For Release: January 21, 2008
MEN’S BASKETBALL IMPROVES TO 13-2 ON THE SEASON
The Middlebury College men’s basketball team is in the midst of an impressive season as they won three more games last week to improve to 13-2 on the season, 2-0 in NESCAC play. The Panthers defeated Johnson early in the week, before winning at Colby and Bowdoin for the first time since the ’88-89 season. Middlebury received votes in the national rankings last week and could crack the top 25 in this week’s poll.
The week began with a 93-76 victory at Johnson State College on Tuesday behind a career-high 28 points from Kyle Dudley (Scarsdale, N.Y.). The junior went 10-14 from the floor, including 6-7 from 3-point range, to give the Panthers the offensive boost.
The Panthers took a seven-point halftime lead when sophomore Tim Edwards (Greenwich, Conn.) drilled a three to end the first half to make it 44-37. Middlebury kept at least a five-point margin throughout the second half and pulled away when Dudley and Edwards connected on consecutive three-pointers as the Panthers finished 11-15 (73%) from the arc for the game and 7-7 (100%) in the second half.
Edwards finished with 20 points for Middlebury while junior Aaron Smith (W. Hartford, Conn.) tossed in 19 and junior Ben Rudin (Scarsdale, N.Y.) chipped in with 12 points.
First-year player Ashton Coghlan (New York, N.Y.) scored 19 points off the bench to lift Middlebury to a 65-60 win at Colby in the NESCAC opener for both teams. Coghlan had 11 of his 19 points in the opening half to help the Panthers battle back from a deficit. The Mules led 26-21 with 4:39 remaining in the half, but Middlebury went on a 14-3 run to hold a 35-29 lead at the intermission.
The Panthers led by as many as 12 points at 52-40 with 11:18 remaining in the game. Colby chipped away at the lead and trailed 62-59 with 1:03 to play. Smith hit two free throws with 46 seconds left to give his team a 64-59 margin and seal the win.
Smith finished with 15 points and six rebounds, while senior Mike Walsh (Needham, Mass.) had 12 points and seven boards. Edwards added 10 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots.
Middlebury completed a weekend sweep in Maine, defeating Bowdoin 69-52 in NESCAC action on Saturday. The Panthers grabbed an eight-point lead at intermission thanks to strong inside play. Smith, Walsh and rookie Andrew Locke (Seattle, Wash.) combined for 17 points and 12 rebounds in the opening stanza to give the visitors a 31-23 edge at the break.
Bowdoin managed to cut the lead to four points on a 5-0 spurt early in the second period as Andrew Sargeantson's lay-in with 16:19 remaining trimmed the lead to 35-31. However, the Panthers rolled off a decisive 18-5 run over the next eight minutes to put the game out of reach. When Coghlan buried a three-pointer from the wing with 8:32 to go, Middlebury had increased their lead to 17 points, 53-36.
The Panthers iced the game at the charity stripe, connecting on 10 of 13 free-throws in the second half to put the game away. Middlebury was led by 15 points and 11 rebounds from Walsh while Rudin posted 14 points and four steals. Smith (13) and Coghlan (10) also saw double-digits for the Panthers, who shot 50.0% (26-52) for the game and held an impressive 41-24 edge on the glass.
• Men’s basketball record: 13-2
•Up next: 1/25 vs. Amherst – 7:00, 1/26 vs. Trinity – 2:00
MEN’S HOCKEY WINS THREE NESCAC GAMES
The Panther men’s hockey team improved its winning streak to eight games as they picked up three NESCAC wins last week. Senior Mickey Gilchrist (Ottawa, Ont.) converted a Trevor Dodds (Hanover, N.H.) pass with only 2:23 remaining, lifting Middlebury to a 2-1 road win at Williams on Tuesday night. The Panthers out-shot the Ephs 42-20 on the night, as Panther junior goaltender Doug Raeder (Needham, Mass.) made 19 saves to earn the win.
Williams took a 1-0 lead when an errant Panther pass was intercepted by Brian Malchoff who scored at the 6:16 mark of the period with Alex Smigelski and Greg Schultz assisting.
Middlebury tied the game with a power play goal with just 16 seconds remaining in the second period by senior Tom Maldonado (Bronx, N.Y.)
Neither team could gain the edge in the third period, until Gilchrist’s game-winner late in the game.
Middlebury scored five straight goals in the second period on its way to a 9-4 win over Bowdoin in Kenyon Arena. The Panthers trailed the Polar Bears 2-1 after one period, but scored 8 of the game’s next 9 goals to earn the win. Middlebury scored 9 goals on 17 shots on the night, but were outshot 20-17.
Middlebury took a 1-0 lead just 4:06 into the game on a goal from senior Casey Ftorek (Wolfeboro, N.H.). Bowdoin answered at the 10:54 mark as Mike Collins tipped in a shot from Mike Westerman for a power play goal. The Polar Bears took a 2-1 advantage with another power play goal with 3:57 left in the period. Westerman’s shot from the left point bounced high in front of Middlebury senior goaltender Ross Cherry (Basking Ridge, N.J.), who was unable to stop the puck as it slipped by for a goal. The Polar Bears ended the period with a 5-4 shots advantage.
The second period started with a flurry on a pair of goals in the first 1:06. Bowdoin took a 3-1 lead as Colin MacCormick converted a breakaway just 29 seconds in. Middlebury answered 37 seconds later as first-year player Ken Suchoski (Bear Creek Township, Pa.) fed Dodds on a two-on-one, as Dodds snapped a shot over the shoulder of Bowdoin netminder Chris Rossi. Gilchrist hit the post at the seven-minute mark, before senior Scott Bartlett (Pittsford, N.Y.) converted a power play goal on a failed clear to tie the game at three at 9:20. Cherry kept it a 3-3 game for Middlebury as he denied Leland Fidler with great glove save at 10:12.
The Panthers kept up the pressure, scoring three goals in the game’s next 2:34 to take a 6-3 lead after two. Junior Jamie McKenna (Lake Placid, N.Y.) fed Ftorek for a quick shot from the high slot for the first goal, before Gilchrist held the puck skating in front of the crease before snapping a shot past Rossi. First-year player John Sullivan (Delmar, N.Y.) scored the third goal of the spurt with a rocket from just above the left circle.
McKenna made it a 7-3 game for Middlebury in the third, before Westerman answered for Bowdoin with a rocket from the right side. Gilchrist scored with some nifty moves at 9:58, before McKenna found the back of the net with a feed from Maldonado at the 12:54 mark. McKenna ended the night with two goals and three assists, while Gilchrist and Ftorek each netted a pair.
Cherry ended the night with 16 saves to earn the win, while Rossi made eight for Bowdoin.
Middlebury wrapped up the week with a 4-1 win over Colby. The Panthers outshot the Mules 35-19 on the night, taking over sole possession of first place in the NESCAC with a 7-1-1 mark in league play. Colby moves to 7-6 overall, 6-3 in the league.
Middlebury took a 1-0 lead midway into the first period with some nice passing on a transition goal. McKenna carried the puck through the zone and dropped a pass to Maldonado on the left wing, who snapped a shot into the back of the net. Colby tied the game later in the period on the power play as Josh Reber found T.J. Kelley, who scored from the left side. The Panthers ended the period with an 11-4 shots advantage.
The Panthers took a 2-1 lead just 1:59 into the second period, as rookie Bryan Curran (Wilmette, Ill.) scored on a rebound after a shot from junior Jack Kinder (Shaker Heights, Ohio) was saved. Middlebury increased the lead to 3-1 at 11:40 as Maldonado sent a puck toward the goal that was finished by sophomore Charlie Townsend (Pennington, N.J.). Raeder kept it a 3-1 game with one minute left in the period with a pair of nice saves on Reber and Billy Crinnion.
Middlebury opened up some breathing room with 6:01 remaining as Gilchrist finished a shot after saves were made on McKenna and Maldonado by Cody McKinney.
Raeder ended the day with 18 saves to earn the win, while McKinney made 31 stops for Colby.
• Men’s hockey record: 11-2-1
•Up next: 1/25 @ St. Anselm, 1/26 @ N.E.C.
SKI TEAMS WITH ANOTHER SOLID FINISH
The Middlebury College ski teams earned a second place finish at the St. Lawrence Carnival. Dartmouth won the event (587.5), followed by Middlebury (555), UVM (527.5) and UNH (459). Andrew Wagner led the Panthers with a win in the slalom.
The men’s nordic team was impressive in the 10K freestyle race, placing three of the top six racers. First-year racer Patrick Johnson (Anchorage, Alaska) finished the race in second place, six seconds off the winning pace with a time of 24:32. Placing fifth in the event was junior Tim Reynolds (Bristol, Vt.) in 24:55, followed by junior Simeon Hamilton (Aspen, Colo.) in sixth (24:58). Johnson paced the team in the 20K classical, finishing ninth with a time of 55:27. Rookie Graham Egan (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) finished the race in 16th place (56:11), followed by sophomore Mike Mommsen (St. Louis Park, Minn.) in 43rd (58:33).
On the women’s side, first-year racer Alexa Turzian (Hailey Idaho) placed third in the 5K freestyle (13:58) and fourth in the 15K classical (41:47). Junior Cassidy Edwards (Glen Arbor, Mich.) placed sixth in the 5K (14:19), followed by sophomore Claire Luby (St. Paul, Minn.) in 12th (14:44). Rookie Sophie McClelland (Keene Valley, N.Y.) placed eighth (43:11), while sophomore Lauren Fritz (Chugiak, Alaska) came in 15th (44:09) to round out the scorers in the 15K race.
Senior Megan Hughes (Killington, Vt.) led the Middlebury women in the GS, placing third with a combined time of 2:07.03. Rookie Lindsay Kraft (Coldstream, B.C.) placed sixth in the race (2:07.56), followed by junior Mattie Ford (Plymouth, N.H.) in eighth (2:08.34). Junior Tucker Burton (Breckenridge, Colo.) was the top finisher in the slalom, placing sixth overall with a time of 1:31.86. Ford finished the race in eighth place (1:32.29), followed by senior Krissie Poehling (LaCrosse, Wis.) in 11th (1:32.54).
Junior Andrew Wagner (Traverse City, Mich.) may have turned in the top performance of the weekend, winning the slalom in 1:23.96, while placing third in the GS with a time of 2:02.30. Senior Joseph Swensson (Niantic, Conn.) placed seventh in the GS (2:02.95) and 10th in the slalom (1:26.50), while senior Brooks Heise (Higganum, Conn.) was Middlebury’s third scorer in the GS, placing 20th in 2:04.94. First-year racer Jacob Lund (Hudson, Wis.) rounded out the team’s scorers in the slalom, finishing 13th in 1:26.71.
• Ski team finishes second at St. Lawrence
•Up next: 2/1-2 @ UVM Carnival
MEN’S SQUASH WITH SOLID WEEKEND
The Panther men’s squash team won three of four matches in its second straight trip to Yale this past weekend. Middlebury defeated Colby 6-3, while falling to Denison 5-4, before topping Northwestern 8-1 and Connecticut College 7-2. Earlier in the week, the squad suffered a 6-3 loss to St. Lawrence.
First-year player William Piekos (Hamden, Conn.) earned a perfect 4-0 mark on the weekend to pace the squad, as did sophomore Micah Wood (Tacoma, Wash.). Senior Will Carroll (Ossining, N.Y.) sophomore Eliot Jia (Bejing, China) and Simon Keyes (Concord, Mass.) and first-year player Brian Cady (Rye, N.Y.) each went 3-1 on the weekend.
For complete results see: http://www.middlebury.edu/athletics/sports/mens/squash/2007-2008/news/news_633365123452113773.htm
• Men’s squash record: 8-5
•Up next: 1/22 vs. Vermont, 1/26 @ Williams, 1/26 vs. Haverford (Vassar), 1/27 @ Vassar
WOMEN’S HOCKEY EXTENDS STREAK
The Middlebury College women’s hockey team extended its unbeaten streak to 12 games (10-0-2) as they played three NESCAC contests last week. Middlebury exploded for six goals in the first 6:13 of the third period to break open a 1-1 tie on its way to a 7-1 win over Williams. The game saw Middlebury head coach Bill Mandigo facing his daughter Erin, a rookie on the Williams squad.
Following a scoreless first period, Williams took a 1-0 lead on a power play goal just 22 seconds into the second period. Kat O’Brien scored the goal as her shot slipped past a screened rookie goaltender, Lexi Bloom (Highland Park, Ill.). Middlebury answered at 3:40 as senior Karen Levin (Morton Grove, Ill.) finished a goal from the right side.
The Panthers opened up the game early in the third with six goals, including four in a 1:15 span. Junior Erika Nakamura (Boston, Mass.) scored on a rebound after a shot from the left point by senior Lacey Farrell (Greenwich, Conn.) was saved. Sophomore Jessica Bennett (Surrey, B.C.) followed, as she lifted a backhander from the right side of the crease. First-year player Anna McNally (St. Paul, Minn.) scored the third goal, finishing a rebound after a pair of shots were saved by Denise McCulloch. The duo switched spots 12 seconds later for a 5-1 lead, before sophomore Heather McCormack (Rowley, Mass.) scored with a wrister from the left wing. Farrell scored the final goal of the spurt with a feed from junior Molly Vitt (Kenilworth, Ill.).
Seven different players scored goals in the game, with Farrell picking up three helpers. Bloom ended the game with 10 saves, while McCulloch and Elizabeth Laurin combined to make 34 saves for the Ephs.
Middlebury snapped Trinity's seven-game winning streak, as the Panthers earned a 2-0 road win. Sophomore Ashley Bairos (Van Nuys, Calif.) was the only player to score in the game, collecting two goals in the contest. Her first came at 15:23 of the first period, while the final goal of the game came on the power play at 7:35 of the third. The Bantams, who outshot the Panthers 25-20, were unable to solve sophomore Lani Wright (Reading Mass.), who made 25 saves to complete the shutout for Middlebury. Isabel Iwachiw made 18 saves in net for the Batnams.
Junior Randi Dumont (Greene, Maine) scored a power play goal with the netminder pulled with 18 seconds remaining to earn a 2-2 tie at Trinity. The tie snapped a 16-game losing streak for the Bantams against visiting Middlebury. Trinity, ranked No. 9 in the nation, is now 9-2-2 overall and 5-2-1 in the NESCAC. The Bantams had lost 16 straight games to Middlebury by a combined score of 100-6 and had been shut out by Middlebury the last six times by a combined count of 37-0. The Panthers, ranked No. 2 nationally are now 11-1-2 overall and 6-0-2 in the league.
Michelle Chee assisted on both Trinity goals, as the Bantams opened the scoring 15:13 into the second period when Emmy Handy scored a power play goal on a rebound. Middlebury answered in the final minute of the second, winning a face-off in its own end and pushing the puck up to Nakamura, who deposited a wrist shot from the left wing into the lower right corner of the Trinity net.
Chee and Britney McKenna assisted Kim Weiss on the go-ahead goal just 22 seconds into the final period, and goalie Isabel Iwachiw stopped Vitt on a one-on-one breakaway early in the third.
Middlebury increased its intensity midway through the period, out-shooting the Bantams 10-0 over the last 10 minutes of regulation, before tying the game.
Bloom stopped all five to finish with 27 saves in the game, while Iwachiw had 29 stops for the Bantams
• Women’s hockey record: 11-1-2
•Up next: 1/ 23 @ St. Anselm
SWIM TEAMS MOVE TO 5-1 WITH WINS OVER
HAMILTON
The Panther swimming and diving teams both picked up wins over Hamilton this weekend in the Middlebury College Natatorium. The men were 171-110 winners, while the women picked up a 166-122 victory.
The 400 freestyle relay team comprised of senior Pam Chatikavanij (Bangkok, Thailand), rookie Emily McDonald (Glenwood Springs, Colo.), junior Catherine Suppan (Burlington, Vt.) and senior Marika Ross (Shorewood, Wis.) made an NCAA “B” cut, by winning the event with a time of 3:34.44. McDonald, Ross, Suppan and rookie Alyssa Ha (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.) won the 400 medley relay with a time of 4:00.77. Chatikavanij also picked up a win in the 100 free with a time of 53.60.
Ross broke the pool record with a time of 57.16 in the 100 fly (“B” cut), while making an NCAA “A” cut in the 200 fly (2:06). Suppan’s win with a time of 1:08.15 in the 100 backstroke was a “B” cut performance. Senior divers Alanna Hanson (Golden Bridge, N.Y.)-253.64 and Brooke Siem (Reno, Nev.)-243.90 both made NCAA consideration standards.
On the men’s side, sophomore John Dillon (Wellesley, Mass.) made an NCAA “B” cut with a time of 1:53.87 en route to capturing the 200 fly. The 400 free relay team of Dillon, senior Peter Bell (Deerfield, Mass.), junior Zach Woods (Monroe, N.Y.) and sophomore Schuyler Beeman (Guilford, Conn.) set a new pool record with a time of 3:15.10.
• Women’s swim record: 5-1, men’s swim record: 5-1
• Up next: 1/26 vs. Union – 2:00
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HAS 1-1 WEEK
The Middlebury College women’s basketball team opened NESCAC play this weekend with a pair of home games. Trailing 62-61 with just five seconds remaining in the game, senior Lani Young’s (Concord, N.H.) lay-up and free throw lifted Middlebury past Colby 64-62 in the NESCAC opener for both teams on Friday night at Pepin Gym. Young’s late game heroics overshadowed a stellar 27-point performance by Colby’s Alison Cappelloni.
In the first half, Colby took an early 8-2 advantage by the 16:49 mark before Middlebury answered with an 8-0 run to lead 9-8 with 13:35 left. The remainder of the half saw seven more lead changes as the Panthers took a 30-28 lead into the break.
The Panthers rushed out to a 38-28 lead by the 17:27 mark in the second half on a 9-0 run, highlighted by senior Katie Fisher’s (Oakland, Calif.) six points. The Mules chipped away at the lead during the next 10 minutes, finally regaining the advantage 51-50 with 5:50 left in the half. Trailing 62-58 with just over a minute remaining, Fisher hit a three, pulling the Panthers within one, 62-61. With only 27 seconds left, Colby turned the ball over on an in-bounds pass setting up Young’s game-winner. The Mules did manage to launch a three-pointer from 25 feet out in the final moments, but it sailed off the mark, preserving the 64-62 victory.
Young led Middlebury with 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Fisher chipped in 13 and junior Ashley Barron (Brockton, Mass.) scored 11.
Middlebury fought back to tie the game in the final five seconds of play against Bowdoin, but fell to the Polar Bears 54-51 on a last-second lay-up and free throw by Alexa Kaubris.
Middlebury, who never trailed in the first half, jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, highlighted by a pair of buckets by Fisher, before extending it to 22-12 at the 4:58 mark. Bowdoin battled back with an 11-3 run, including five points by Kaubris, to close out the half trailing 25-23.
After an early hoop by the Panthers in the second half, the Polar Bears’ Caitlin Hynes scored the next five of her game-high 21 points, giving Bowdoin a 28-27 lead with 18:12 remaining in the game. The teams exchanged the lead eight more times before the final minute of play.
Trailing 51-48 with 17 seconds left, sophomore Kaitlyn Fallon’s (Swarthmore, Pa.) free throw cut the Polar Bear lead to two. An errant in-bounds pass by Bowdoin led to the game-tying lay-up by Fisher with only five seconds on the clock. With no timeouts remaining, the Polar Bears got the ball to Kaubris at mid-court and she drove down the right side of the lane for the game-winning lay-up and foul shot with one second remaining. The Panthers could not get a shot off as time expired.
Middlebury was paced by Young’s 10 points and seven rebounds, while rookie Lauren Sanchez (Seattle, Wash.) added nine points off the bench.
• Women’s basketball record: 9-5
•Up next: 1/22 @ Hamilton, 1/25 @ Amherst – 7:00, 1/26 @ Trinity – 2:00
WOMEN’S SQUASH COMPETES AT YALE
The Panther women’s squash team played five matches last week, including an 8-1 win over St. Lawrence to start the week. Middlebury spent its second straight weekend at Yale, going 2-2. Middlebury lost to Bates 9-0 and Bowdoin 8-1, before bouncing back with a 9-0 win over Franklin & Marshall and a 6-3 victory over Connecticut College.
Senior Olivia Kerr (Beverly Farms, Mass.) suffered just one loss on the week, earning a 3-1 mark for the Panthers. Seniors Ellie Buechner (Newport, R.I.) and Brooke Farquhar (Sandy Spring, Md.), junior Sarah Hatfield (Barrington, R.I.) and sophomores Lee McKenna (Weybridge, Vt.) and Brooke Beatt (W. Hartford, Conn.) each earned 3-2 marks.
For complete results, see: http://www.middlebury.edu/athletics/sports/womens/squash/2007-2008/news/news_633365113667801393.htm
• Women’s squash record: 5-5
•Up next: 1/26 @ Williams, 1/26 vs. Haverford (Vassar), 1/27 @ Vassar
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