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Nescac 10 - 11

Re: Nescac 10 - 11

I think I made this same post last year, but it deserves repeating. Thanks obserbear for your timely and even handed reporting on NESCAC women's hockey. Though your heart is ursine, your evaluations of teams and their game performances are scrupulously equitable. NESCAC hockey is women's college hockey at its best. Best of luck to all teams in the playoffs.
 
Re: Nescac 10 - 11

Thanks for the kind words, Puxrex. I am grateful that my association with women's DIII has enriched my life in so many ways.
Should be a great weekend of playoff hockey! Even better, the schedule permits me to watch both Hamilton@Trinity and then cruise up I-91 to see Colby@Amherst (regret to miss the Polar Bears, but that 600+ mile round trip and their vaguely inconsistent performance made this an easy decision).
I cannot imagine, having seen both Williams and Middlebury this past weekend, how the Ephs can upset the Panthers on the big Kenyon ice. Coach Mandigo (and assistant Coach McNamara) have earned another NESCAC Coach of the Year honor with their efforts in getting this team to the #1 seed (and #4 NCAA East region ranking). A great team effort (and Bloom deserves to be 1st team All-American)!
Trinity beat Hamilton twice by 3-1 scores in conference play. The first meeting Hamilton was without Miguel way back in November; the most recent meeting was 2-1 with an empty net goal. I have to like Trinity on their home ice, but Hazlett has shown she can steal a game here and there.
I give up trying to handicap the Polar Bears. Conn and Bowdoin both have been incredibly inconsistent and both play an atypical sort of wild west style for a NESCAC team. This could end up a shoot out with 20 penalties. Heads/PB, tails/CC...came up heads, so I think the Polar Bears win a close one.
I have seen Amherst play over half their games this season. They have probably got the most talented team in the NESCAC. They generally outskate, outshoot and outpossess their opponents. Their 2 wins over the Mules were by 3-2 and 3-1, although they outshot Colby 82-28 in the 2 games. My one reservation in handicapping this one is Wheeler plays well when faced with 30 or 40 shots and Hu is not her most effective in contests featuring play largely in the opponent's zone (remember, she was brilliant in the Panther-Cardinal Classic, shutting out Elmira, yielding 1 goal to Plattsburgh and stoning the Cardinals in the shootout; .978 saves % on the tournament). Time for the Lord Jeffs to recapture the magic and make a run (all you need is that 6 game winning streak).
GOOD LUCK to all the players and coaches!!!
 
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Re: Nescac 10 - 11

obserbear said:
Thanks for the kind words, Puxrex. I am grateful that my association with women's DIII has enriched my life in so many ways.
Should be a great weekend of playoff hockey!

Playoff predictions

Similar to last week, Middlebury falls behind 1-0 early due to an over zealous forecheck by Williams who must get the lead to stay in this game. Coach Mandigo gives his team a thorough tongue lashing during intermission and the team responds scoring four unanswered goals in the 2nd period out shooting the Ephs 16-3. Both teams trade goals in the 3rd. Midd 5 Williams 2; SOG Midd 42 Williams 19.

Amherst out shoots Colby 33-9 and spends a lot of time in their zone but it is tied 2-2 after 2, but they eek out a 3-2 nail biter victory with a late 3rd period power play tip-in goal by Clegg in front of the net off a rocket from the point from Lloyd with an assist to Zukas. SOG Amherst 51 Colby 16.

Trinity and Hamilton play pretty even in this defensive struggle trading goals in the 1st and 2nd periods. Trinity finally wears down Hamilton and scores midway through the 3rd to take a 3-2 lead and adds an empty netter for a 4-2 victory. SOG Trinity 24 Hamilton 20.

Bowdoin goes up 2-1 after 1 period, but in the 2nd period Bowdoin connects on a power play to go up 3-1, Conn Coll answers with their own power play goal to make it 3-2 after 2. Conn's relentless speed and forechecking causes Bowdoin into turnovers in their own zone and Conn ties it 3-3 on a neat 2 on 1. The game gets rough in the 3rd period and there are numerous penalties called in the both teams struggle on the power play until Conn cashes in with 2 minutes left, Bowdoin pulls the goalie and puts lots of pressure on to no avail, Conn survives to win a hard fought 4-3 game. SOG Conn 29 Bow 27; P Play Conn 2/8 Bow 1/7.
Click to expand...
 
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Re: Nescac 10 - 11

Just like deja vu all over again, the NESCAC womens field is set to feature the same four squads as last season, although the venue and match ups have switched. Unlike on the NESCAC men's side (where three of the four top seeds lost on Saturday) the faithful will go up country to see Bowdoin against Middlebury and Trinity take on Amherst next weekend. Does anything say playoff hockey louder than a trip to Kenyon in March?
Although I did not get the opportunity, I am sure if you asked Hamilton Coach Knight how he liked the Continental chances in their game at Trinity if neither Weiss nor Komarek scored a goal for the Bantams he would have liked them pretty well. Neither scored, but Trinity D smothered Hamilton's offense and rode Colman-McGaw's 2 goal effort to the semis. The Bantams got on the board early in the 1st getting 3 skaters to the top of the crease with Campbell stuffing the puck under Continental goalie Hazlett; assists on the play to Ryan and Glynn. Late in the period Rosen got the puck to Weiss in the Trinity D zone and she spotted Colman-McGaw breaking out in the neutral zone; with 1 D trailing Colman-McGaw broke in, had time to deke Hazlett and she slid the puck into the net on her backhand inside the stickside post. Colman-McGaw scored again in the 2nd on a delayed penalty when she took a DiDia pass through the neutral zone, drifted to her right and rifled a shot beating Hazlett high to the stickside. Hamilton averted a shutout late in the 3rd when Haskins came from the left wing boards and grabbed a pass from Sharlow in the high slot and slung a shot beating Pujol up stickside.
The script for Amherst going into the game with Colby probably went something like score early, play stifling D and do not get in a close one with the Mules. The Lord Jeffs obviously listened during the week of rehearsal following the wild west shoot out 6-5 win over Utica (Utica!!!) and scored early and often. Opperman got the puck to Clegg who fed Baranek crossing the Colby blueline, lugging a D; despite being hooked, she was able to deke and jam the puck home 5 hole on Mule goalie Wheeler. The ensuing penalty saw Amherst increase the lead as Zukas made a nifty play taking a pass from Lloyd from her right inside the blueline, faking a shot and stepping around, inside a forward into the high slot for a wrist shot; Wheeler made the initial save, but Swiontowski pounced on the rebound at the gloveside post and slid it under Wheeler. The Lord Jeff lead went to 3 when Opperman passed from the right point to Clegg inside the blueline; Clegg's shot was neatly deflected past Wheeler low stickside by Doyen. Hanlon made it 4-0 early in the 2nd; Vitale took a feed from Lloyd, had some space working out of the right corner and her shot rebounded to Hanlon, who ripped it home from the top of the crease, stickside. The final Lord Jeff score came when Koch pinched off a Mule breakout on the right boards, got the puck deep into the corner to McBride; she had space and worked toward the crease, before spinning and passing from behind the goal line to Campbell, who roofed a one-timer. Murphy earned the shutout for Amherst with 13 saves on the evening, benefiting from solid defense that never allowed an odd man rush and was particularly impressive on the penalty kill. Amherst likes to play on the big Kenyon ice and they may be breaking out of the scoring doldrums, tightening the D and making a run at just the right time.
 
Re: Nescac 10 - 11

Hey Bear, congrats to your girls for toughing one out against a game CC team. Also congrats to the Panthers for surviving a week of flu bugs to advance as well.
 
Re: Nescac 10 - 11

Saw the middlbeury williams game. From the drop of the puck and joyce's goal 1:40 into the game, it was clear where this game was going. While midd was clearly the better team on the ice williams skated with a lot of heart, ending the first period 2-1, and the second 3-2. Both goals came from special teams as perry-weinstein teamed up to score on the powerplay and shorthanded. It was evident throughout the game, but especially in the third that middlbury's speed was clearly to much for the ephs. Middlebury's powerplay was executed efforltessly and cashed in on 4/6 opportunities. Even the last shift of the game midd cycled the puck and outskated the ephs. Williams, while playing with heart simply didn't have the legs or a deep enough bench to stay in this game. Middlebury while not playing their best game of the season, still managed to come away with a W and 6 goals. If they show up to play this weekend, i have no doubt they can win the championship. Bloom was not tested that hard this past weekend, but has proved throughout the season that when she is needed she comes to play. As midd prays for no overtime this year (especially 4), one only has to wonder what is happening at williams. the search for a new coach has closed and one can only imagine what will happen for this team. As they look to rebuild for next year, bowdoin amherst trinity and midd all prepare for the weekend. I predict midd over bowdoin 4-2, amherst over trinity 2-1, and midd wining on sunday 5-3
 
Re: Nescac 10 - 11

I've said this before, Williams confounds me. Their athletic department is the most successful in NESCAC, winning the Director's Cup countless times. How does a school with that type of commitment to excellence in athletics, in the biggest hockey playing state east of Minnesota, with the #1 ranked liberal arts school in the country, continually fail to achieve in women's hockey? It can't be admissions policy because virtually every other team on that campus is successful.
 
Re: Nescac 10 - 11

From the nescac.com summary of the conference tournament:

March 1, 2011
Top Seeds in Search of Women's Ice Hockey Crown
Last Year’s Semifinalists Reunite at Middlebury

HADLEY, Mass. – Top-seeded Middlebury College will look to earn its sixth conference title this weekend when the Panthers host the final rounds of the 2011 NESCAC Women's Ice Hockey Championship at Kenyon Arena in Middlebury, Vt. The action gets underway on Saturday when Middlebury faces fourth-seeded Bowdoin in the first semifinal at 1:00 p.m., followed by second seed and defending NESCAC champion Amherst taking on Trinity, the third seed, in a rematch of last year's title game.

Saturday's winners will advance to Sunday's championship, which is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. Tickets for both Saturday and Sunday are $5 for adults and $2 for students. A live webcast for all three games will be available courtesy of Middlebury College.

The top seed in this year's championship came down to just two teams in the final weeks of the regular season - a neck-and-neck race between Amherst and Middlebury (19-4-1, 14-1-1 NESCAC). The squads split their season series back on Jan. 14-15 in Amherst, as the Panthers earned a 3-0 shutout the first night before the Lord Jeffs responded with a 2-1 victory the next day. Tied for first with three weeks to go, Middlebury gained the advantage when Amherst lost at Bowdoin on Feb. 5 and managed to hold onto first for the remainder of the season. Winners of 11 of their last 12 games, including a 6-2 decision over Williams in the quarterfinals on Saturday, the Panthers are one of the hottest teams in the conference at the moment having out-scored opponents by more than three goals per game with six shutouts during that stretch. Middlebury features one of the top defenses in the NESCAC, allowing on average just over a goal per game and killing off a league-leading .922 percent of penalties. It all starts in net for the Panthers with the spectacular play of Alexi Bloom (Highland Park, Ill.). At 16-3-1 overall, Bloom is atop the NESCAC in both goals against average (1.02) and save percentage (.950) with a career-best nine shutouts this season. On offense, the scoring committee is led by Lauren Greer (North Hampton, N.H.), Sara Ugalde (Burlington, Conn.), and Julia Ireland (Greenwich, Conn.). The senior Ireland has a team-best 12 goals while Greer and Ugalde are close behind with 11 apiece. Greer currently leads the Panthers in points with 22 on 11 goals and 11 assists.

Standing in between Middlebury and a sixth NESCAC title is one of its oldest tournament rivals, fourth-seeded Bowdoin (15-8-2, 9-6-1 NESCAC). The Panthers and the Polar Bears met in the conference final four years in a row from 2002 through 2006 with Middlebury coming away as the victor three times. Since falling to Middlebury by an 8-2 score in the 2006 title tilt, Bowdoin hasn't been able to get back to Sunday's championship. The Polar Bears fell to Amherst in the 2007 semifinals in overtime, 3-2, and suffered the same fate last year to the Lord Jeffs, squandering a 2-0 lead in a 3-2 overtime loss. Bowdoin may be on track to return to the final this winter, having recorded the most wins in a single season since 2007 following a 2-1, come-from-behind victory over Connecticut College during the first round. Statistically, Bowdoin ranks third among conference members in scoring offense with 3.40 goals per game and sits in the middle of the pack defensively at 2.36 goals allowed. The power play unit is clicking along nicely at a .263 percent conversion rate, a figure that is second only to Amherst. Propelling the Polar Bears this season has been the hot hand of sophomore forward Kayte Holtz (New Berlin, Wis.). Holtz's 25 goals are the most by a Bowdoin player in 15 years, and seven of her tallies have proven to be the game-winner for Bowdoin. In net, classmate Tara Connolly (Simsbury, Conn.) has seen a majority of the action, going 7-3-2 with a 1.99 goals against average and a .928 save percentage. The duo hope to help their team not only reach Sunday's final but also earn the program's third NESCAC championship (2002, 2004).

Although second-seeded Amherst (18-5-2, 13-2-1 NESCAC) came up short in its bid for the number-one seed for the third year in a row, losing out to Middlebury for hosting duties this weekend may not be that bad due to the recent success the Jeffs have had at Kenyon. The defending NESCAC champions have won two of their three titles at Middlebury, including their inaugural crown in 2007, and their first of back-to-back NCAA championships occurred there as well. A recurring trend for Amherst in recent years has been its ability to win in the second half of the season and 2010-11 has been no different as the Jeffs are 15-2-1 since the start of January, most recently taking down Colby in the quarterfinals by a 5-0 score. Amherst enters the semifinals for the second year in a row with the league's top offense, as the Jeffs' 3.52 goals per game average is just ahead of Middlebury (3.50) and Bowdoin (3.40). Special teams have been key to Amherst's success. The power play unit, which has registered at least one goal in 10 of the last 11 games, is the best in the nation with a .315 conversion rate. The Jeff penalty kill is equally as impressive, denying opponents at a .921 rate. Looking to bring Amherst its fourth NESCAC title in the past five years are All-NESCAC defenders Randi Zukas (Glen Head, N.Y.) and Geneva Lloyd (Calgary, Alberta). A skilled two-way player, Lloyd leads her team in scoring for the second-straight year with 29 points (10-19-29), just two shy of her rookie totals from 2009-10. Zukas enters the weekend just one point behind her blue line counterpart, as her 28 points on four goals and a league-high 24 assists are two short of the career-best 30 she accumulated as a junior last season.

A year after the most successful season in program history, third-seeded Trinity (18-3-4, 10-3-3 NESCAC) is back in the semifinals with a championship rematch against Amherst on tap. The Bantams racked up a school-record 21 victories during the 2009-10 campaign and reached the finals for the first time ever after a marathon 2-1, quadruple-overtime win over Middlebury. Even though Trinity came up short to Amherst for the 2010 conference crown by a 2-1 score, in overtime no less, the Bantams received their first invitation to participate in the NCAA Tournament. There's been no letdown for Trinity this season, as the Bantams head into the semis in the midst of a seven-game winning streak after rolling past Hamilton in the quarterfinals, 3-1. Against this year's semifinal field, Trinity is 1-2-3, recording a tie against each opponent. The Bantams lost the first game of a two-game set to Amherst on Dec. 3, 6-2, but managed a 2-2 tie the next night. While Trinity is once again among the top teams in terms of scoring defense, the biggest difference between last year and this is the loss of goaltender Isabel Iwachiw, the 2010 NESCAC Player of the Year, to graduation. Filling in nicely for the Bantams has been first year netminder Alexa Pujol (New Canaan, Conn.), who is currently second only to Middlebury's Bloom among league backstoppers in both goals against average (1.26) and save percentage (.946) and holds a 13-2-4 record. Leading Trinity in scoring for the third time in her career is senior forward Kim Weiss (Potomac, Md.). The program's all-time scoring leader, Weiss is in the midst of her best season in a Bantam sweater with a career-high 22 goals and 30 points.

2011 NESCAC WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
Quarterfinals - Saturday, Feb. 26 at Higher Seeds
at No. 1 Middlebury 6, No. 8 Williams 2
at No. 2 Amherst 5, No. 7 Colby 0
at No. 3 Trinity 3, No. 6 Hamilton 1
at No. 4 Bowdoin 2, No. 5 Connecticut College 1

Semifinals - Saturday, March 5 at Highest Remaining Seed
No. 4 Bowdoin at No. 1 Middlebury - 1:00 p.m.
No. 3 Trinity vs. No. 2 Amherst - 4:00 p.m.

Championship - Sunday, March 6
Semifinal winners - 2:00 p.m.
 
Re: Nescac 10 - 11

Amherst over Trinity-I saw both games these teams played back in early December and I saw both teams win their NESCAC quarter-final game last Saturday. Trinity has gotten great goaltending, but has had real problems scoring. Amherst has generally outplayed and outshot opponents, has been scoring a lot lately, but has gotten spotty play in the net. Trinity beat Hamilton with typically opportunistic scoring and their D was too much for the Continental offense. Amherst took it to Colby early, played D like last season (no breakaways and very few opportunities in close) and got a solid effort in goal. I think Amherst has too much speed for Trinity on the big Kenyon ice (although they need to be careful of spacing and not let their aggressive D get caught in too deep).

Middlebury over Bowdoin-I did not see the early season meeting at Kenyon, but I did see the impressive Middlebury come from behind win at Watson. Could Bowdoin upset Midd? The only way I see that possible is for them to play under control and stay out of the box. Midd is 5/15 against Bowdoin on the powerplay in their 2 games, which means skating 5x5 they each have 4 goals in the 2 games. I think Midd is too deep for the Polar Bears to keep up with at Kenyon. They were able to spot Bowdoin a 2 goal lead and rolling 4 lines just wore Bowdoin out 2 weeks ago.

Good Luck to the players and coaches!!!
 
Re: Nescac 10 - 11

no score after 1 at kenyon...both golaies with big saves late in the period to keep things scoreless...bloom robbed holtz with a nifty glove on an open look from the slot and connolly made a nice left pad save on a low shot by woodward from the left dot...shots pretty even...polar bears with 2 penalties
 
Re: Nescac 10 - 11

there is a score at kenyon...midd sort of kicked it into another gear and it is now 3-0...lessard has replaced connolly in net for the polar bears...marrison nailed a long slapshot from inside the blueline after greer and ireland fought in deep for the puck...2nd goal a feed at blueline from left point marrison to krakower at right point in to melberg who beat connolly from the right dot up gloveside...3rd goal joyce controlled an errant polar bear pass at o zone blueline and fed woodward in the slot open and she roofed it up gloveside...bloom is playing the puck very aggressively and made an impressive series of saves at 16:35 included stoning holtz off her chest from the slot
 
Re: Nescac 10 - 11

obserbear said:
From the nescac.com summary of the conference tournament:

March 1, 2011
Top Seeds in Search of Women's Ice Hockey Crown
Last Year’s Semifinalists Reunite at Middlebury

HADLEY, Mass. – Top-seeded Middlebury College will look to earn its sixth conference title this
Semifinals - Saturday, March 5 at Highest Remaining Seed
Click to expand...

I'm still trying to figure out why the NESCAC press has a Hadley MA by-line ....
 
Re: Nescac 10 - 11

Busy second period in Middlebury, with Trinity going up 3-2 (power play or 5 on 3, I wasn't sure ... Trinity had more than a minute in the 5-3 advantage) before Amherst scores on a power play to tie at 3.
 
Re: Nescac 10 - 11

Ellen Swin scores in OT to put Amherst in the finals 4-3.

With the Adrian win, much more pressure to win tomorrow, I think.
 
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