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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Women’s Hockey Defeats Camels

The Middlebury women’s hockey team went 1-0-1 in their two-game homestand against Connecticut College this weekend at Chip Kenyon ’85 Arena, bringing their overall record to 4-1-1.


On Friday night, Middlebury broke a 2-2 tie in the third period to win 3-2 over the Camels.


Middlebury controlled the ice but not the scoreboard during the first period, putting seven of the first eight shots on goal but making none of them. Jenna Marotta ’19 took three shots during a Panther power play and Shanna Hickman ’19 sent back-to-back shots a minute later, but the Connecticut netminder let none through.


The Camels scored first, just before the end of the period. The Panthers responded early in the next period when Maddie Winslow ’18 corrected a shot by Janka Hlinka ’18. On the power play five minutes later, Elizabeth Wulf ’18 gave Middlebury the lead with a shot from the right.


Conn College answered late in the third period with a goal on the rebound to tie the game at 2-2. Just 49 seconds later, Carly Watson ’17 skated to a loose puck in the high slot and sent a rocket to the upper corner of the net, securing a win. Watson came off the ice with a goal and two assists for the Panthers.


“The game was a back and forth battle in regards to scoring, with both teams capitalizing on momentum shifts,” Watson said. “I thought we did a really good job of maintaining possession and controlling the game, which is very encouraging for being the beginning of the season with a very young team.”


The Camels could not capitalize on any of their three power plays. The Middlebury women played aggressively throughout the game, taking 33 shots on goal compared to Connecticut’s 19.


On Saturday, the Panthers and Camels went into overtime tied at 1-1, but neither team could score in the first overtime game for both teams.


Middlebury dominated the first period, leading Connecticut 14-7 in shots on goal, but could not convert any of those shots into a goal. The Panthers had two 2-on-1 opportunities in the offensive zone, first with a wrist shot by Kelly Sherman ’17 at 8:51 and then a shot from inside the circle by Allie Aiello ’17, but Connecticut’s goalie, Katherine Chester, stopped both.


Each of the teams scored its goal in the second period, two minutes apart from each other. The Camels were first on the scoreboard with a shot by Lily Connolly at 4:23. At 6:28, Katherine Jackson ’19 made an attempt that was blocked by Connecticut’s netminder, but Kelly Sherman ’17 placed the rebound right past the posts to bring the score even.


Six minutes later, Middlebury had two chances to take the lead, first with a slot shot by Jessica Young ’18 and a rebound hook by Aiello, but neither player could find the back of the net.


The rest of the third period was scoreless, although Middlebury was dangerous on the puck. The ladies had several textbook setups that they failed to complete. A Panther power play came at 13:52 on which Middlebury was unable to capitalize. Connecticut nearly took the win with less than a minute of play remaining, but Panther goaltender Kiana Verplancke ’19 blocked the scoring bid and the rebound went wide.


In overtime, Winslow had a chance to score the game-winning goal, but missed the puck. Julia Wardwell ’16 powered a shot from the left circle that Chester gloved. Midway through overtime, the Panthers looked poised to score, controlling the puck in the Conn College zone. Winslow passed to Wulf, but she could not track it down. Young had a powerful shot that missed near the post. Haley LaFontaine ’18 sent a wrist shot that careened just wide.


“The effort is there, we just need to find more ways to score,” Wardwell said. “I think it’s absolutely possible if we keep working hard and continue to shoot the puck.”


Connecticut had an excellent chance at scoring with 27 seconds left, but the puck went flying just over the net.


Both goaltenders put up a strong showing: Verplancke made 22 saves in her collegiate debut for the Panthers, while Katherine Chester made 31 for the Camels. Middlebury had 32 shots on goal, compared to 23 for Conn College.


“Chester defended her net well. We had a lot of good opportunities to bury the puck but unfortunately we could not capitalize,” Wardwell said. “We played with a lot of hustle, which was great, but we will keep pushing ourselves in practice to get better both individually and as a team.”


In the NESCAC rankings, Middlebury (3-0-1) dropped just behind Amherst (4-0), who muscled out a win against Trinity. The Panthers are still ranked third nationally, behind number two Elmira, who defeated them last week.


Middlebury returns to the ice next Saturday with a home game against Castleton at 3 p.m.


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