Ephs drop 7-1 decision to Middlebury

- February 08, 2008

WILLIAMSTOWN – The Williams women's ice hockey team suffered a 7-1 loss to number one Middlebury College this evening at the Lansing Chapman Rink. The Ephs drop to 1-15-2 on the season, while the Panthers (15-1-2) extend their unbeaten streak to 16 games.

Starting the game strong, Middlebury remained on the offensive for most of the first period. The Eph defense, however, held tough, with senior goaltender Denise McCulloch making several great saves in goal. The Panthers finally found the back of the net with 39 seconds left to play. Scoring on a breakaway, Annmarie Cellino was assisted by Anna McNally and Andrea Buono.

Continuing to put pressure on the Ephs in the second period, Heather McCormack and Ashley Bairos successfully executed a 2-on-1 to collect a second goal for Middlebury at 11:25. Despite getting off three great shots in the next minute, the Ephs were unable to answer. Instead, Middlebury came back to tally its third goal of the game at 12:26 when Cellino netted an assist from McNally and Buono. The Panthers extended their lead to four when McNally connected on a rebound at the 17:57 mark. Collecting assists on the short-handed goal were Karen Levin and Cellino. Middlebury managed to notch another goal just before the buzzer for a 5-0 lead going into the third period. Scoring on the power play, McNally was assisted by McCormack and Bairos.

Middlebury scored early in the third period when McNally dished the puck to Cellino who fired on goal and then tapped in her own rebounded shot. First year Allison Page put the Ephs on the board at 12:03 when she converted an Erin Mandigo assist. Capitalizing on an Eph penalty, Erika Nakamura, assisted by Randi Dumont and McCormack, scored an additional goal for the Panthers at 14:27, for a final score of 7-1.

"Middlebury is a good team. They move the puck well and they played great tonight. I'm proud of my group for their persistence and for finishing it off. We kept the tempo high throughout the game. That will help us going into the weekend," said Coach Shannon Bryant.

The Eph's next game will be on Saturday, February 9 against Buffalo State. Start time is 7:30 pm.