Edition I: February 3, 2004
Sports Covered:
The Middlebury College men's hockey team outscored its opponents 23-5 last week as they won three more games, including a pair of league road wins. With his five goals and four assists last week, senior Kevin Cooper (Mississauga, Ont.) became the school's all-time modern-day (1965-) leading goal scorer with 82. He was also named the NESCAC's Player of the Week.
Middlebury exploded for six first period goals as they picked up an 8-1 win over #4 Plattsburgh in Kenyon Arena. The Panthers came out firing as senior Adam Foote (New Hartford, N.Y.) hit Cooper with a long pass, leaving the senior all alone for the breakaway goal. Senior Mike Velez (S. Windsor, Conn.) made it 2-0 as he took a great feed from Cooper before snapping it in the net off a Plattsburgh defender. Cooper struck again at 9:34 as he stuffed home a puck down low with a feed from Foote on the power play. Foote scored one of his own at 11:59 as he converted from the high slot. Junior Patrick Nugent (Lynnfield, Mass.) continued the scoring as he snapped home a shot to the left side of the net from the right circle. Senior Andrew Helming (Sharon, Conn.) struck just 25 seconds later at 17:13 with a solid feed from sophomore Shady Young (Bethlehem, Pa.) from behind the net. The Panthers took a 6-0 lead and a 16-4 shots advantage into the first intermission.
The second period was scoreless until the 16:21 mark when junior Levi Doria (Ripton, Vt.) fed first-year player Darwin Hunt (Winnetka, Ill.) in the slot for a one-timer that found the back of the net. Plattsburgh broke on the board 2:13 into the third period. Nugent's second goal of the game came at 10:17. Nugent and Cooper ended the night with two goals apiece. Sophomore Yen-I Chen (Rigaud, Que.) made nine saves in goal for Middlebury.
First-year player Evgeny Saidachev (Gig Harbor, Wash.) had a hat trick to lead Middlebury to a 6-2 road win at Babson. Four second period goals were the key in the game as Middlebury out shot Babson, 39-17. Helming, Foote and first-year player Brett Shirreffs (Etna, N.H.) were the other goal scorers. Senior Marc Scheuer (Pt. Claire, Que.) made 15 saves in goal.
Cooper broke the record the next day as he scored three goals and assisted on two others in a 9-2 win over UMass.-Boston. Foote and senior John Dawson (New Canaan, Conn.) added two goals apiece in the game, while Doria and senior Brian Clark (Essex, Vt.) each had goals. Chen made 13 saves in goal.
* Men's hockey record: 15-2
* Up next: 2/6 vs. Amherst - 7:00, 2/7 vs. Hamilton - 4:00
The Panther men's basketball team went 2-1 last week as senior Nate Anderson (Hinesburg, Vt.) made history. The senior became just the 14th player in men's basketball history at Middlebury to surpass the 1,000-point plateau. He is the first since Greg Poulos accomplished the feat from '95-'98.
The week began with an 83-74 win at Green Mountain College. Middlebury controlled the boards 50-38 and shot .469 from the floor on the way to the win. Anderson led the team with 24 points and 13 rebounds, senior David Coratti (Pawling, N.Y.) added 15 points, while junior Clark Read (Pepper Pike, Ohio) netted 13.
Middlebury led 18-7 at Colby on three early three-pointers, but the Mules battled back to cut it to four at the break. Colby took the lead in the second half before a 14-3 run gave Middlebury a 10-point lead at the 12:03 mark. The Mules cut the lead to three with 3:03 remaining, but Middlebury made 10-12 free throws down the stretch to seal the win. Anderson led the team with 23 points and 10 boards on 8 of 14 shooting, while junior Simon Behan (Dublin, Ireland) netted 16.
At Bowdoin, .279 percent shooting cost the Panthers as they trailed by 10 at the half and fell 72-48 to the Polar Bears. Anderson scored 13, including the 1,000th of his career in the loss.
* Men's basketball record: 11-7
* Up next: 2/6 vs. Wesleyan - 7:00, 2/7 vs. Conn. College - 3:00
SKI TEAMS WIN SECOND CONSECUTIVE CARNIVAL
After making history last week with the school's first-ever carnival win, the Middlebury College nordic and alpine ski teams repeated that feat as they won the St. Lawrence Carnival last weekend.
The men's nordic team was dominant in the 20K race as they placed skiers 2-5 in the race. Sophomore Garrott Kuzzy (Minneapolis, Minn.) placed second in 1:02:38, 1:09 off the winning pace. Placing third was senior Colin Rodgers (Westford, Vt.) in 1:03:07, followed by senior Marshall Greene (Spokane, Wash.) in fourth (1:03:27) and rookie Dan Skold (Hopkins, Minn.) in fifth (1:03:45).
Middlebury was equally as tough on the women's side, placing three in the top seven. Senior Kate Newick (Canterbury, N.H.) led the pack, winning the race with a time of 54:49, one second ahead of her nearest competitor. Senior Kate Whitcomb (Worthington, Mass.) came in fifth with a time of 55:44, followed by sophomore Claire Anderson (Whitefish, Mont.) in seventh place in 55:53.
In the men's giant slalom race, junior Peter Phillips (New York, N.Y.) led the Middlebury racers with a third place finish in 1:50.83, 1.5 seconds off the winning time. Placing sixth in the race was junior John Rusten (Federal Way, Wash.) in 1:51.23, followed by senior Eric Rygg in eighth (1:51.52). In the slalom race, Rusten placed fourth to lead the pack with a time of 1:40.14, less than three seconds off the winning time. Less than a second behind was sophomore David Coriell (Killington, Vt.) in sixth place (1:40.35) and senior Fred Emich (Littleton, Colo.) in seventh (1:40.74). Rygg rounded out the top finishers in ninth place with a time of 1:41.08.
First-year racer Lindsay Brush (Charlotte, Vt.) led the women's GS team as she placed third in 1:53.45, less than a second off the pace. Senior Laura Scripture (Harrisonburg, Va.) placed 11th overall in 1:55.32, followed by first-year skier Tara Martin (Lyndonville, Vt.) in 16th place (1:56.93). In the slalom, Scripture led the pack in fourth place with a time of 1:39.20, four seconds behind the leader. Placing sixth was junior Jessica Smith (Rockport, Maine) in 1:40.53, while Martin came in 11th in (1:41.91).
* Ski team places first at St. Lawrence
* Up next: 2/6-7 @ UVM Carnival
WOMEN'S HOCKEY WINS THREE
The Panther women's hockey team picked up six points in the NESCAC standings with three wins last week. Middlebury won the three games by a combined score of 20-2, including a pair of shutouts.
At Williams, Middlebury broke open a 3-2 game with three unanswered goals in the third period on their way to the win. Junior Lorna Gifis (Princeton, N.J.) had two goals in the win, while senior Kristin Reid (River Vale, N.J.), sophomores Emily Quizon (Chino Hills, Calif.) and Gloria Velez (S. Windsor, Conn.) and rookie Alison Graddock (Stowe, Vt.) each had goals. First-year player Abby Kurtz-Phelan (Denver, Colo.) had two assists in the game, while sophomore Kate Kogut (Springfield, Mass.) made 16 saves in goal for the shutout.
Middlebury out shot Connecticut College 40-9 as they blanked the Camels, 7-0. First-year player Emily McNamara (N. Hampton, N.H.) scored a pair of goals in the win, while Quizon, Graddock, seniors Jean Butler (W. Hartford, Conn.) and Heather Wende (Moonachie, N.J.) and sophomore Hannah DeLong (Hillandale, New Brunswick) each had solo goals. Quizon dished out three assists in the win, while Gifis and Kurtz-Phelan collected two apiece. Kogut made nine saves in goal.
The Panthers exploded for five third period goals as they defeated Amherst, 7-0. Quizon continued her stellar week with a hat trick in the game, along with two assists. For her 10-point effort on the week, she was named the NESCAC Player of the Week. Kurtz-Phelan, Gifis, sophomore Elizabeth Johnston (Charlestown, Mass.) and first-year player Shannon Tarrant (Brookfield, Conn.) also scored in the game. Gifis also had two assists in the game. Senior Kati Madouros (White Plains, N.Y.) made 10 stops for the shutout.
* Women's hockey record: 13-3
* Up next: 2/3 @ Plattsburgh, 2/6 @ Wesleyan, 2/7 @ Trinity
WOMEN'S SQUASH WINS THREE OF FOUR
The Middlebury College women's squash team returned to action last weekend with four matches at the Mt. Holyoke/Smith Invitational. Middlebury defeated Smith 6-3, topped Franklin & Marshall 8-1 and topped William Smith 6-3, before falling to Mt. Holyoke, 7-2.
Senior Britt Cosgrove (Hunting Valley, Ohio) and sophomore Alexandra Polemis (Old Chatham, N.Y.) led the team on the weekend as they both earned 4-0 records. Juniors Holly Haertel (Greenwich, Conn.) and Kea Anstey (Prides Crossing, Mass.) and sophomore Caitlin Flint (Cohasset, Mass.) also had solid weekends as they each went 3-1. First-year player Hannah Baker (New York, N.Y.) earned a 2-2 record from the #1 spot.
* Women's squash record: 7-4
* Up next: 2/8 vs. Vassar - 1:30
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL WINS TWO OF THREE
The Panther women's basketball team defeated Plattsburgh last week before splitting a pair of NESCAC home games.
Middlebury and Plattsburgh met for the first time since '90-'91 as the Panthers came away with the 64-48 win. An 11-2 second half run was the key as Middlebury took an 18-point lead with 3:42 left in the game. The Panthers held the Cardinals to .246 shooting from the floor, while forcing 20 turnovers. Sophomore Kate Fehsenfeld (Zionsville, Ind.) led the team with 19 points, while senior Alexis Batten (Avalon, N.J.) added 16 points and nine rebounds.
The Panthers then took on Bowdoin, the top-ranked team in the nation with an 18-0 mark coming into Pepin Gym. Middlebury led 22-10 with 5:23 left in the first half, with the defense holding the Polar Bears to 10 points in almost 15 minutes of play. Bowdoin came back and tied the game at 39 with 11:03 remaining in the second half. Bowdoin then held the Panthers scoreless for a 5:12 stretch as they took a 53-44 lead. Middlebury was able to cut the lead to three, but could get no closer as they fell 60-53. Batten led the team with 16, junior Elyse Carlson (Braintree, Mass.) added 14, while junior Alexis Hollinger (New London, N.H.) scored 10 and grabbed 15 boards.
Middlebury bounced back on Saturday as they came from 12 points down in the first half to defeat Colby, 76-67. The Panthers went on a lengthy 26-6 run in the second half over a 10-minute span to take a 56-48 lead, with three three's from Carlson sparking the run. The lead grew to as many as 16 and as few as seven with :23 left to play. Fehsenfeld led the team with 20 points, Carlson scored 17 with seven assists, while Batten added 15 with eight rebounds.
* Women's basketball record: 10-7
* Up next: 2/3 @ Hamilton, 2/6 @ Wesleyan, 2/7 @ Conn. College
SWIM TEAMS FALL AT WILLIAMS
The Middlebury College swimming and diving teams both saw their four-match winning streaks come to an end as they were defeated at Williams. The men's team fell 184-116, while the women lost 181-119.
Four men won events on the day, including junior David Hawkins (Arlington, Va.), who won the 500 free in 22.00. First-year swimmer Tim Lux (Sandy Hook, Conn.) was victorious in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.57), fellow rookie Robert Collier (Catonsville, Md.) won the 200 fly (1:58.13), while sophomore Alex Demas (Norwich, Vt.) won the 200 breaststroke in 2:15.77.
On the women's side, first-year swimmer Barbara Van der Veer (Pittsburgh, Pa.) won two events on the day, while two relay teams made NCAA "B" cuts. Van der Veer won the 50 free (24.83), while making an NCAA "B" cut with a time of 53.41 in the 100 free. The 200-medley relay team of Van der Veer, senior Lizzy DeWitt (Madison, Wis.), sophomore Teague Douglas (York, Pa.) and senior Martha Gobel (New Canaan, Conn.) made a "B" cut with a time of 1:51.28. The 200 free team of Van der Veer, Goebel, DeWitt and Douglas did the same in their event with a time of 1:38.79.
* Women's swim record: 5-2, men's swim record: 5-2
* Up next: 2/4 vs. Dartmouth - 6:00, 2/7 - Middlebury Invitational - 1:00
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