For Release: February 5, 2007
WOMEN’S HOCKEY CONTINUES TO ROLL
The Middlebury College women's hockey team won two more games last week to extend its unbeaten streak to 17 games as the Panthers defeated Williams and St. Anselm.
Senior Abby Kurtz-Phelan (Denver, Colo.) scored two goals and assisted on another as the Middlebury women’s hockey team earned a 6-1 NESCAC win over Williams. Senior Alison Graddock (Stowe, Vt.) opened the scoring as she scored on a wrap-around 7:28 into the game. Caralyn Quan answered for Williams just 42 seconds later as she scored from close range to tie the game at one. Kurtz-Phelan netted a power play goal at 14:37, followed by a goal from sophomore Erika Nakamura (Boston, Mass.) with 1:02 left in the period to give the Panthers a 3-1 lead.
Sophomore Molly Vitt (Kenilworth, Ill.) scored the only goal of the second period, while junior Karen Levin (Morton Grove, Ill.) and Kurtz Phelan added third period goals to seal the win. First-year goaltender Lani Wright (Reading, Mass.) made a dozen saves in goal for Middlebury, while Denise McCulloch made 28 stops for Williams.
Middlebury won a non-league game on Friday as the Panthers picked up a 3-0 shutout win over 17-2 St. Anselm in the Kenyon Arena. Middlebury took a 1-0 lead midway through the second period as Levin fed senior Shannon Tarrant (Brookfield, Conn.), who blasted home a shot from the point. The Panthers made it a 2-0 game at the 14:14 mark as Kurtz-Phelan made a quick move down low to create an open shot after a feed from sophomore Annmarie Cellino (W. Seneca, N.Y.).
The Panthers held onto the 2-0 lead into the third period, when they gained some breathing room at the 8:10 mark. Junior Tania Kenney (Toronto, Ont.) scored the goal for Middlebury as she was able to find the back of the net after a scramble. That would be the game’s final goal as junior Angie Todd (Kent, Wash.) made 21 saves in goal to earn the shutout.
• Women’s hockey record: 16-1-1
• Up next: 2/6 @ Williams, 2/9 @ Amherst, 2/10 @ Conn. College
SKI TEAMS FINISH THIRD AT UVM
The Panther nordic and alpine ski teams made it three straight third place finishes as Middlebury competed at the University of Vermont Carnival. Dartmouth was once again the victor, followed by Vermont, Middlebury and UNH.
In the women’s 15K classical race, senior Jenny Hamilton (Aspen, Colo.) paced the team with a third place finish in 52:24. Finishing in eighth place with a time of 54:06 was sophomore Cassidy Edwards (Glen Arbor, Mich.), followed by senior Elizabeth Torkelson (Norwich, Vt.) in 10th place (54:24).
Hamilton, rookie Claire Luby (St. Paul, Minn.) and sophomore Cassidy Edwards (Glen Arbor, Mich.) were impressive in the 3x6 freestyle relay race, winning the event with a time of 52:16. The team of Torkelson, sophomore Robyn Anderson (Stowe, Vt.) and first-year racer Lauren Fritz (Chugiak, Alaska) finished fourth with a time of 55:02.
Sophomore Simeon Hamilton (Aspen, Colo.) was the men’s top finisher in the 20K classical race, placing sixth overall with a time of 1:02.06. Junior Matt Johnson (Anchorage, Alaska) was next in 19th place in 1:04.54.2, followed closely by junior Jimmy Ades (Shelburne, Vt.) in 20th (1:05.54.7). The top 3x6 freestyle relay team for the men was comprised of Hamilton, Johnson and sophomore Tim Reynolds (Bristol, Vt.), who placed second with a time of 44:02.
On the alpine side, senior Lindsay Brush (Charlotte, Vt.) was Middlebury’s top finisher in the GS race, placing third in 2:25.14. Finishing in ninth place was sophomore Mattie Ford (Plymouth, N.H.) in 2:26.99, followed by sophomore Tucker Burton (Breckenridge, Colo.) in 10th (2:27).
Senior Tara Martin (Lyndonville, Vt.) turned in a great performance in Saturday’s GS event, winning the race with a time of 1:57.39. Junior Krissy Poehling (LaCrosse, Wis.) finished the race in ninth place (1:59.24), followed by Burton in 11th (1:59.69).
Sophomore Andrew Wagner (Traverse City, Mich.) was the top finisher for the men in Friday’s GS race, placing fourth with a time of 2:17.04. Junior Alec Tarberry (N. Conway, N.H.) was next in seventh place (2:17.57), followed by first-year racer Jonathan Hunter (McAfee, N.J.) in 15th (2:19.51).
Wagner was tops again on day two, finishing fifth overall in 1:51.78. Middlebury’s next finisher wasn’t until the 26th spot, where Hunter finished with a time of 2:01.57. Tarberry was Middlebury’s other scorer in 34th place with a time of 2:37.67.
• Ski team places third at UVM Carnival
• Up next: 2/9-10 @ Dartmouth Carnival
WOMEN’S SQUASH COMPETES AT NESCAC TOURNEY
The Middlebury College women’s squash team competed in the NESCAC Tournament over the weekend with several nationally ranked teams. The #15 Panthers opened with a tight 5-4 loss to Bowdoin in the second round. Middlebury then bounced back to defeat Amherst 6-3 and Colby 5-4 in the consolation round.
Earning perfect 3-0 records over the weekend were senior Hannah Baker (New York, N.Y.) and first-year player Elisabeth McMorris (New York, N.Y.). Seniors Sarah Hatfield (Barrington, R.I.) and Elizabeth Parker (Greenwich, Conn.), along with sophomore Caroline Woodworth (Princeton, N.J.) and first-year player Brooke Beatt (W. Hartford, Conn.) each went 2-1.
• Women’s squash record: 11-5
• Up next: 2/16 @ Howe Cup
SWIM TEAMS COMPETE AT M.I.T.
The Panther swimming and diving teams were in action in a non-scoring meet at M.I.T. on Friday and Saturday. Junior Marika Ross (Shorewood, Wis.) and first-year racer Yu Wang (Beijing, China) each won a pair of races to lead the women. Ross won the 200 fly in 2:07.69, while capturing the 500 free with a time of 5:06.81. Yu was a winner in the 200 free in 1:58.13, while capturing the 200 back in 2:12.48.
Junior Sara Cowie (N. Palm Beach, Fla.) was a winner in the 1000 free (10:36.06), sophomore Catherine Suppan (Burlington, Vt.) won the 200 IM (2:15.74), while junior Pam Chatikavanij (Bangkok, Thailand) earned a win in the 100 free (54.30).
Sophomore Zach Woods (Monroe, N.Y.) was one of three men to earn wins on the weekend, finishing the 100 back with a time of 53.15. Senior Rob Collier (Catonsville, Md.) won the 200 IM (1:58.05), while senior Michael Young (Leawood, Kansas) won the three-meter diving competition with 279.85.
• Women’s swim record: 6-1, men’s swim record: 6-1
• Up next: 2/16-18 @ NESCAC Champ. (women @ Williams)
MEN’S HOCKEY HAS 1-1 WEEK
The Middlebury College men’s hockey team had a 1-1 week as they defeated St. Michael’s before falling to Norwich on Sunday.
Middlebury scored three third period goals and was able to hold on despite a late surge from St. Michael's at they picked up a 3-2 road win.
For the Panthers, junior Mickey Gilchrist (Ottawa, Ont.) scored a power play goal and added an assist, while senior John Sales (Downington, Pa.) and first-year player Charlie Townsend (Pennington, N.J.) posted a goal apiece. Sophomore goaltender Doug Reader (Needham, Mass.), made 19 saves in net with nine coming in the third period.
Saint Michael's struck first with a power play goal as the shot went off the shoulder of the goaltender and into the net. The Purple Knights continued to play tough defense in the second period, killing off a five minute major and a two minute 5-on-3 advantage for Middlebury.
Middlebury evened the score at one two minutes into the third on a power play goal from Sales when he beat the goaltender after a lengthy rush on the net from the Panthers. Middlebury went up 2-1, after Smith made an initial save, but Townsend controlled the puck and tucked it between Smith's pads from the slot for the score.
Middlebury added another goal on the power play just 30 seconds later on a goal from Gilchrist. Saint Michael's got back in the game with Hall's second of the game when he fired a slapshot from the blue line through traffic and into the top of net. The Purple Knights pulled the goalie with 47 seconds remaining, but could not get the equalizer as Middlebury edged out the victory.
Middlebury was shutout for just the fourth time in its last 183 games as the Panthers dropped a 3-0 contest at Norwich. The game was televised nationally on ESPNU.
The first period saw few scoring opportunities for both teams, with shots tied at five apiece. Norwich scored the only goal of the stanza with 52 seconds remaining, as Nikita Kashirsky took advantage of a Middlebury turnover, dodged an opponent, and scored falling to the ice with a shot from the slot.
Norwich came out strong early on in the second period, with a pair of power play opportunities in the first 4:16 of the period. The Cadets took advantage of the first one as Kashirsky scored his second of the game, this time from the right face-off circle to make it a 2-0 game at 1:08. The Cadets continued to pepper the net, with junior Ross Cherry (Basking Ridge, N.J.) equal to the task, stopping several quality shots. Middlebury had an ineffective power play at 7:28, with the Cadets putting on a surge late in the period.
Middlebury had some decent scoring opportunities in the third, but could not slide one past David Thompson, who was playing in relief of the injured Chance Gieni. The Cadets gained some breathing room at 14:09 as James Duhammel scored with a slapper from the right face-off circle. Middlebury had one last chance to break up the shutout at 17:41, but the Panthers were unable to find the back of the net.
Cherry ended the day with 25 saves for the Panthers, while Gieni and Thompson combined to make 25 stops for Norwich.
• Men’s hockey record: 11-7-2
• Up next: 2/9 vs. UMass.-Boston – 7:00, 2/10 vs. Babson – 4:00
MEN’S BASKETBALL GOES 1-2
The Panther men’s basketball team dropped a game at Norwich before coming home to earn a split in a pair of NESCAC games.
Norwich's Jerrold Williams hit four straight free throws and Middlebury went scoreless over the final three minutes as the Cadets came from four-points down to defeat the Panthers, 61-57 at Andrews Hall.
Middlebury took a 52-48 lead on a lay-up from junior Mike Walsh (Needham, Mass.) with five minutes remaining before Norwich tied the game twice over the final four minutes of the contest. The score was knotted at 57 all with 39 seconds remaining when Williams put the Cadets ahead for good. Middlebury missed a three-point shot with six seconds to play, which would have tied the game. NU's Scott DuPont added an insurance free throw with three seconds to cap the scoring.
Junior Andrew Harris (Waterbury Center, Vt.) led Middlebury with 12 points, first-year player Tim Edwards (Greenwich, Conn.) added 10 with nine rebounds, while senior Evan Thompson (New York, N.Y.) scored 10.
Thompson scored a career-high 35 points on 11 of 14 shooting from the floor as Middlebury won a shootout over Tufts, 102-91. The 35 points in a game are the most since Joey Faucher scored 42 on 1/16/97.
Leading 16-13 at the 14:18 mark of the first half, Middlebury went on a 14-5 run to take a 30-19 lead with 10:37 left in the half. Thompson and Edwards each had a two and a three during the run. Tufts cut the lead to five before the Panthers closed the first half on a 10-3 run to take a 54-44 lead at the intermission.
Middlebury led by as many as 14 in the second half, with Tufts not letting the game get away. The Jumbos battled back with a 6-0 spurt at the 6:26 mark, cutting the lead to 83-78. Senior Wil Hyatt (Amesbury, Mass.) answered the run with a three for the Panthers, while Tufts would not hit a field goal for the game’s next 3:36. The Panthers sunk five of six free throws in the game’s final 43 seconds to seal the win.
Middlebury placed four other players in double figures on the night, behind Thompson’s 35-point effort. Sophomore Ben Rudin (Scarsdale, N.Y.) scored 17 with seven assists, Hyatt netted 14, Harris scored 13, while sophomore Aaron Smith (W. Hartford, Conn.) added 11. Middlebury shot .523 from the floor on the night, as they broke the 100-point mark for the fifth time this season.
Bates shot 63 percent from the floor in the first half, jumping out to a big lead and never looking back, as the Bobcats handed Middlebury an 81-48 loss.
Bates came out on fire, taking a 15-4 lead behind a pair of three’s from Rob Stockwell. Middlebury cut the lead to seven before Bates hit 10 of its next 11 shots from the floor to take a 34-15 lead with 7:41 left in the first half. The Bobcats would go into the intermission with a 50-27 lead, hitting 6 of 8 three’s, while Middlebury went 1-8 from behind the arc.
Middlebury’s shooting woes continued in the second half, as the Panthers made just 5 of 23 shots from the floor. Bates shot 37% in the second half, but it was more than enough as they never led by less than 20.
Stockwell was one of four Bates players in double figures, leading the team with 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting, with eight rebounds. Edwards paced Middlebury with 11, while Smith and Harris scored six points apiece.
• Men’s basketball record: 13-8
• Up next: 2/6 @ Plattsburgh, 2/9 @ Wesleyan, 2/10 @ Conn. College
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL DROPS THREE
The Middlebury College women’s basketball team had a tough week as they fell at home to Hamilton before dropping a pair of NESCAC games on the road.
Hamilton shot .483 from the floor in the second half as they picked up a 58-56 non-league win at Middlebury’s Pepin Gym. Middlebury held a 5-2 lead early with junior Lani Young (Concord, N.H.) controlling the boards with six in the game’s first three minutes. The lead grew to as many as nine in the first half with Hamilton battling back to make it a 25-20 game at the half.
The Panthers went on a 7-0 run, sparked by five points from sophomore Emily Johnson (Lower Gwynedd, Pa.), at the 15:29 mark of the second half to take a 36-25 lead. Hamilton answered the run with an 11-0 spurt of their own to tie the game at 36 with 10:33 remaining. Pumla Sathula and Madelyn McGuinnis each scored four points during the 2:13 run.
The game would be tied four more times, with the contest knotted at 50 with 3:45 remaining. Hamilton scored the game’s next five points, to take a 55-50 lead with 54 seconds left to play. A Johnson three cut the lead to 56-53, but the Panthers were unable to foul Hamilton until there were just four seconds remaining. Following a pair of free throws from Molly Kane, Johnson hit a three at the buzzer to make it a 58-56 final.
Johnson scored a game-high 18 for the Panthers, sophomore Ashley Barron (Brockton, Mass.) netted 16, while junior Katie Fisher (Oakland, Calif.) scored 12. Young grabbed a game-high 13 boards, while sophomore Aylie Baker (Yarmouth, Maine) had 10.
Middlebury dropped to 2-4 in NESCAC play as the Panthers dropped a 61-50 game at Tufts on Friday night. Middlebury returns to action at Bates on Saturday. Tufts stormed to a 26-6 lead in the first half and withstood a Middlebury comeback attempt in the second half to record the win.
Valerie Krah hit a three-pointer at 9:31 of the first half to give the Jumbos a 22-6 lead. Jenna Gomez added 14 points to the Jumbo attack, while Laura Jasinski finished with eight points and 11 rebounds.
Young had 12 points to lead the visitors. Fisher was the only other Panther in double figures with 10 points. Baker had six points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Middlebury finished just 19 for 68 from the floor (27.9 percent) including 4 for 20 (20%) from three-point territory.
The Jumbos owned two 20-point leads in the first half. They sprinted to a 7-0 lead and then used a 19-4 stretch to go ahead 26-6 with 3:27 to play until halftime. They would lead 29-9 with 90 seconds until halftime and were up 31-15 at the break.
Middlebury showed resiliency in the second half, coming out of the locker room with a 13-3 run that got them within six at 34-28 on a three-pointer by Johnson at 15:41. Five different Panthers contributed to the stretch. The Jumbos stopped the spurt with six straight points of their own to lead 40-28 at the 10-minute mark.
Tufts pushed the margin to 16 points, 46-30, at 8:06 on a lay-up by Krah. However, the Panthers again hung tough and were within seven points, 51-44, with three minutes to go. Young had eight points during that 14-5 streak for the visitors. The Jumbos were able to keep Middlebury at bay with a five-point swing, and went on to the victory.
Val Beckwith scored a game-high 21 points and Lauren Yanofsky added 19 as Bates edged Middlebury on Saturday, 70-65, for its fourth straight New England Small College Athletic Conference victory.
Sarah Barton flirted with a triple-double for Bates, collecting eight points and nine rebounds while dishing out 11 assists.
Middlebury out-rebounded Bates by a 48-38 margin, but the Panthers only went to the foul line 10 times, hitting eight, while the Bobcats went 18-for-24.
Johnson led the Panthers with 19 points and five assists to go with seven rebounds. Fisher added 14 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Young contributed 11 points and nine rebounds before fouling out in the final minute of play.
The Panthers went on a 13-7 spurt over the first five minutes of the second half to take a 44-38 lead, but Bates quickly evened the game at 44.
A 17-4 Bates run in the middle of the second half, capped by a three-pointer by Yanofsky, opened up a 61-52 lead with 5:59 left to play. Middlebury closed the gap to 61-59 with 3:13 left on a Young lay-up, but Bates hit 9-of-11 foul shots down the stretch to stave off the Panthers.
• Women’s basketball record: 10-11
• Up next: 2/6 @ Plattsburgh, 2/9 vs. Wesleyan – 7:00, 2/10 vs. Conn. College – 3:00
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