the first goal went in,” said Miner. “We let Bowdoin gain the momentum in the second period and we were unable to take it back during that time when they scored three goals. We were able to play our game again in the third period as we dominated in Bowdoin’s end, but we just couldn’t put the rebounds in.”

The next day’s game proved much more successful for the Panthers, whose 36 shots doubled the Mules’ 18. Miner was once again a key player, netting two back-to-back goals for the Panthers in the second half of the first period after fellow rookie Heather Marrison ’13 put the Panthers on the board at 9:52. The scoring continued in the second period, with goals from Ashley Bairos ’10 and Madison Styrbicki ’13, as goalie and assistant captain Lani Wright ’10 continued to block anything that came her way from Colby.

“After getting 46 shots against Bowdoin and only scoring 2 goals, we really wanted to focus on putting the puck in the net [on Saturday],” said assistant captain Heather McCormack ’10, adding that “heading into playoffs, this will be especially important, as we will be facing stronger teams with skilled goaltenders. We have definitely learned our lesson — we know that we have to take advantage of our opportunities.”

The Panthers’ efforts and renewed motivation came together in a solid win to round out the end of the season, leaving the team with a record of 15-6-3 and a 10th-place Division III ranking going into playoffs this weekend.

“We stumbled a bit on Friday night, but then came back and played well against Colby on Saturday,” said Heidi Woodworth ’11. “Libby Miner had her best weekend yet, scoring four goals. It’s really exciting to see her gaining so much momentum going into playoffs.”

Performances like Miner’s will be key in the next few weeks as the Panthers step up their efforts to capitalize on their skills and play their best in the face of intense competition.
As one of the dominant leagues in D-III, the NESCAC comprises some of the best teams in the country, including last season’s national champion Amherst — currently ranked second, and fifth-ranked Trinity.

“We just have to prepare ourselves mentally and know we can and want to win on Saturday,” said Miner.

It will take all of the Panthers’ strength to overcome the obstacles they face, but as part of a team that has been a perennial competitor in NCAA playoffs, securing the third-place trophy last season, the Middlebury women are fully capable of defeating any team that comes their way.