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(04/26/18 8:51pm)
The same police sirens blare out into the air. The same, yellow crime tape is placed around the scene, marking yet another tragedy in American society. The media picks up the same stories.
But that is often where the similarities end.
Police officers seem to have preconceived notions as black and brown people are villainized in the media. Their lives are expendable. My life, in a sense, seems less important than my white counterparts. Here’s how…
On February 14th — Valentine’s day, an international day of love and affection — a school in Florida was the target of a gruesome, deadly and senseless attack.
It was a safe haven for students, a place to master the disciplines of science and math, English and history; a place they came to develop relationships and one day, hopefully, go to college.
17 students were not going to college; 15 were wounded, left with physical and physiological scars. A community destroyed in a matter of minutes by the hailing bullets of Nikolas Cruz’s AR-15.
The details trickled out.
The FBI received a tip last year about a YouTube comment that could have linked suspicious activity to Nikolas Cruz. No actions were taken.
The security guard, trained and armed to respond to this kind of attack, never entered the building to stop the massacre. Instead, he sought cover outside as young teenagers lost their lives.
After leaving a trail of blood and bodies, Cruz discarded his rifle, camouflaging with fleeing students and got away. After escaping, he walked to Walmart, bought a drink at Subway and even stopped at a McDonalds.
He was arrested at 3:41pm, an hour and thirty minutes after his mass murder — one of the deadliest in American history.
Two seconds is how long police officers took to fire on Tamir Rice, a 12-year playing with a toy gun, when they arrived on the scene.
The officer who shot Laquan McDonald 14 times was on the scene less than 30 seconds before opening fire on the young teenger.
After Parkland, the President of the United States said he would work with the nation’s governor, tweeting he would “Help secure our schools and [tackle] the difficult issue of mental health…” He made no mention of gun violence.
The same President sits in his oval office twitter fingers twitching, screaming to his followers after a raid on his personal lawyer’s office:
“It’s a disgrace. It’s, frankly, a real disgrace. It’s an attack on our country, in a true sense. It’s an attack on what we all stand for.”
Mr. President, what the actual f*** are you talking about?
Where was your denunciation of Nikolas Cruz and his disgraceful attack against his fellow classmates with an AR-15 that left 17 dead?
Here’s another scenario.
Three years ago Dylan Roof opened fire on a historical all-black church in South Carolina. He killed nine in cold-blood. At 9:30pm on June 17th, he walked away from the massacre.
He told authorities that he “had to do it. You rape our women and you’re taking over our country and you have to go.” He wanted to start a race war. After killing the black church-goers, he calmly walks from the scene.
He was arrested by authorities at a stop light at 10:44 am on June 18th, 245 miles from the scene. No shots were fired. A .45 caliber was found in the car. He was given a bulletproof vest, for his safety. According to several sources, an officer bought him a hamburger because he was hungry.
Looking at these scenarios, I can’t help but think of all the black men and women who have died at the hands of police, many of them in custody, while these two criminals continue to live. While they are behind bars, they have the luxury of breathing, eating and sleeping.
If either one of these men were black, Muslim or Latino, they would have been killed instantly. Arresting him “nicely?” That option would never exist. If they were hungry, officers would most certainly not buy them a cheeseburger.
They would be labeled thugs and criminals. Rapists. Bad hombres. Terrorists unfit for American society.
But why?
Well, it’s simple.
The treatment of the white body in custody is astonishingly lenient, and in comparison to the treatment of the black of body in custody, it is treated royally. They are two bodies in the same space, with totally different treatment.
If Dylan Roof had been black, he’d probably be gunned down on sight. If Nikolas Cruz was a shade darker, the security guard may have shot him right away. Neither would have been spared, I guarantee you that — police officers have proved my hypothesis correct.
On March 18th, Stephon Clark was not spared.
Calls went out to the Sacramento Police department that someone was breaking windows in the Meadowview neighborhood. Clark, a 22-year old African American man stood in his grandmother’s backyard, heading home to his daughters.
Officers emerged unannounced from the depths of darkness. Clark started running. Maybe out of fear.
Police chased him. He turned, hands outstretched. Fearing for their safety, police opened fire. They had been on the scene for less than 20 seconds.
They shot him twenty times.
Twenty Times.
A 21st century execution.
No CPR was administered. For five minutes, he lay on the ground bleeding from eight gunshots wounds. As the life seeped out of him, officers screamed to see his hands. They eventually handcuffed him.
He probably had a weapon on him right?
He did not.
His only “weapon,”a cell phone.
Why couldn’t they use a taser? What if they fired once? How about warning shots?
These officers should try to learn from their European counterparts. Most officers across The Pond carry out their duties without a gun. They rely on things that can still subdue a suspect — mace, batons and the occupational Tasers. I even read at times they will throw heavy fishing nets to overpower suspects. Can America’s police force control its trigger fingers?
When it comes to black and brown people in America, police officers shoot to kill.
Dylan Roof, who had killed nine people out of hatred and Nikolas Cruz, who opened fire on his classmates, killing 17, were not fired upon once. Both are white.
If he was white, Stephon Clark would likely still be alive. Officers would have asked to see his hands, “slowly get on the ground.” If he was white, his daughters would wake up to see him. Instead they are attending his funeral.
If Tamir Rice was white, the police officers would have coaxed the toy gun from his tiny 12-year old hands as he played with it on that wintry, Cleveland day.
If Philando Castile, who was exercising his Second Amendment right, was white, the officer would have respected his right to carry. Castile, explicitly said, “I have a firearm in the glove compartment,” and was shot anyways. His girlfriend and her daughter were witnesses of his murder.
If Laquan McDonald was white he almost surely would have been subdued by police officers carefully. Not a single round would have been fired. They’d calmly ask him to the concrete sidewalk. Instead he was shot sixteen times, several bullets penetrating his body as he lay on the ground, the life seeping out of him.
Freddie Gray in 2015 was arrested and placed into custody on a Baltimore street corner. So of course he was treated the same as Dylan Roof and Nikolas Cruz, right?
No. Instead of a safety vest, Freddie Gray was given a broken spinal cord on the way to the police station. He fell into a coma and later died from his injuries.
This piece originally appeared in the online publication Blurring Boundaries.
(03/14/18 5:52pm)
The women’s hockey team saw their season come to a close last Saturday, March 10, dropping the NCAA quarterfinal game to top-ranked, four-time defending national champion, Plattsburgh State. The game was played intensely and with a lot of grit, as both teams battled for the right to play in the Frozen Four.
The opening period gave Middlebury some opportunities to get ahead, starting with a power play just a minute into the game. Madie Leidt ’21 and Jenna Marotta ’19 led the charge, taking several shots on goal, but missing wide.
Later in the period, Maddie Winslow ’18 had the best opportunity, beating her defender on the power-play, breaking free of the pack and sped toward the goal. Her shot, however, sailed wide, unable to take the lead. Both teams had another power-play opportunity, but neither squad was able to execute and the first stanza ended scoreless.
The Cardinals scored at the 14:34 mark of the second quarter capitalizing on the confusion of an ended power-play. While Lin Han ’20 blocked a shot from the right side, the rebound found its way to Plattsburgh’s Erin McArdle, who blasted it through the five-hole for a 1–0 lead.
The Panthers answered three minutes later with a power-play goal, set up beautifully by Marotta who sent the puck to Leidt. After receiving the puck, Leidt fired the shot, which was tipped in by Winslow for her 12th goal of the season.
Tied 1–1, Middlebury gave it their all in the third period, of which would be the last of their season and for the class of 2018, the last of their careers. Just a minute in, the Panthers had a power-play chance thanks to a shot by Leidt, but was stuffed by the Cardinal goalie.
Five minutes later, Plattsburgh went on top for good, scoring at the end of a power-play. Han turned the first attempt away, but the puck rolled loose on the ice and a Cardinal fathered the rebound and scored up high from the low slot.
Down 2–1, the Panthers ramped up the pressure, resorting to pulling Han with 2:12 remaining on the clock. With a six-on-five advantage, Middlebury could not find a quality shot and the Plattsburgh sealed the victory with an empty net score for the final score of 3–1.
This season, the Panthers won their third championship in just as many years, a feat no other Nescac women’s hockey team has accomplished. Middlebury also graduates a core group of girls who have had an invaluable presence on the team and have helped lead the Panthers to three consecutive championships. Senior captain Janka Hlinka ’18, goaltender Julie Neuberger ’18 and defender Hayley LaFontaine ’18, along with Winslow, Jessica Young ’18 and Elizabeth Wulf ’18 played significant roles throughout their four years.
Winslow had a phenomenal four years, playing in 114 games and boasting an impressive 124 points with 54 goals and 70 assists. Winslow was named Player of the Year in 2016, becoming the sixth player in history to win the award.
Jessica Young ’18, who was named the 2015 Nescac Rookie of the Year, earned her fourth All-Nescac honor spot and finished her career with just as impressive stats as Winslow: 132 points on 62 goals and 70 assists. Young looked back on the last game, reflecting on the sport she has played her entire life.
“Playing in my last collegiate game was tough to say the least,” said an emotional Young. “My heart just sank as the last seconds ticked off the clock and it was crazy to get back to the locker room and realize that I was taking my jersey off for the last time.
“I’ve been playing hockey since I was four so this whole retirement thing is going to be interesting. I absolutely think the underclassmen will step right up and take over where we left off. Those juniors are going to set their own Nescac hockey record, first grade to ever win a Nescac championship all four years of their career.”
Elizabeth Wulf ’18 finishes her career as a workhorse, starting in 114 games in her career and racking up 64 points over her four years, comprised of 27 goals and 37 assist. Wulf had a lot to say in reflecting on the final game of her career.
“Playing in my last collegiate hockey game was very weird,” Wulf said. “It was in the back of my mind that it could be our last one, but I think we believed so much that we could win the game and beat Plattsburgh that when they scored the empty net goal to go up by two with 12 seconds left and then final buzzer sounded, I was in shock. It honestly felt surreal.
“Obviously a lot of emotions were running through my body throughout the game, mostly adrenaline,” Wulf continued. “When the game ended, there were a lot of tears and disappointment. I honestly still can’t believe it’s over.”
Regardless of the way things turned out on Saturday, Wulf, her teammates, and especially her fellow seniors had to acknowledge and appreciate their accomplishments.
“While we were definitely all upset at the time,” said Wulf, “taking a step back, I am so proud of what our team accomplished this year and how much better we got throughout the season. It’s crazy that our hockey careers are over, but I would not have wanted to play with anyone else besides our senior class these past four years, and I would not have wanted to end my career with any other team than this one.
“Although we did not achieve our goal of winning a national championship, to make history and win three-straight Nescac Championships and also make NCAAs all four years is something to be extreme proud of.”
Wulf also spoke to how much optimism the program has to have looking forward.
“I am confident that the returners and newcomers will be able to continue the program’s success,” said Wulf. “We were a young team this year, so they will only get better with more experience. It’s weird to think we won’t be playing with them next year, but I can’t wait to follow and watch the team next year! It’s been an honor and privilege to play for this program, and I couldn’t have asked for a better last four years of my hockey career.”
The team will miss the class of 2018, but with head coach Bill Mandingo at the helm, the possibilities are endless for this young talented team and it is not crazy to think that the Middlebury Panthers might win the Nescac championship four years in a row.
(03/08/18 12:38am)
The women’s hockey team played for and won its third consecutive Nescac championship, edging Bowdoin 2–1 in the semifinal contest on Saturday, March 3, and shutting out Amherst 2–0 on Sunday, March 4, for its 10th championship in program history.
In Saturday’s contest, Middlebury and Bowdoin battled back and forth for advantage in the opening period. Although the Panthers took 13 shots on goal, it was one of Bowdoin’s seven that found its way into the net. Lin Han ’20 blocked the initial shot, and Jenna Marotta ’19 rejected another attempt, but a Polar Bear picked up the rebound and made sure the third time was the charm, giving the guests a 1–0 lead.
Behind by one goal, Middlebury went on the power play with 9:12 remaining in the second period. With a five-on-four advantage, Maddie Winslow ’18, from the right side of the ice, centered a pass to Jessica Young ’18, who blasted a shot that deflected off two Bowdoin players and slid across the goal line for her team-leading 16th goal of the season and a 1–1 tie.
The goal was another connection for this duo that has completed dozens of assists to one another over their careers in the blue and white.
In the final period, Bowdoin’s defensive unit was put to a test, suffering four penalties in a row. The first came on a hooking call, which led to shots by Katherine Jackson ’19, Sidney Porter ’19 and Winslow, all of which went wide. After Winslow’s shot went wide and the power play opportunity ended, the next penalty came on a tripping call, which sentenced the Polar Bears to another four-on-five disadvantage. A barrage of shots on goal followed, several by Anna Zumwinkle ’19 and Elizabeth Wulf ’18, but were blocked by Bowdoin’s goalie.
As the tripping penalty expired, the Polar Bears were called for another hooking penalty. Unable to prevent mistakes, Middlebury’s power play unit bore down on their opponents, sending shot after shot towards the goal. The last penalty came when Bowdoin had too many players on the ice and the Panthers capitalized on the opportunity.
On the fourth and final power play, Marotta and Madie Leidt ’21 worked together to set up a look for Winslow, who one-timed Leidt’s slap pass from the right point into the back of the net to put Middlebury ahead 2–1.
The Polar Bears pulled their goaltender late in the final minutes, but it was not enough to tie the game, as Winslow’s goal proved to be the decisive one.
Middlebury outshot Bowdoin 41–15, while the Polar Bears also spent 14 more minutes in the penalty box, 18–4. Even though Bowdoin was outshot by 26 and spent almost a third of the game in the penalty box, the Polar Bears matched the Panthers for 60 minutes.
“Bowdoin was very physical and tough. They really made us work,” said Wulf. “When we went down 1–0, however, we didn’t panic. We knew we could come back if we played together as a team. It took a lot of grit and mental toughness to come out with the win, and it was a total team effort. I think that game showed that we can overcome adversity when we play together. The Bowdoin game united us even more, and we used the momentum from that game to play for each other in the championship game.”
For the fourth consecutive year, the Panthers advanced to the championship game to compete against the Amherst Mammoths on Sunday, March 4.
Neither team scored in the opening period, even though the Mammoths had two opportunities to sneak the puck pass Han, who has had a spectacular season — she has recorded 335 saves.
On the hosts’ side, Marotta’s shot from the right side made it through traffic before hitting the roadblock that was the Mammoths’ goalie. Winslow aggressively dove at the rebound but was also denied, and the contest carried into the second period with goose eggs on the scoreboard.
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Middlebury pulled away, however, at the 8:56 mark with a play that started right outside of the Amherst blue line. Leidt worked to create a turnover and Young quickly took over position of the puck. Carrying it down the ice, as she has done for the past four years, she found some space and fired a laser shot past the goaltender’s shoulder to give the Panthers a 1–0 lead. Han preserved the lead with another glove-side save, and the hosts headed into the third and final period of the 2018 Nescac playoffs.
The hosts doubled their advantage in the third stanza when Hayley LaFontaine ’18 took a shot from the point, which was redirected by Wulf into the back of the net.
Amherst tried to make something happen with two minutes left, but to no avail. As the clock winded down, the crowd grew louder, yelling and screaming, and the excitement of a three-repeat reverberated through Kenyon Arena. With ten seconds left, the Panthers trapped the puck on the boards, let time expire and dog-piled in front of their net.
“It’s indescribable. I’m still speechless,” said Wulf after reflecting on her third championship in four years. “It’s so special and an incredible feeling. I can’t stop smiling!”
“To make history and do it with this class and this team is beyond amazing,” Wulf continued amid the postgame excitement. “It’s something we will remember forever. As a senior class, we were so happy to come out on top and win our last home game at Kenyon.”
Julie Neuburger ’18 chimed in to express her excitement and happiness:
“Winning is always an exciting thing, but it’s definitely more special when you can do it in your own house in front of all your fans,” she said. “We have some of the best fans this sport has to offer from both the community and college, and we definitely fed off all the energy they brought to Kenyon on Sunday afternoon. There really are no words to describe those last 10 seconds or even the last minute. You’re just counting down in your head until you can run out onto the ice and jump and celebrate and be surrounded by your whole team.”
The Panthers still have work to do, hoping to secure a national championship for the first time since 2006. They are back on the ice this weekend, gearing up to play No. 1-ranked Plattsburgh State.
“For NCAA’s the focus right now is all on Plattsburgh,” said Wulf. “We said we wanted to play them again in March after we lost to them earlier this season because we knew we had more in us and could beat them. We are a much different and better team now than when we played them last, so we are super excited about the game Saturday.
“As the reigning four-[season]-straight national champions, we know Plattsburgh is good, but we are confident that if play our best hockey, we can win.”
The women’s hockey team played for and won its third consecutive Nescac championship, edging Bowdoin 2–1 in the semifinal contest on Saturday, March 3, and shutting out Amherst 2–0 on Sunday, March 4, for its 10th championship in program history.
In Saturday’s contest, Middlebury and Bowdoin battled back and forth for advantage in the opening period. Although the Panthers took 13 shots on goal, it was one of Bowdoin’s seven that found its way into the net. Lin Han ’20 blocked the initial shot, and Jenna Marotta ’19 rejected another attempt, but a Polar Bear picked up the rebound and made sure the third time was the charm, giving the guests a 1–0 lead.
Behind by one goal, Middlebury went on the power play with 9:12 remaining in the second period. With a five-on-four advantage, Maddie Winslow ’18, from the right side of the ice, centered a pass to Jessica Young ’18, who blasted a shot that deflected off two Bowdoin players and slid across the goal line for her team-leading 16th goal of the season and a 1–1 tie.
The goal was another connection for this duo that has completed dozens of assists to one another over their careers in the blue and white.
In the final period, Bowdoin’s defensive unit was put to a test, suffering four penalties in a row. The first came on a hooking call, which led to shots by Katherine Jackson ’19, Sidney Porter ’19 and Winslow, all of which went wide. After Winslow’s shot went wide and the power play opportunity ended, the next penalty came on a tripping call, which sentenced the Polar Bears to another four-on-five disadvantage. A barrage of shots on goal followed, several by Anna Zumwinkle ’19 and Elizabeth Wulf ’18, but were blocked by Bowdoin’s goalie.
As the tripping penalty expired, the Polar Bears were called for another hooking penalty. Unable to prevent mistakes, Middlebury’s power play unit bore down on their opponents, sending shot after shot towards the goal. The last penalty came when Bowdoin had too many players on the ice and the Panthers capitalized on the opportunity.
On the fourth and final power play, Marotta and Madie Leidt ’21 worked together to set up a look for Winslow, who one-timed Leidt’s slap pass from the right point into the back of the net to put Middlebury ahead 2–1.
The Polar Bears pulled their goaltender late in the final minutes, but it was not enough to tie the game, as Winslow’s goal proved to be the decisive one.
Middlebury outshot Bowdoin 41–15, while the Polar Bears also spent 14 more minutes in the penalty box, 18–4. Even though Bowdoin was outshot by 26 and spent almost a third of the game in the penalty box, the Polar Bears matched the Panthers for 60 minutes.
“Bowdoin was very physical and tough. They really made us work,” said Wulf. “When we went down 1–0, however, we didn’t panic. We knew we could come back if we played together as a team. It took a lot of grit and mental toughness to come out with the win, and it was a total team effort. I think that game showed that we can overcome adversity when we play together. The Bowdoin game united us even more, and we used the momentum from that game to play for each other in the championship game.”
For the fourth consecutive year, the Panthers advanced to the championship game to compete against the Amherst Mammoths on Sunday, March 4.
Neither team scored in the opening period, even though the Mammoths had two opportunities to sneak the puck pass Han, who has had a spectacular season — she has recorded 335 saves.
On the hosts’ side, Marotta’s shot from the right side made it through traffic before hitting the roadblock that was the Mammoths’ goalie. Winslow aggressively dove at the rebound but was also denied, and the contest carried into the second period with goose eggs on the scoreboard.
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Middlebury pulled away, however, at the 8:56 mark with a play that started right outside of the Amherst blue line. Leidt worked to create a turnover and Young quickly took over position of the puck. Carrying it down the ice, as she has done for the past four years, she found some space and fired a laser shot past the goaltender’s shoulder to give the Panthers a 1–0 lead. Han preserved the lead with another glove-side save, and the hosts headed into the third and final period of the 2018 Nescac playoffs.
The hosts doubled their advantage in the third stanza when Hayley LaFontaine ’18 took a shot from the point, which was redirected by Wulf into the back of the net.
Amherst tried to make something happen with two minutes left, but to no avail. As the clock winded down, the crowd grew louder, yelling and screaming, and the excitement of a three-repeat reverberated through Kenyon Arena. With ten seconds left, the Panthers trapped the puck on the boards, let time expire and dog-piled in front of their net.
“It’s indescribable. I’m still speechless,” said Wulf after reflecting on her third championship in four years. “It’s so special and an incredible feeling. I can’t stop smiling!”
“To make history and do it with this class and this team is beyond amazing,” Wulf continued amid the postgame excitement. “It’s something we will remember forever. As a senior class, we were so happy to come out on top and win our last home game at Kenyon.”
Julie Neuburger ’18 chimed in to express her excitement and happiness:
“Winning is always an exciting thing, but it’s definitely more special when you can do it in your own house in front of all your fans,” she said. “We have some of the best fans this sport has to offer from both the community and college, and we definitely fed off all the energy they brought to Kenyon on Sunday afternoon. There really are no words to describe those last 10 seconds or even the last minute. You’re just counting down in your head until you can run out onto the ice and jump and celebrate and be surrounded by your whole team.”
The Panthers still have work to do, hoping to secure a national championship for the first time since 2006. They are back on the ice this weekend, gearing up to play No. 1-ranked Plattsburgh State.
“For NCAA’s the focus right now is all on Plattsburgh,” said Wulf. “We said we wanted to play them again in March after we lost to them earlier this season because we knew we had more in us and could beat them. We are a much different and better team now than when we played them last, so we are super excited about the game Saturday.
“As the reigning four-[season]-straight national champions, we know Plattsburgh is good, but we are confident that if play our best hockey, we can win.”
(02/28/18 11:47pm)
Advancing to their 16th Nescac semifinal on Saturday, Feb. 24, the Middlebury Panthers dismantled the Wesleyan Cardinals 5–0 in the quarterfinal round.
Maddie Winslow ’18 started the Panthers off four minutes into the first period with a beautiful shorthanded goal. Wesleyan mishandled the puck at the right point of the ice, and Winslow pounced on the loose puck to pass it to Jessica Young ’18. Young carried the puck down the ice, moving into the right circle and feeding Winslow who one-timed it passed Wesleyan’s goalie. Sidney Portner ’20, who would score later in the second half, almost put the hosts up, but her shot ricocheted off the post and back onto the ice.
The hosts ran away with the lead in the second period, scoring three goals over the course of the stanza. Ellie Barney ’21 led the charge, breaking in from the left wing and securing the puck before scoring with a short-side shot. The score was Barney’s four career goal and eighth point on the season in 25 games played.
Madie Liedt ’21, who has had a phenomenal run in the last several games, scored her first of two goals on a power-play advantage. With the Panthers swinging around the outskirts of the zone, Hayley Lafontaine ’18 fed Leidt, who blasted the puck from the top of the zone and through the outstretched pads of Wesleyan’s goalie. Porter would redeem her missed bid in the first, adding to the hosts lead. Young took a shot on goal, which was saved, but pushed out onto the open ice. Porter found the loose puck and blasted a shot into the corner to give the host a 4–0 lead.
Leidt, for her second score of the game, struck after a Wesleyan power-play expired. Winslow found the loose puck and fed it to Leidt who dangled up the ice and blasted a shot off the back crossbar to put the Panthers up 5–0 and give them the win. Wesleyan could not find the back of the net all game, taking a meek 10 shots on goal — all of which were denied by Lin Han ’20 for her sixth shutout of the season. In contrast, Middlebury took 36 shots on goal, showing off the offensive skills that propelled them to the semi-final match.
Rachael St. Clair ’19 reflected on the team’s goals for the weekend:
“I think we just focus on what’s in front of us and tackle the battles one at a time. We know that every practice and game from here on out is a privilege and maintaining focus and energy throughout the week have been two key components to our success so far.”
“We’re playing for one more week together and that is what has kept us going,” said Janka Hlinka ’18. “We’ve kept the chemistry going by spending time on and off the field — whether it that be watching film or getting meals. Our drive to accomplish the same goal has built our chemistry and we look forward to playing this weekend.”
Elizabeth Wulf ’18 echoed her captain’s sentiments of motivation, team chemistry and determination.
“We are laying for a common goal and we are taking it one game at time. We know our next game could be our last, so we go into each game playing like it is the last one we will ever play. We are so focused on playing the way we know how, every shift, every period and every game. I mean, you can see our team chemistry, from the way we move to the way we pass the puck. We are just pumped for this weekend.”
Middlebury will face the Bowdoin Polar Bears on Saturday, March 3, and the winner of the contest will advance to the Nescac championships.
(02/22/18 2:44am)
The women’s hockey team clinched the first-seed in the Nescac playoffs by tying at Williams 3–3 on Friday, Feb. 16, and dismissing the Ephs from Kenyon Arena 4–2 on Saturday, Feb. 17. These results extended the No. 4 Panthers’ unbeaten streak in the Nescac to 12 games entering the Nescac playoffs, where they will host eighth-seeded Wesleyan in the quarterfinals on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 1 p.m.
Middlebury traveled down to Williamstown for the first game of the weekend doubleheader and it was truly a battle. Williams took an early lead in the opening period, making the most of its shots and scoring on its first bid, which was also a power play situation. A shot from the bottom of the left circle ricocheted, but the rebound bounced off Lin Han’s ’20 pads into the back of the net to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Williams’ Anna Fucillo doubled the host’s lead a minute and a half later. But the Panthers cut into the lead on power play goal by Madie Leidt ’21, her tenth goal of the season. Jessica Young ’18 one-timed a cross-ice pass to Leidt who deposited the puck into the back of the net.
In the second stanza, Middlebury evened the score five minutes in. Elizabeth Wulf ’18 broke up a Williams’ breakout attempt, and Sidney Porter ’21 took over from there. Portner carried the puck up the ice, then fired a shot from the top of the circles past the Eph goalie.
The hosts responded quickly and reclaimed the lead within two minutes of Portner’s goal on another power play.
Back-and-forth the game went. With seven minutes left in the third period, the Panthers completed the rally to tie the game at three. After a Panther power play ended, Alexis Ryan ’21 caught the puck and threw it on the ice — at the right point. Maddie Winslow ’18 then picked it up, dangled it between defenders, and tipped it into the net, setting up overtime.
In the extra period, the Panthers took all seven shots in the five-minute span, with Wulf and Leidt both being denied late in fourth period. No one could find a score and the teams finished deadlocked at three goals apiece.
Han finished with 14 saves, while the Panthers put up 39 shots against Williams’ goalie. Although not a loss, Middlebury was not satisfied with Friday’s result against Williams, who entered the weekend doubleheader only 3–5–5 in conference play.
“After the tie, we knew we needed to come out harder and faster right out of the gate on Saturday,” said Julie Neuburger ’18. “Part of why I love playing in the Nescac is because any team can win on any given day. Every game is a battle and when we win, it makes the victories that much more satisfying — especially knowing you had to work really hard to earn them.”
Janka Hlinka continued, “after tying the first game, we had to refocus for Saturday and play the way we knew we were capable of playing. Every game matters and we had to bring a sense of urgency to Saturday’s game.”
The Panthers recognized its six seniors — for their achievements, including two-time Nescac champions — on Saturday, and the outgoing Panthers made sure their last home regular season game was one to remember.
To highlight the special night, Leidt had herself an amazing game, completing a hat trick along with a goal by Young to give the hosts a win over the Ephs.
Middlebury took an early 1–0 lead when Ledit recorded her first score of the night. Katherine Jackson ’19 found Leidt entering the zone. The first-year fired a shot from the top of the left-faceoff circle, which bounded off the crossbar and into the back of the net.
Williams had no real opportunity in the opening period, as Neuburger simply denied all shots, and the hosts headed into the second stanza holding on to a one goal advantage.
Williams erased the deficit in the opening 17 seconds of the second period, sneaking the puck past Neuburger off a scramble for a loose puck.
Young, however, responded for the Panthers, redirecting a shot by Leidt into the back of the net for her team-leading 15th tally of the season on a five-on-four power play advantage.
Young and Leidt found themselves in tandem again in the following period. On Middlebury’s third power play opportunity six minutes into the third period, Young found Liedt from the left point, who one-timed the puck into the back of the net for her second score of the game.
For good measure, Young and Leidt connected one more time, as the first-year notched her first career hat-trick and sealed the deal for Middlebury. Williams scored later in the third period with its goalie pulled, but Middlebury got the 4–2 win.
Neuburger picked up 13 saves, and the offensive unit put 38 shots on goal in Middlebury’s last game of the regular season, an unforgettable way for the Middlebury seniors to go out.
“Senior night was so special,” said Wulf, one of the six seniors. “Our teammates did an amazing job of making it special. We all couldn’t believe the night was already here, but we soaked it all up and enjoyed it as much as we could.
“Starting all the seniors was a moment I’ll never forget, it was awesome. It was definitely an emotional night, but we were so happy to come away with a win. It was a night I’ll remember forever, and I would not have wanted to celebrate it with anyone other than my five other classmates.”
Actually, the seniors and their teammates are not done in Kenyon Arena yet this season. They will host Wesleyan on Saturday, Feb. 24, and, if they win, will host the Nescac semifinals and finals the following weekend. Ranked fourth nationally, Middlebury will almost assuredly get to host at least one game in the NCAA tournament as well, not to look ahead too far.
First, Middlebury plays Wesleyan, whom the Panthers beat twice earlier in the season, 3–0 and 4–0. The Cardinals enter the quarterfinal matchup with a 2–10–4 Nescac record, but earned a spot in the playoffs by upsetting third-seeded in the last weekend of the regular season.
(02/15/18 2:01am)
Middlebury women’s hockey played eight games in the span of two weeks, winning six of them and solidifying a top spot before the playoffs begin. The team’s most recent victories came against the Colby Mules on Feb. 9 and 10
Even though the Mules held the Panthers scoreless through the first period, Middlebury shot 15 of the 16 shots on goal, keeping Colby’s goaltender busy. The visitors finally broke the stalemate at the 6:39 mark. Haley LaFontaine’18 started the play behind Middlebury’s net, dangled the puck up the ice and then found Ellie Barney ’21 on the left side, who finished in the bottom right corner — the shorthanded goal came at the 6:39 mark.
After Barney’s firsts score, Middlebury could not find another opportunity in the second period and moved to the third with a 1-0 lead. The Mules could not find a shot passed Lin Han ’20, who would finish with her team-leading fifth shutout. With two minutes left, the Mules pulled their goalie hoping to find someway around Han, but Middlebury iced the game with .3 seconds left, as LaFontaine found the back of the open net. The win marked the tenth shutout victory for the Panthers this season and would return to action on Saturday to close their doubleheader.
Middlebury completed the sweep at Colby, outscoring their opponents 7-2, while taking an unprecedented 52 shots on goal over the course of the game. The Panthers took the lead on a power-play opportunity thanks to a score by Jessica Young ’18, assisted by Janka Hlinka ’18. Barney scored her second goal in just as many games moments later, poking the puck through the legs of Colby’s goaltender giving the guests a 2-0 advantage.
The Mules got on the board for the first time all weekend in the second stanza, but not before Middlebury cashed in on another power-play. Anna Zumwinkle ’20 took a pass from the left point, skated to the high slot, fired the shot through several defenders and found the back of the net to give the Panthers a 3-1 lead. Their momentum was sustained throughout the third period as Middlebury saw scores four scores from three different Panthers.
Madie Leidt ’21 wristed the shot past the goaltender on the third power-play opportunity for the Panthers making it 4-1. Katrina Shuchuk ’19 scored her first of two goals three minutes after Ledit, one timing a pass from Elizabeth Wulf ’18 and finding the back of the net to give the guest a 5-1 advantage. The Mules scored to cut into the lead, but the Panthers handily response with another power-play goal, this time by captain Janka Hlinka ’18 shooting from the penalty box and giving the guests a 6-2 lead. Shuchuk tacked on her second goal of the night to give the Panthers a season-high, seven goal win.
To say it has been a long and tough stretch, would be an understatement,” said Elizabeth Wulf ’18. “We will be taking this week to get healthy, rest our minds and bodies and be ready to play our best hockey heading into the playoffs. We want to solidify our spot at the top, while carrying the momentum. Our mentality is simple: we feel that we can beat any team in the country and in order to do so, we need to play our best hockey”
The Panthers return to action this weekend with a Nescac doubleheader against the Williams Purple Ephs.
(01/24/18 9:22pm)
The women’s hockey team took two games from the Bowdoin Polar Bears on Friday, Jan. 19 and Saturday, Jan. 20. It was a crucial sweep for the No. 5 Panthers fighting to secure a top spot in the Nescac.
On Friday, Head Coach Bill Mandigo won his 550th career win in 30 seasons, another achievement for Mandigo who has won more women’s hockey games than any other coach in NCAA history.
Middlebury jumped out to an early lead, scoring four minutes into the opening period. Bowdoin suffered an early penalty for hooking, which gave the Panthers the opportunity with the five-on-four advantage. Lin Han ’20 stopped the puck behind the net for Jenna Marotta ’19, who flicked the puck up to Madie Leidt ’21 cutting up the ice. Leidt split to defenders and found the top-right corner of he goal for the only score of the game.
The hosts nearly doubled the lead when Janka Hlinka ’18 took two bids from point-blank range, but was turned away by Bowdoin’s goalie. Han also played spectacular defense, redirecting several shots on her way to a 27-save game.
In the middle stanza, Middlebury’s best chance came when Maddie Winslow ’18 centered a pass to Hlinka, who dangled the puck before missing wide on the shot. On a power-play, the Polar Bears tried to get the puck past Han, but she blocked both attempts in another impressive game for the second-year goalie.
It was more of the same in the final period, as both teams had equal chances to score. Middlebury’s best chance for an insurance goal came from Rachel St. Clair ’19 and Katherine Jackson ’19 in the final minutes of the contest. On the defensive end, the Panthers only allowed one shot on goal in the final period, securing their fourth-straight win in a hard-fought affair.
“They came out very hard Friday and tested us physically,” said Elizabeth Wulf ’18 after the game. “They were tough to play against, and we had to work super hard to come out with the win.”
Friday’s contest revealed the team’s chemistry and ability to grind out a win against a tough Nescac rival. But on Saturday, Jan. 20, the Panthers established their dominance, scoring a goal in every period and shut-out their opponents for the fourth time in a row.
The duo of Winslow and Jessica Young ’18 teamed up for the first score of the game. After Bowdoin suffered a tripping penalty, Young won the faceoff, who tipped it to Hlinka. Hlinka’s shot missed wide, but Young found the puck, centered a pass to Winslow, who finished in the back of the net to give the hosts an early lead.
The Polar Bears challenged senior goalie, Julia Neuburger ’18, on a power play; however, the veteran stopped all five shots on the way to a 26-save game.
In the second period, the hosts scored early again thanks to efforts by Wulf for her fifth score of the season. Wulf’s initial shot was denied by Bowdoin’s goalie, but the rebound found her thanks to a pass by Jackson. Wulf would not be denied again, giving Middlebury a 2–0 cushion.
The Polar Bears had a few opportunities in the third stanza, but Neubeurger denied every shot that came her way. Middlebury completed the trifecta on a power-play opportunity. Marotta, who was named Nescac Player of the Week, assisted by Winslow found the back of the net to give Middlebury the 3-0 lead with two minutes left in the contest.
Bowdoin could not muster a single score all weekend, as Middlebury extended its streak to 240:04 straight minutes without allowing a goal. The Panthers have gotten on a roll, going 7–0–1 in their last eight games. They’ve outscored their opponents 29–4 over that span by playing some of their best hockey of the season.
“The Bowdoin sweep was big,” Wulf said. “Any time you get 4 points against a NESCAC team at home is huge. We are focused on playing our best hockey and bringing it every game. One of our goals for the second half of the season was to be more consistent, and I think we are doing better with that. We know every team we play from here on out is good, so we have to be ready and come out ready to go. The four shutouts have been awesome. It’s a testament to our team defense, our kill shots, and our goalies, who have been unbelievable.”
Team captain Hlinka echoed her teammate’s sentiments, “It feels awesome to have the win streak, but it feels even better to have played a competitive and physical team this past weekend and to come out on top. I think the fact that we’re in the back half of our season is a large factor. We know we only have a certain amount of games left to play with each other and we’re trying to make the most of it.”
The Panthers head to Hamilton next weekend Friday and Saturday, Jan. 26 and 27., in an opportunity to knock off the Continentals, who are atop the Nescac standings with a 7–1 record. Middlebury stands right behind Hamilton in second-place, with a 6–1–1 record in the conference, and a 10–3–1 record overall.
(01/17/18 10:12pm)
Middlebury women’s hockey had quite a time this past weekend, taking to the road to handle UMass Boston on Friday, Jan. 12, and Endicott on Saturday, Jan. 13. In both contests, the Panthers blanked their opponents 5–0, outshooting UMass Boston by a margin of 40-19 and Endicott by 33–16. Middlebury now sits at 8–3–1, with their only loss in 2018 coming on Jan. 8 against Connecticut College.
During the first contest, Middlebury made use of their special teams, scoring the opening goal shorthanded after Anna Zumwinkle ’20 received a two-minute penalty for interference. Jessica Young ’18 brought the puck up on the left wing, gliding towards the goal, before centering a pass to Maddie Winslow ’18 who blasted the puck into the net. In the final minute of the first quarter, the Panthers doubled their lead thanks to a shot by Haley LaFontaine ’18. LaFontaine’s goal, as with the rest that followed, would only serve as insurance to add to Middlebury’s margin of victory in the shutout.
In the middle stanza, the Panthers ramped up the offensive pressure. Although just two shots went in, the Panthers took a stunning 22 shots on goal, including eight within the first five minutes by eight different players. Young had the closest bid, hitting the pipe before the puck ricocheted back into play.
Undeterred, the Panthers continued challenging the Beacon goalie until their persistence finally paid off at the 16:15 mark. Collecting her own rebound, Young nested a shot into the back of the net with a beautiful backhand, extending it to a 3–0 lead. In the final minute, the guests added another point to their lead: Zumwinkle blasted a shot that was batted away, but Elizabeth Wulf ’18 poked in the rebound. Wulf’s score not only gave the Panthers a 4–0 lead, but also extended her five-game point streak.
The Beacons had a chance to score in the opening minutes of the third and final stanza, but Julia Neuburger ’18, who posted 19 saves, batted away the attempt. The Panthers added their last score of the game on a power-play opportunity. With a five-on-four advantage, Jenna Marotta ’19 and Madie Liedt ’21 helped to find Young at the top of the left key, where she finished for her team leading ninth goal of the season.
“We went into the weekend knowing these were going to be two tough opponents, so had the mentality of playing our game at the level we are capable,” said Wulf. “Against UMass Boston, we generated a lot of scoring chances and it was just a matter of capitalizing and finishing on those opportunities which did, especially at the ends of periods, give us momentum going into the next period.”
Against Endicott on Saturday, Middlebury leapt out to an early 1–0 lead. Wulf continued her hot streak when she collected a rebound from Katherine Jackson ’19 and put it through the outstretched glove of the Gulls’ goalie. The hosts had a pair of opportunities to score, but Lin Han ’20 made back-to-back saves to preserve the 1–0 lead.
In the second stanza, the Gulls were looking at a potential breakaway score from the right side, but Han remained steady and calmly batted the puck away. Later in the frame, Leidt carried the puck down into Endicott’s zone from the left wing before wristing a shot pass Endicott’s goalie to give the Panthers a 2–0 lead.
Even though Middlebury was relatively slow to start in the first two periods and entered the third stanza with a four-on-five disadvantage, the guests did not waste any time scoring in the final period. Right as the power-play ended for the Gulls, LaFontaine found the puck and passed it off to Lied cutting down the ice, who netted the third team goal and the her second of the game. A minute later, Janka Hlinka ’18 won a faceoff and fed the puck to Winslow, who deposited the shot into the back of the net for the fourth score of the game.
With a 4–0 lead, Endicott fought for a chance, but Han deterred every shot. The Panthers could smell the shutout; to seal the game, Jackson found the back of the Gulls’ net after a feed by Sydney Porter ’20. Endicott mustered a couple attempts, but they could not come back and the Panthers capped the weekend with a combined 10–0 in final scores.
Wulf commented on the momentum the team build over the weekend, hoping to build further upon it in the future. “We did not have as strong of a first period as we wanted,” she said, “but we came out hard in the second and third and put more pressure on their defense and finished our chances.
“The weekend was a testament to our focus on playing good defense, great goalie play, and our determination to generate and finish more scoring chances. Overall, we had a great weekend, and we hope to carry that play into the rest of the season!”
(12/07/17 12:24am)
Last Friday and Saturday, Dec. 2 and 3, the No. 7 Middlebury Women’s Hockey blanked No. 8 Connecticut College in Friday’s contest while losing an overtime heartbreaker the next day on Saturday. The Panthers move to 3–3 with only a game against Castleton remaining before the Christmas break. While they sit .500, all the team’s losses came to opponents ranked in the top 10.
In the first contest the Panthers won 3–0. Neither team scored in the opening period, although Elizabeth Wulf ’18 and Katherine Jackson ’19 had a two-on-one opportunity. As they skated with an advantage toward the Camels’ goal Jackson’s backhand attempt was deflected and Maddie Leidt ’21’s rebound shot was swatted away by the Camels’ keeper Bailey Mertz. Conn. College had a chance to capitalize on three separate power-plays, but they could not find the net.
Heading into the second period, the Panthers took the lead when they capitalized on a five-on-three powerplay opportunity. The dynamic duo of Jessica Young ’18 and Maddie Winslow ’18 connected when Young skated to the right side of the ice, touched a pass to Winslow on the left post where she deflected the puck into the back of the net — the first second-period goal allowed by the Camels all season.
The Panthers solidified their lead in the third stanza with two insurance goals. Jackson recorded the first of them for her team-leading fifth goal of the season when she one-timed a pass from Winslow. Young added to the lead when she picked up her own rebound in front of the net, circled the net and fired the puck past the goalie.
Lin Han ’20 made 22 saves in her second shutout of the season, including a sprawling save to her right and several other incredible stops to keep the Camels at bay. The Panthers improved to 3–2, while Conn. College suffered their first loss of the season.
“We responded well in the third period and played our best period of the game,” said Wulf after Friday’s matchup went final. “Conn. College is a good game and always tough to play. Going into the third up 1–0, we knew the next goal would be huge so we did a good job of putting the game away in the third scoring two goals. We also stayed out of the box in the third which helped,” she said.
Saturday’s contest was a thriller, as the Panthers got down basically at puck-drop and then had to dig themselves out of a two goal hole.
Just two minutes into the opening period, Conn. College got on the board when a Camel beat a Middlebury defender behind the net and connected with a teammate, blasting the puck into the net for a 1–0 lead. The Camels doubled the score when a backhanded feed from Kaylyn Paiva was connected by Elena Gualtieri.
Ellie Barney ’21 responded with her first career goal, assisted by team captain Janka Hlinka ’18 and Young. Trailing by one, the Panthers controlled the puck for the three minutes, winning several face-offs, including one by Hlinka to set up the game tying goal. Leidt scored, marking her second goal of the series thanks to a beautiful assist by Young and knotting the score with five minutes left in the first.
With 12:25 left in the second stanza, Middlebury took a 3–2 lead when Leidt centered a pass to Young, who one-timed the feed from the top of the left faceoff circle into the back of the net.
Conn. College mustered an equalizing score though when they fought for a rebound off Han’s pads and sent it into the back of the net with 6:37 left to play. That score would hold as the contest headed into overtime with the game tied at three apiece.
For the first three minutes, the Panthers and Camels battled to possess the puck — a shot by Sidney Portner ’21 went wide, Barney blasted the puck towards the Camels’ net that was saved by Mertz and a shot by the guests was saved by Han. However, a shot by Kalyn Paiva that was blocked by Han would be rebounded and then passed to Ein Dilon, who tapped the puck inside the net for the clinching goal for the Camels. Middlebury outshot Conn. College 30-28, but Bailey Mertz picked up 27 stops for win.
“Just like [Wulf] said, we played our best period on Friday at the end of the game,” said Hlinka. “It shows that we can figure out how to regroup when we’re not playing well and I think that is very important. Conn is always a good game to play and managing to get that next important goal in the third was critical. As for Saturday, we did do a better job of staying out of the box, but also getting more shots on net.”
The Panthers return to action on Dec. 9 against Castleton for their last home game before Christmas break and a trip to Amherst College for an away Nescac series.
(11/30/17 12:01am)
The No. 6 women’s hockey team split its first four games of the season. They opened up with a weekend sweep of conference rival Trinity on Nov. 17 and 18 at home in Kenyon Arena, then fell by scores of 4–1 to No. 3 Elmira College and 3–2 in OT to No. 4 Adrian at the UNO Classic hosted by Plattsburgh on Nov. 25 and 26.
Katherine Jackson ’19 and Jessica Young ’18 scored in the first period of their season opener against Trinity for the only scores of the game.
The Panthers scored five minutes into in the opening period when Maddie Winslow ’18 took a shot from the left circle that Trinity’s goalkeeper denied, but Jackson retrieved the rebound and buried it in the back of the net.
A Trinity penalty three minutes later gave the Panthers a five-on-four advantage. Elizabeth Wulf ’18 took a shot from the center of the crease, which Trinity’s goalie batted away. Jessica Young ’18 followed Wulf’s shot, controlled the rebound and slapped it into the back of the net for a power-play goal for the Panthers and, ultimately, the final score of the game.
The Bantams outshot the Panthers 27–25, yet all 27 were turned away by Panther goalie Lin Han ’20. Trinity had an opportunity to score in the final minutes of the third period, but their five-on-three advantage was not enough to sneak the puck past Han.
In the second game of the Nescac doubleheader, on Saturday Nov. 18, the guests struck first with 1:17 left in the first period. What started as a two-on-one for Trinity finished as a goal past Han’s outstretched pads. This would be Trinity’s sole score of the game and weekend, as the Panthers held them in check for the rest of the contest.
Jackson, who scored the previous day, tied the game at the end of the first period when Anna Zumwinkle ’20 rocketed a shot toward the goal. Jackson was there to finish the play with just 10.4 seconds left on the clock. The Panthers and Bantams were deadlocked with a goal apiece heading into the intermission.
Nobody scored in the second period, but Middlebury broke through in the first two minutes of the third. Madie Leidt ’21 netted her first collegiate goal, one-timing the shot off a pass from Young, who recorded her 100th career point in a Panthers uniform. With 3:24 left on the clock, Winslow and Jackson completed a give-and-go on a two-on-one rush to give the hosts a 3–1 advantage. The Panthers sealed the deal with 30.8 seconds left when Leidt recorded her second score of the game to ice what would be a 4–1 victory. Han had another impressive game, stopping 20 shots, for 47 in total over the weekend.
“It was awesome to finally get to play against another team,” said team captain Janka Hlinka ’18 after the first-weekend slate. “The excitement and anticipation were building up so we were all amped to play that first weekend. The results of the first weekend against were attributed to just working hard, winning pucks in the corners, and getting shots on net.”
Wulf agreed and added to what Hlinka said: “It’s a combination of everything. We prepared well going into the game with our systems and worked hard together. Against Trinity we scored some ‘garbage’ goals, meaning we won pucks in front of the net and found rebounds, so that was a key for us.
“Our goaltending was also very strong. Lin played unreal,” said Wulf. “I think it was a combination of capitalizing on our chances and also playing strong defensively, especially on the penalty kill.”
On Nov. 24, Panthers headed to Plattsburgh St. to compete in the UNO Classic, playing No. 3 Elmira College in the first round. In the first period, the Soaring Eagles knocked in a power-play goal — the first one allowed by Middlebury all season.
At the 16-minute mark of the second period, Middlebury scored on a power-goal of their own. Winslow found Young for her 100th career point, exactly a week after Young accomplished the feat. Importantly, it also tied the game 1–1.
Elmira was able to grab the lead back, and for good, at the 11-minute mark though. The Panthers allowed two more goals in the third period and finished with a 4–1 loss. Though a tough loss, Han made 31 stops, while the Panthers took 34 shots on goal.
“The Elmira game was tough,” said Hlinka. “But we took away from that game that playing out of conference will be more physical. We can definitely play with them. We battled hard, but now we just have to work on capitalizing on our opportunities to put the puck in the net.”
The next day, the Panthers looked to bounce back against No. 4 Adrian in the consolation game. Young put Middlebury on top 1–0 with 3:19 remaining in the first period after Zumwinkle won a faceoff and quickly passed her the puck.
The Panthers then scored again one minute into the second period, when Jackson knocked in a rebound after a breakaway attempt by Winslow was denied.
Adrian cut into the lead with a power-play goal with eight minutes left in the second and tied things with only 27 seconds left in the period on another power-play goal.
Neither team was able to score in the third period and the contest went to overtime. However, with 55 seconds left in OT, Adrian took advantage of a five-on-four advantage and scored for the win. All three Adrian goals came on the power-play.
“We had two tough losses this past weekend against two good ranked teams,” Wulf said. “The positives were that were worked hard and the effort was there, and we didn’t give up.
“What it came down to was winning pucks in front of both nets, and they won more of those battles than we did. It’s still very early on in the season, but we need to work on bearing down and capitalizing on our chances, especially against good teams like Elmira and Adrian. Those are the teams we want to play at the end of the year, so we just have to continue getting better every day.”
The Panther return to action this weekend when they host Nescac foe Connecticut College for a double-dipper on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 1 and 2. Last season, the two teams split the season series 1–1.
(11/16/17 12:09am)
The reigning Nescac champions start the hunt for their third title in four years on Friday, Nov. 17, when they will host the Trinity Bantams in Kenyon Arena. Last year, the Panthers finished with a 19–7–2 record, and although they fell short in their run to the Frozen Four, they are back with more hunger, more fire and more determination. Their schedule will not be easy, as seven of their opponents are nationally ranked or received votes — but the challenge is nothing new.
The winningest coach in the history of women’s collegiate hockey, Bill Mandigo (541-142-39), enters his 30th season at the helm for the Panthers. Mandigo is a mainstay who will continue to lead his players in the right direction, hoping to send the Class of 2018 out with a Nescac ring and a national championship trophy.
From a roster point of view, the squad only graduated four players. Though they brought on several freshmen — 10 to be exact— senior captain Janka Hlinka ’18 says it won’t be a problem. In fact, she says, it will only help them.
“Our expectations this year are just like any other teams, we want to go as far as our season will let us. We have a large team this year we will be able to use our size to keep fresh legs on the ice. The true test will be our first game to see how much we have learned and how well we work together. I’m just excited to be with this group of people playing such a high level of hockey and I’m trying not to think that it’s my last season at [Middlebury].”
Wulf echoed her sentiments and went into the depth about their expectations.
“Our expectations for this year are to build off our previous successes and create our own new success. Obviously, it’s a new team every year, but we believe we have the talent and work ethic to be just as if not more successful than we were last year. We want to defend our Nescac title and do what no other team in our program has done which is three-peat as Nescac champs.”
Beyond the Nescac champion, Wulf says the team has set an even loftier goal. One that is high, but undoubtedly achievable for this group.
“In addition, we not only want to be in the Final Four but host it. With that said, those are the bigger goals, and we a long way to go before we can get there. We need to focus on doing the little things first and not get too ahead of ourselves. We expect to win, but we need to take it one game at a time, so for us we are solely focused on playing Trinity [tomorrow] night in our home opener.”
Middlebury has worked hard in the off season, skating several times a week, improving speed, communication and overall efficiency on the ice.
“The focus during the off-season/preseason has been our team motto this year ‘All In,’” Wulf said. “Whether it’s holding each other and ourselves accountable or making sure we clean up after ourselves, we want to all be on the same page and focus on the same goal. While we know we have potential, it’s take hard work, grit, and mental toughness to get there.
“We have to trust the process and be just as committed to that as our team goals. We’ve been saying you’re either all in or you’re not in at all, and I think we’ve done a good job so far being all in together. We’ve worked extremely hard both on and off the ice this preseason, and we are excited to finally get to see where we are at this weekend with our first games.
“As crazy as it is that this is my last season, I’m looking forward to just being on the ice every day and playing with the great group we have. It’s my favorite part of the day, and I can’t wait to create more memories with this team.
Other seniors for the Panthers, Jessica Young ’18 and Maddie Winslow ’18, will look to lead the team again on the scoring front.Young netted 16 goals and notched 20 assists last season, and enters her senior campaign with 45 goals and 53 assists on her career. Winslow, who was the 2016 New England Division II-III Women’s Player of the Year, enters her final season with career totals of 42 goals and 53 assists. Together, the duo is dangerous and anybody in Kenyon Arena should pay attention when they are on the ice.
“You tend to remember your last season the most,” said Wulf, “so we want us to make this a special one and leave it all on the ice with no regrets. We have a very motivated and determined group, and I can’t wait to see how we progress.”
Overall, the Panthers are tough, experienced competitors. The roster is filled with speed, power and authority and they will undoubtedly be one of the top teams to be in the Nescac.
The season will get underway tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in Hartford, Connecticut, where they will face-off against Trinity.
(11/16/17 12:00am)
On Saturday, Nov. 11, the class of 2018 played their final football game as Middlebury Panthers, completing their nine-game season with a 35–24 win over the Tufts Jumbos and a 7–2 Nescac record.
The Panthers won the coin toss, opting to kick off to the Jumbos and it paid off. Ian Blow ’18 forced a fumble at the Tufts’ 18-yard line, which was recovered by Zander Bailey ’21. Just like that, Middlebury’s Jack Meservy ’19 completed a 14-yard pass to Peter Scibilia ’21 and a short four-yard touchdown pass to Frank Cosolito ’20, his first of three on the day. 40 seconds into the game, the Panthers commanded a 7–0 lead.
After a four-and-out on the next Jumbo drive, Middlebury started with the ball on their own 39-yard line. Thanks to a Tufts’ 15-yard penalty, several carries by Drew Jacobs ’18 and a 26-yard connection between Meservy and Cosolito, the Panthers found themselves at the one-yard line. After an incomplete pass attempt to Cosolito and a rush for no gain by Jacobs, Meservy found the end zone with a one yard sneak. Carter Massengill ’20 completed the extra point for his second of the game giving the guests a 14–0 lead.
The Jumbos answered on the next drive, going 80 yards on ten plays. Ryan McDonald completed several passes, including a 27-yard and 21-yard find to two different receivers. Tufts’ kicker found the middle of the goal posts to cut Middlebury’s lead in half.
Bad luck befell the Panthers at the start of the second quarter. At their own 39-yard line, Meservy looked for Conrado Banky ’19 down the seam, but the attempt was incomplete. On top of that, Banky was called for a pass interference call and the Panthers were penalized 15 yards. Unable to convert on 3rd and 24th, Maxwell Rye ’20 set to punt, but was blocked and the ball recovered by a crashing Jumbo defense. Tufts scored two plays later to tie the game at 14 a piece.
Middlebury sought to respond, but on the ensuing kickoff, Will Jernigan ’21 was stripped of the ball at the 28-yard line and it was recovered by Tufts. Three players later, McDonald gave the Jumbos the lead with a 23-yard rush, dodging and weaving through the Panthers secondary. The extra point was good and the Panthers trailed by seven.
After suffering a three-and-out, Tufts started the next drive on their 26-yard line. McDonald rushed 25 yards to Middlebury’s 49 and on the next play completed an 18-yard pass; however, it was called back due to a holding penalty. With first and 20, the Jumbos suffered another penalty, this time a personal foul, pushing the ball back to the 24-yard line. McDonald was subsequently sacked for a loss and the Jumbos took a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct pushing them all the way back to their own 7-yard line. By the end of their drive, the Tufts suffered a negative 19-yard outing and punted.
Meservy took over at the Jumbo 39-yard line and made quick work. On seven plays, he took the Panthers down the field, completing a short pass to Jimmy Martinez ’19, a 27-yard connection with Banky, and a one-yard touchdown rush for Meservy’s second of the game. Massengil’s attempt was blocked, but the Panthers were within one, trailing 20-21.
At the beginning of the second half, the Panthers started in good field position thanks to a 27-yard kick return by Jernigan. At their own 39-yard line, Scibilia rushed for 15 moving the chains to the Jumbo 46-yard line. Meservy moved the chains twice more, connecting with Maxim Bochman ’20 for 12 yards and another with Cosolito for 19 yards. Meservy found Cosolito in the end zone for his second touchdown of the game. Colin Waters ’19 tried for the two-point conversion but failed, nevertheless the guests held a 26-21 advantage and a lead for the rest of the game. Tufts converted on a field goal attempt from 41-yards out for their final score of the game.
Middlebury started their last touchdown drive at the nine-minute mark of the third quarter. Martinez gave them field position at their own 34-yard line. Jacobs rushed for four yards and on the next play, Meservy converted with Martinez on a 44-yard pass, placing the Panthers at the Jumbo 18. On first-and-ten, Meservy tried to connect with Cosolito, but failed. He tried on second-and-ten, as well as third-and-ten with Banky but also missed. On fourth-and-down, Meservy found Cosolito in the end zone from 18-yards out, completing the trifecta. Massengill’s kick attempt was good and the guests took a 33-24 lead.
After Maxwell Rye’s punt put the Jumbos on their own eight- yard line with four minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Panthers sealed the deal. Wesley Becton ’18 sacked McDonald on third-and-eight for a ten-yard loss and recovered the ball in the Jumbos’ end zone for a safety, giving the Panthers their final points and a 35–24 victory.
“Being on the field for the last time was a crazy experience,” said Becton, after his final game in the blue-and-white. “There was a lot of emotions but our team was really fired up and I couldn’t be happier with the way we went out. And to be honest, I’ll probably remember that last sack for the rest of my life.”
Middlebury’s season came to a blissful end, finishing second in the Nescac and closing out their final game with a win.
Jourdon Delerme-Brown ’20 spoke to the impact that the seniors had on the team.
“I think I speak for everyone on the team when I say sending the seniors out on a positive was of utmost importance. They’ve given so much to us younger guys and the team as a whole. They will be missed. They’ve set such a high standard in terms of team chemistry and level of play, we don’t want to let them down by falling off the mark next year.”
(11/08/17 5:28pm)
On the last home game of the season and final home contest for the Class of 2018, the football team routed Hamilton 41–20 after scoring the game’s first 41 points on Saturday, Nov. 4. Middlebury kept hold of the “rocking chair” by defeating the Continentals for the 22nd-straight time in the rivalry.
Hamilton deferred the toss, deciding to kick it off to a dangerous Jimmy Martinez ’19, who returned the ball 21 yards to the Middlebury 31-yard line. Two plays later, Jake Meservy ’19, who took over the offensive reins after a season ending knee injury to starting quarterback Jared Lebowitz, connected with Martinez on a 65-yard bomb. Carter Massengill ’20 completed the extra point and the hosts were off to a 7–0 lead, 45 seconds into the contest.
Three plays later, on Hamilton’s first possession, Kevin Maxwell ’19 forced a fumble, which Middlebury’s John Jackson ’18 recovered on Hamilton’s 37-yard line. On the ensuing play, Peter Scibilia ’21 rushed 15 yards out of bounds to the Hamilton 22, which set up a fantastic look for Meservy. He once again connected with Martinez for the duo’s second touchdown. Massengill completed the kick and Middlebury led 14–0 fewer than 2 minutes into the contest.
The Continentals attempted to move the chains on their next drive, but they failed. After a Hamilton punt, Middlebury started the drive on its own 16-yard line and marched to the Hamilton 31, aided by a Continental offside penalty. From there, Meservy threw his only interception of the game, but Hamilton could not capitalize on them mishap and punted again.
The punt travelled to the Hamilton 45 , and Kevin Hopsicker ’18 returned it twelve yards, setting Middlebury up in excellent field position.
Meservy rushed for 13 yards and the offense tacked on 15 more thanks to a Hamilton pass interference penalty, placing the Panthers at the Hamilton four-yard line. Dropping back in the pocket, Merservy found Scibilia for a four-yard reception and his third touchdown pass of the afternoon. Massengill missed the extra point, but the hosts held a 20–0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the two teams struggled for field position, with neither team mustering anything more than a punt for the first five minutes. At the eight-minute mark, however, Middlebury’s defense turned it up a notch. Hamilton quarterback Sam Foley tried to rush for one yard on a fourth-and-one play, but was stopped at the line of scrimmage. Before he was downed, Maxwell forced his second fumble of the game. Wesley Becton ’18 recovered the ball at the Hamilton 45-yard line and took it all the way to the house to give Middlebury a 27–0 lead.
On the ensuing Hamilton drive, Foley was sacked for a four-yard loss by Jackson. On the play, Foley fumbled, which was recovered by Aaron Slodowitz ’18. At the opposing 26-yard line, the Panthers were pushed back 10 yards thanks to a holding penalty. Meservy took the penalty in stride, answering with a 36-yard pass to Frank Cosolito ’20 for his sixth career touchdown and Merservy’s fourth and final of the day.
“Personally, the Hamilton game was a huge confidence boost for me, especially after getting my first start the previous week against one of the best teams in this conference,” said Meservy, who left the game after Middlebury took a 34–0 lead. “It was a really awesome feeling to see Jimmy [Martinez] make a perfect catch and then run down into the end zone to celebrate. Ever since the loss to Trinity, we’ve been eager to make a statement — the Hamilton game gave us that opportunity. I think that the first touchdown coming on the second play of the game helped us get ahead and stay head.”
After throwing the fourth touchdown, I was just so happy that I was able to help send the seniors out with a win on Senior Day; especially guys like Dan, Kasirye, and Lebowitz, who would’ve given anything to be able to play on Saturday.”
Hamilton could not get on the board the entire first half and they struggled to compete with the Panthers’ offense. With a minute and fifty seconds left in the first half, Will Jernigan ’21 went under center for a shot at the Continentals’ struggling defense. Starting at their own 33-yard line, Jernigan completed an 11-yard pass to Tanner Contois ’18 and a 30-yard pass to Martinez giving the Panthers position at the Hamilton 17. After completing a pass to Conrado Banky ’19 for 12 yards to get to the Hamilton five-yard line, the Panthers called a timeout. And with seven seconds left in the half, the Jernigan found Banky again from five yards out, giving the hosts a 41-0 lead and their final touchdown.
Hamilton managed to score three times in the fourth quarter. Their first touchdown came on a four-play, 69-yard possession, but they missed the extra point. They scored again five minutes later on a 6 play, 66-yard possession. Hamilton tried to go for the two-point conversion, but their attempt failed and the hosts maintained a 41–12 lead. The Continental’s final score came around the two-minute mark. Starting at the Middlebury 22-yard line, after a 30-yard punt return, Foley completed a pass 16 yards and a subsequent six-yard pass to Joe Schmidt. Foley completed the two-yard conversion and the final score of the game concluded with a Middlebury win, 41–20.
Meservy finished with 212 yards on 11-16 pass attempts and four touchdowns, while Jernigan went 4–6 for 58 yards. Martinez caught three passes for 117 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Jackson had a fulfilling day on defense, finishing with nine tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a sack. Becton finished closely behind Jackson with seven tackles, an interception and a touchdown after a recovered fumble.
The Panthers close out their season on Saturday, November 11th against Tufts (5–3). With a win, Middlebury would end the season 7–2. If Amherst loses to Williams and Trinity loses to Wesleyan, Middlebury, Amherst, Trinity and Wesleyan would all earn a share of the Nescac championship with records of 7–2. The last time there was a tie for the Nescac championship was 2013 when Amherst, Middlebury and Wesleyan tied for the crown.
(11/01/17 7:37pm)
On Homecoming weekend, a day filled with returning alums, friends and family, the Middlebury Panthers fell to 5–2 after a 27–5 loss to Trinity College Bantams on Saturday, October, 29. At times they squad look ed promising, but Trinty proved to be well seasoned and ready to extend their 15-game win streak.
On the opening drive, the Bantams took the ball 79 yards on 11 plays for the first score taking an early 7–0 lead. Panthers responded with their own score as Connor Massengill ’19 connected from 28 yards out, cutting into the guests’ 7–3 advantage. Diego Meritus ’19 led the drive with 7 carries while Jake Merservy ’19 completed several passes to bring his team to Trinity’s six-yard line. After Jared Lebowitz ’18 suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 47–14 victory over Bates College, Merservy took the reins at quarterback. Unfortunately, the Panthers could not muster their offense and the defense could only contain the Bantams, a team, at that point, had a 15-game winning streak.
In the second quarter, the Trinity pulled away a little more, scoring four minutes into the second quarter, extending their lead 14–3. Sonny Puzzo led the Bantams down the field, racking up close to 50 rushing yards and aided by a Middlebury face mask penalty.
At the ten-minute mark, Matt Daniel ’19 blocked a punt at Trinity’s 28-yard line Ian Blow ’18 picked the loose ball up and returned in 13-yards to the Bantam five-yard line. The drive looked promising until the Panthers turned it over on downs, four plays later. And in a twist of fate, the Bantams, on the first play of their drive, fumbled. The ball hopped around the edge of the goal line, dangling between the fingertips of several players and was picked up by Puzzo and then tackled for a loss and a two-point safety by Robert Wood ’18.
The defensive unit looked promising, Jourdon Delerme-Brown ’20 backed up his claim saying, “defense is always a fun side of the ball on this team. Everyone loves playing together so the mentality is to just continue to play together regardless of who we play and we tried to do that in this game.”
Unfortunately, the defense received no help from their offensive brethren. Leading 14–5, the Bantams did not look back, recording two field goals and a score in the final two quarters.
For Middlebury, a couple of drives looked promising, as Merservy tried to rally his offensive. With eight minutes left in the fourth quarter and the ball on their own 45-yard line, the Panthers marched up the field. He completed a pass to Maxwell Rye ’19 for 17 yards, rushed for several yards himself and handed the ball off to Drew Jacobs ’18 who rushed for 22 yards on four carries — but could not complete the job as the final play of the drive resulted in an incomplete pass to Conrado Banky ’19.
Middlebury seeks to bounce back with two games remaining in their season. On Saturday, they will compete against the Hamilton Continentals for their final home game before heading down to Connecticut to face the Tufts Jumbos.
(10/18/17 11:31pm)
The women’s soccer contest against the Trinity Bantams this past Saturday, Oct. 14, ended scoreless after two overtimes. The match contained energy and pride as four Middlebury student-athletes played for friends and family on Senior Day.
In the first half of play, both teams found it very difficult for any team to score. Middlebury had a mere four shots on goal compared to Trinity’s two, and neither team could close on their opportunities. The Panthers’ closest opportunity came when Eliza Robinson ’21 hit a knuckling shot from 25 yards out. However, Trinity’s goalie smothered the attempt, sending the contest scoreless into the second half.
After halftime, Middlebury’s offense exploded for 11 shots, including several by Robinson, Sabrina Glaser ’20 and Eliza Van Voorhis ’21. Trinity had the best scoring opportunity when a Bantam forward blasted a shot from 25 yards out. Ursula Awang ’19 batted the ball above the crossbar to save the shot. Van Voorhis got the next best look after a crossing pass flew just out of reach. Thus far, the game had been a defensive showdown.
“Saturday’s game was a defensive battle in midfield early on,” head coach Peter Kim said. “We had better chances, but all in all were not as successful at breaking Trinity down as we would have hoped to be. Trinity’s goalkeeper was on all day, so she denied us some key opportunities early on to keep her team in the game. In the second half, we tried pushing harder for the game-winner, and as a result opened ourselves a bit to their fast counterattack. Our goalkeeper, Alwang, came up big for us on a few important occasions to keep Trinity out.”
While Alwang did indeed come up big for the Panthers, the offense could not find any holes in the Bantam net. It was a hard and physical match up, as teams headed into the first overtime still scoreless.
“It was definitely a long game with double overtime,” Sarah Dicenso ’19 said. “We have gone into overtime in a couple of games before this so we were physically and mentally prepared to play more. We passed and possessed the ball well in the first half but couldn’t quite do the same in the second half. Trinity is a very good team and the match was back and forth. We showed good physicality and got some opportunities on goal that we should have finished earlier.”
Neither team could score. Both teams had only two shots on goal and neither could find their mark. In the end, the second overtime produced the same results and the Panthers finished with a tie. Still, the tie was important for Middlebury’s Nescac standings, as it secured a spot in the tournament.
“The race for a top-four finish remains very tight,” Kim said. “Looking ahead, we still need to persist in our efforts to score against our strongest opponents, so that will continue to be our focus as we head into the final two games of the regular season.”
This game gave an opportunity for seniors to reflect on their four years wearing the blue and whites of women’s soccer.
Maddison Morgan ’18, who has battled injuries for much of her time here, spewed positivity and optimism as she recounted the day.
“The emotions were definitely there, especially as a senior,” she said. “I was excited for my senior day game but also a bit sad — it just came t0o quickly! And while I wish the team could have gotten the win, Trinity was a really tough team and a tie means we stay in the same place.”
Midfielder Emma Shumway ’18 also commented on the emotions of the day.
“It was honestly a surreal experience. I kept thinking back to my freshman year senior day and how far away senior year felt. It still hasn’t sunk in that I’m over halfway through my final season of competitive soccer.
“My emotions were bittersweet during the game — I’m so grateful for having had so many years of healthy soccer and a college soccer experience shaped by such incredible teammates, but I don’t think I’ll ever truly feel ready to step off the field for good.
“I think a ticking clock is the best possible motivation so I look forward to giving 110 percent in every game and doing whatever I can to make my final season a positive experience for my teammates and myself. I definitely won’t be taking the joy soccer brings me for granted in the coming weeks.
“Senior day was important to me because it’s just a testament to how much we’ve put in and gotten out of Middlebury women’s soccer over the last four years,” Alissa Huntington ’18 said. “For me, it was less about the game and more about the speeches our teammates gave on the seniors afterwards, which was just another reminder for how thankful I am to be part of this team and program.”
The Panthers return to Nescac competition on Saturday, Oct. 21, and finish their regular season with a home game against Williams College on Tuesday, Oct. 24. Middlebury has the potential to host the Nescac tournament, a decision that depends on whether the Panthers take the next two or not.
(10/18/17 11:27pm)
Hosting the Williams Purple Ephs on Saturday, Oct. 14, the Middlebury Panthers dropped a nail-biting contest that came down to the final six seconds of play.
Middlebury dominated the first half of play, much as they have done in the rest of their games to this point. The Panthers burst out of the gate from the opening kickoff, as Jared Lebowitz ’18 found Maxwell Rye ’20 from 19 yards out to cap their first drive of the game with a touchdown. Rye’s touchdown was set up by several rushes by Peter Scibilia ’21 and Diego Meritus ’19, who returned after missing the first four weeks of the season with an injured quad. Carter Massengill ’20 converted the extra point and the hosts jumped out to 7–0 lead with 11 minutes left in the first.
Eight minutes later, Rye flipped the field with a brilliant punt that went 72 yards and was downed at the Williams one-yard line. The Purple Eph’s offense was unable to move the ball given the tough starting field position, amounting in a three-and-out. With no room to maneuver, Adam Regensburg’s punt attempt was blocked by John Jackson ’18 for a safety, tacking two points onto the hosts’ lead in the final scoring play of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the sole score came from Massengill’s 25 yard-field goal attempt. His opportunity was set up by an 11-play drive by Lebowitz and his offense, giving the hosts a 12–0 lead at the break. Most notably, Lebowitz connected with Jimmy Martinez ’19 and Rye for 29 yards each. The ensuing seven minutes before the half flew by without a score.
In the third quarter, the Panthers sniffed the end zone on several occasions, finishing at the Williams nine-yard line after 13 plays, but Massengill could not complete the 25-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide left.
While Williams cut into the Panthers’ lead on their ensuing eight-play 80-yard touchdown drive that earned the Ephs their first points of the day, the Panthers answered right back. Lebowitz led the team on a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that was highlighted by a 40-yard completion to Rye. The Lebowitz-to-Rye connection set-up a Lebowitz two-yard pass Scibilia for a touchdown.
Middlebury led 19–7 heading into the fourth quarter and everything was looking up for a Panthers offense that had dominated to that point. They even tacked-on an additional touchdown after Williams cut the lead to 19–14, as Lebowitz and company drove 59 yards in just over three minutes. Leading 26–14 and ten minute, the Panthers looked to hold off the Purple Eph’s down the crucial stretch.
Williams’ quarterback, however, answered efficiently and quickly. Middlebury’s defense saw the 12-point cushion erased after the Ephs marched 75 yards on 11 plays, ending in another touchdown. With four minutes left on the clock, Middlebury went to work trying to add an insurance score to preserve a victory and an undefeated record.
Starting at their own 28-yard line, Lebowitz handed the ball to Scibilia and Meritus to run the clock out. The Panthers even received some help from Williams’ defense, gaining 15 yards on a personal foul. However, the Panthers could not move the chains and were forced to punt from their own 48-yard line, giving Williams’ duel-threat quarterback the ball with 2:19 left on the clock at their own 20-yard line.
Williams found their way down the field and, with time running out, Bobby Maimaron stepped up into the pocket, firing a rocket into the open hands of Frank Stola in the end zone for the Williams victory. Alumni Stadium went silent while the Williams bench charged onto the field, celebrating their upset victory.
After the loss, Meritus talked about the importance of moving passed a loss that will be sure to linger with the Panthers.
“Instead of running away from that feeling we felt after Saturday’s loss, we need to embrace all that energy and use it to motivate us to get better.
“A loss is a loss,” Meritus said. “We can’t change what happened, but we can change what we do from here. And that means we have to win out.”
Though the Panthers took the loss, Middlebury outgained Williams 432–378, as 304 passing from Lebowitz. Rye finished the day with 133 receiving yards while Meritus and Scibilia combined for 64 yards on the ground.
With three games left in their season, the Panthers look to resume their win streak and finish with no more defeats. The biggest game left on the schedule, and a contest that both teams have certainly circled, is the Saturday, Oct. 28, date at Alumni Stadium when Middlebury will host undefeated Trinity — and on Homecoming Weekend, no less. It will be a decisive matchup with serious Nescac title implications. But for now, the Panthers head back on the road to Bates on Saturday, Oct. 21.
(10/11/17 9:42pm)
The football team is 4–0 after beating the previously undefeated Amherst Mammoths 35–31 in a game that came down to the final minutes on Saturday, Oct. 7. It was not the prettiest of games, as Middlebury finished with under 300 total yards, 200 fewer than the Panther onslaught of Colby two Saturdays ago. The Panthers grinded it out though, especially with help from their defense, which put up 14 of the Panthers’ 35 points.
Amherst scored first in the remaining two minutes of the first quarter by going 53 yards in 11 plays then kicking a field goal to take a 3–0 lead. Jared Lebowitz ’18 started Middlebury’s next drive on its own 19-yard line with 1:56 left in the first quarter. He continued into the second, dashing 14 yards to the Amherst 44. Then he completed a short pass to Maxim Bochman ’20, aided by a Mammoth penalty, and found Frank Cosolito ’20, who is back from an injury, to move the football to the Amherst 30. Lebowitz completed another pass to Cosolito and completed the 17-play, 81-yard and six and half minute drive with a dart to Bachman from eight yards out to give Middlebury a 7–3 lead.
On the subsequent possession, Mammoths quarterback Reece Foy was sacked for a big loss of 10-yards by Matthew Daniel ’19. Two plays later, Kevin Hopsicker ’18 jumped the receiver’s route, intercepted the pigskin and took it 32 yards for the second score of the quarter. Carter Massengill ’20 completed the extra point and the guests took a 14–3 lead with nine minutes left in the first half.
But the defense was still not done. Two series later, Amherst was pinned at its own 13-yard line. This time, Wesley Becton ’18 intercepted Foy’s pass and took it 13 yards to the house, giving the Panthers a commanding 21-3 lead.
As if that was not enough for the Amherst Mammoths, the ensuing kickoff gave the Panthers even more fuel to add to the offensive fire. A 61-yard kickoff by Massengill was returned 11 yards, until Jonathan Hobart ’21 forced and recovered the fumble at the Amherst 15. Though Lebowitz was called for intentional grounding, he made up for it and connected with Cosolito from 27 yards out for Middlebury’s fourth score of the quarter and a 28–3 lead.
The Mammoths managed a score late in the second quarter after their ground game dominated the series. Massengill’s kickoff was returned 30 yards to the Amherst 41 and the next four plays were all running, amounting in a 34-yard rushing by Jack Hickey. Middlebury held a comfortable 28–10 lead heading into the third quarter.
Starting the third quarter on their own 33, the Panthers were unable to move the chains and were forced to punt. Maxwell Rye ’20 booted the ball 47 yards, while 12 more yards were tacked on due to a holding penalty. Field position did not matter this time, as Mammoths tailback Hasani Figueroa took a pitch pass 74 yards down the left sideline, cutting the Middlebury lead to 11. The next 12 minutes were a defensive battle as neither team gave up a touchdown and the contest headed into the fourth.
The Panthers scored their last touchdown at the start of the fourth, when Lebowitz found Conrado Banky ’19 from 31 yards out. Massengill connected for his fifth and final extra point and Middlebury took a 35-17 lead.
“Our offense stuck to what we’ve done well in all the games we’ve played this season,” said Kevin Woodring ’20. “We held onto the ball, were efficient in our passing game and were able to move the ball on the ground at the end of the game. Overall, our defense allowed us to play the way we know how to and it amounted to a win.”
Amherst continued to claw back, scoring at the 11-minute mark on a 7 play 55-yard drive and once again at the eight-minute mark. Amherst final score was an 81-yard bomb from Ollie Berth to James O’Regan to bring the hosts within four.
But when the Panther defense needed to, it buckled down and that team in purple could not find another opportunity to score. Middlebury improved to 4–0 with a 35–31 win over its previously undefeated rival.
With their undefeated season on the line, the Panther defense returned to what gave the team success in the first half.
“We wanted to be aware of complacency and wanted to do our best to eliminate it at all costs,” said defensive back Jourdon Delerme-Brown ’20.
“That simply meant for us to relax and begin re-executing the game plan. Once we took the score out of it and just played the game play-by-play, we were back in control.”
Middlebury will have another tough matchup this Saturday, Oct. 14, when it hosts Williams (3–1) on Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium. The Ephs only loss came at the hands of defending Nescac champion Trinity (4–0).
(10/04/17 11:41pm)
Hosting the Colby Mules at Alumni Stadium, Middlebury scored 34 unanswered points for its third straight win on Saturday, Sept. 30. The team is tied for first place with Amherst and Trinity and hope to beat “that team in purple” at its field next Saturday.
Middlebury scored the first three points at the eight-minute mark thanks to a Carter Massengill ’20 field goal. The field goal, kicked from Colby’s ten-yard line, was set up by four complete passes from Jared Lebowitz ’18.
The Mules answered four minutes later after Lebowitz fumbled. With great field position, Colby’s completed a pass for their first and only score of the game. The extra point was blocked by Robert Wood ’18, giving the guest a 6–3 lead, but it would be short lived as the Panthers went on to score 34 points, all unanswered.
At the 11-minute mark in the second quarter, Middlebury started the drive on its own 43-yard line. After a fake punt play and 25-yard completion to the Minnesota native Jimmy Connell ’21, Lebowitz found Banky in the end zone with a quick five-yard shovel pass to put the hosts up. Massengill converted the extra point and the Panthers led 10–6.
After a four-and-out series for the Mules, Middlebury started its drive on its 34-yard line. Lebowitz connected with Aidan Power ’20 for 17 yards and Peter Scibilia ’21 rushed three times for a total of 19 yards to put Middlebury at Colby’s 19-yard line. After a Colby timeout, Lebowitz found Banky from 18-yards out for the Texas native’s second of the day. After icing the extra point, the Panthers went up 17–6.
Middlebury did not score for the remainder of the second quarter, as a couple mistakes compounded on both sides of the ball. Even in the third quarter, a couple penalties and a Lebowitz interception were not good signs for the usual crisp Panthers. At the five-minute mark, Lebowitz marched his offense down the field starting at their own 20. Completing passes to Banky and two to Tanner Contois ’18, including an 18-yard pass for a touchdown sealed the drive and expanded the hosts’ lead to 24. Massengill had a great day behind the tee, going five for six on field goal attempts, including extra points.
Leading 24–6 heading into the fourth, the hosts found another surge to their offense after a four-and-out series by the Mules set up a punt from their own 18-yard line. Colby’s punt went 43 yards, right into the arms of Jimmy Martinez ’19, who dodged and weaved his way 61 yards for a Middlebury touchdown.
Four minutes later, the hosts placed Jack Meservy ’19 in the QB slot. He completed a huge 22-yard pass to Power to get the Panthers to the Colby 46, alongside Charlie Ferguson ’21, who rushed for 43 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown dash to put the hosts up for good, 37–6.
Nobody scored for the remainder of the game, and Diego Meritus ’19, who is still injured, commented after the final horn.
“We all agree we made way too many mistakes that game — on both sides of the ball and even special teams. Although Colby is a good team, we are a lucky we were able to get away with some of the mistakes and still win. That will not be the case this week. Any small error can make a huge difference in the game. Last year we beat them by 1 and a block extra point made the difference. We will need to play a fundamentally sound game next week against that team in purple if we want to win.”
The Panthers have no doubt they will clean up their mistakes ahead of one of the biggest games of the season. Banky and Lebowitz need to continue to play the way they are now, as Lebowitz had a stellar performance, passing 389 yard with three touchdowns, moving him up to a career high 40. Banky, who finished with two touchdowns — including the 17th of his career, tying Beau Coash ’17 for the third on the school’s all-time list — and 136 yards, will be an integral part of the offense this coming Saturday.
“[Lebowitz] and I have a developed a solid chemistry from playing three years together,” Banky said. “He is a great leader and elevates everyone else around him, he makes me better. For me, I don’t pay too much attention to my personal stats because a win for the team, is a win for me and that is my first priority.”
The Panthers face their first big challenge against 3-0 Amherst on Saturday, Oct. 7.
(09/27/17 11:27pm)
After squeezing by the Wesleyan Cardinals for their season opener, the football team soundly handled the Bowdoin Polar Bears 41–14 on Saturday, Sept. 26, improving to a 2–0 record.
Against Wesleyan, the Panthers only mustered 384 total yards. Against Bowdoin, quarterback Jared Lebowitz ’18 made sure that every segment of the offense was working, racking up 528 total yards of offense.
In the first quarter, the guests did not score until 3:28 left in the first quarter on a four-yard touchdown run by Matt Cardew ’18, who has been in the backfield in the absence of Diego Meritus ’19.
“It felt great to set the tone,” Cardew said. “I think our entire offense had a lot of energy on that first drive and it definitely carried through the rest of the game.”
From this moment on, it was smooth sailing. In the second quarter, Middlebury’s defense kept its shutout intact in the second quarter as the offense continued to capitalize on the Polar Bears’ weak front and secondary lines of defense.
With decent field position at their own 30-yard line, Lebowitz marched the Panthers down the field. Starting with an 18-yard pass to Tanner Contois ’18, Lebowitz, just two plays later, threw a 33-yard dime to Contois who grabbed it out of the air and tiptoed to the sidelines to get a foot in bounds. Lebowitz completed the drive with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Maxwell Rye ’20.
After a short offensive series by the tired Polar Bears, Middlebury returned the punt to the Bowdoin 49-yard line. In this drive, Lebowitz completed passes to several different Panthers, including Banky, Bochman and Frank Cosolito ’20. Bochman sealed the drive, catching a 13-yard pass from a red hot Lebowitz, his second passing touchdown of the game giving the guests a 21–0 advantage.
The offense continued to roll, as Bowdoin’s offense could not past Middlebury’s lines of defense. With eight minutes left in the first half, however, the Panthers found themselves at their own 10-yard line, presenting an opportunity for Bowdoin to change the pace of the game.
Middlebury’s field position did not stop the Panther offense from finding a way to score. Cardew rushed for 18 yards, Lebowitz rushed for 17 yards and completed a short pass to Bochman putting the Panthers at their own 38-yard line. Two plays later, Lebowitz connected with Banky for a 48-yard bomb down the field for his third touchdown of the game and Banky’s first score of the season.
Though Carter Massengill ’20 missed the extra point, the Panthers commanded a 27–0 lead heading into halftime.
Senior linebackers John Jackson ’18, Aaron Slodowitz ’18 and Robert Wood ’18, along with safety Kevin Hopsicker ’18 terrorized the Polar Bears on defense as Bowdoin was forced to punt almost every possession.
Wood commented on the way the defense set the tone throughout the game and helped propel the offense. For Wood, it wasn’t the big defensive plays that helped sway the pace of the game, it was the discipline and consistency of Middlebury’s defensive unit that made them successful.
“Our mentality this week was the same as any. ‘Just do your job and if we execute and play smart we can stop any offense,’” Wood said. “Additionally, I can trust that our coaches will do a great job of putting us in the right place to make the plays.”
Wood added: “Any turnover or three and out is pretty big on defense. It gets us off of the field and gives our offense a chance to get back out there and put some more points on the board.”
And still the Panthers continued to roll, coming out in the third quarter. At the 12-minute mark, Lebowitz and his offensive unit started in great field position at the Bowdoin 43 yard-line. Lebowitz quickly completed two passes, one to Martinez and one to Banky to set up a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Connell ’21, the first of his career.
Leading 34–0 with seven minutes left in the third quarter, Charlie Ferguson ’21 rushed for 47 yards on seven carries, while Lebowitz completed two passes Rye and Mike Maldonado ’19. The Panthers capped their lead with a five-yard rushing touchdown by Ferguson and their lead increased to 41–0.
In the fourth quarter, Bowdoin scored two touchdowns, but the lead was too great for the hosts to come back. Lebowitz finished with 316 yards and four touchdown passes, while Banky racked up 101 yards.
Asked about his team success and his composure to lead his team to a 41–14 victory, Middlebury’s quarterback had a lot to say.
“Football is a weird blend of perfect science and chaotic mayhem. Comfortability in the pocket comes from my confidence in the offensive line having the best protection called and winning their one-on-one matchups,” Lebowitz. “It all starts and ends with those guys — they are the cornerstones of our offense and we can’t function consistently at this high of level without them.
Both Cardew and Meritus echoed their quarterback’s praise of the team, respectively.
“It felt great being a part of the offense that scored so much. It was rewarding because we executed everything we’ve practiced for on pretty much every play,” Cardew said. “I think we were able to stay focused throughout the game because the lead gave us a chance to put our younger guys in. It’s always fun to watch them succeed.
“We were definitely cleaner this week than last week,” Meritus said.”I think anytime you hold a team to 14 and put up 41 points you need to be happy with the way you played. However still lots to improve on. If we want to continue to win each week we are going to need to finish each game strong.”
The Panthers have won their last two and look to take a win from Colby this upcoming Saturday, Sept. 30. While their contest against Amherst will be their biggest challenge of the season so far, Lebowitz and his offense seem to be throwing, running and hitting in the right direction.
(09/21/17 1:08am)
In a contest that came down to the final minutes of play, the football team took its season opener against the Wesleyan Cardinals 30–27 on Saturday, Sept. 16.
The opening minutes of the game was studded with excitement as Middlebury scored on the opening drive. Starting quarterback Jared Lebowitz ’18 connected with Frank Cosolito ’19 on a 10-yard pass, which Cosolito took 60 yards into the Panther end zone. Middlebury missed the extra point, giving the hosts a 6–0 advantage.
Wesleyan answered with a 52-yard touchdown of its own and made its extra point giving the Cardinals a 7–6 lead. It would, however, be short lived. Jimmy Martinez ’19 bobbed and weaved through Wesleyan tacklers on the ensuing kickoff to give the Panthers a 13–7 lead. Martinez, who holds five track and field school records, caught the ball at the four-yard line and returned it 96 yards for a Middlebury touchdown.
“Jimmy’s house call was a huge moment for the entire team,” Jourdon Delerme-Brown ’19 said. “It was an electric moment on the sidelines for sure. Everybody, offensive, defensive, tackles and D-backs, were super energized.”
Martinez did not stop there. Late in the first quarter, Lebowitz connected with Martinez three times, including a 25-yard touchdown pass-and-catch to give the Panthers a 20–7 lead. Lebowitz, who finished the game 22–44 for 352 total yards, continued to dominate the passing game.
While the hosts were unable to score, their defense held the Cardinals to one score in the second quarter. Leading by seven at the half, the Panthers looked to come out firing in the second half.
Middlebury only scored once in the third quarter. Unable to find their earlier offensive connections, the Panthers were forced to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Carter Massengill ’19. His field goal would prove to be decisive by the end of the contest as Middlebury would win by three.
In the opening minutes of the fourth, Lebowitz connected with Conrado Banky ’19 for two passes, before hitting Maxim Bochman ’20 on the 25-yard route to give the Panthers a 30–13 advantage. Wesleyan, however, was quick to answer. Eighty-four yards and six plays later, the Cardinals had marched down the field, scored a touchdown and sealed the extra point. Trailing by 10, Wesleyan recovered an onside kick to swing the momentum of the contest and with 3:15 remaining on the clock, Wesleyan scored.
The Panthers, however, did not lose their composure, even after they were unable to score off a short kick-off and had to punt. Wesleyan started from its own 39-yard line. With the season opener on the line, someone needed to change the momentum and put Middlebury on top.
Bobby Ritter ’19 answered with a interception on the first play of the drive. From the stands, it seemed that he had just broken up the pass, but suddenly a roar erupted through the crowd as Ritter sprinted towards the Panther endzone. Though he was tackled short of the goal line, the game was all but won at that point.
“Bobby’s pick restored life back in our side and got everyone’s energy levels back to 100 percent” said Diego Meritus, who was sidelined on Saturday’s game due to a quad injury. “They had just scored on us and started eating away at our lead. But Bobby’s pick really brought us back to where we needed to be.”
Wesleyan was unable to score in the final 40 seconds, completing Middlebury’s first victory of the season. Meritus further weighed in on the success of his team.
“We knew everyone would have to contribute in order for us to place ourselves in a position to win and I think that much was clear on Saturday,” Meritus said. “We had guys playing positions they don’t usually play and making big plays and that made a huge difference.
“More importantly, we matched Wesleyans physically and intensity,” the third year running back said. “Everyone knows them around the league as intense and physical, but clearly we did not back down from them and we came out with a win.”
The Panthers’ big showdown with Amherst on Oct. 7 is fast approaching, but they will be back in action before that this Saturday as they take on Bowdoin in Brunswick, Maine.