Middlebury came down from the north for a 2 game set against Conn College and held serve in their battle with Amherst for 1st place in the NESCAC regular season race. Amherst kept pace with the Panthers by winning their 2 games with arch-rival Williams. Should both the Lord Jeffs (2 games at Trinity and 2 at home against Bowdoin) and Panthers (home and home against Williams) win out, the NESCAC tie breaker becomes record against the 3rd place finisher, then 4th place and so on, until one team has the better record and thereby claims hosting the finals (IF they advance from the quarter final round...lest we forget last season). A look at the current conference standings ( http://nescac.com/sports/wice/2014-15/standings) reveals the typical dead heat for places 3-6 (Conn, Williams, Bowdoin and Trinity virtually tied), so it is impossible to say what the final standings will be (Ouija?). Both Middlebury and Amherst could finish with just 1 loss, so the determining factor would then be does Trinity (with their 11/22 win over Midd) finish higher than Conn (with their 2/1 win over Amherst)? Lots of hockey left these last 2 weekends of regular season play!
I actually missed the 1st period of the Friday Midd 4-1 win. The Editor was making her only rinkside appearance of the season and one of her 5:30 client (sister of our next door neighbor, no less) got stuck in traffic coming up to Old Lyme from New Haven (gotta love good old I-95 on Friday night) and things devolved from there. We arrived at Dayton for the start of the 2nd. The Panthers cashed in 2 power play goals and 2 empty netters in skating one of their most complete games I have seen this season. You always have to wonder how well Conn would do if they did not expend so much energy killing penalties. I understand that back in the day their team identity was built along a sort of NESCAC tough woman theme, but now they have a really talented team. Why have they not gotten away from their past? Is there a "right way" to play? I did hear a fan comment that Midd should receive the Lady Byng for the way they play ever game! Anyway, Fralick was at the top of her game in goal for the Camels. She made a save late in the 1st Saturday facing an odd man rush with Winslow and Wulf passing tick-tack-toe from left wing to slot and back to Winslow at her stickside post, that was a jaw dropper. The Panthers had gotten on the board at 14: of the 1st when Fluke had space down left wing and fed Young for a backhand that snuck under Fralick from the top of the crease. Midd increased the lead at 15:25 of the 2nd with Bielawski sneaking down from right point for a one timer from the low edge of the circle. Her full on slap got up over a scrum consisting of the entire line of Wulf-Mandigo and Winslow, the Conn D and Fralick (assists to Winslow and Wulf). Territorial play seemed more even on Saturday and it would be wrong to overlook the outstanding play of Marsh in the Panther goal in keeping the Camels off the board. Marsh stood tall in the final 4 minutes of the 3rd. The Panthers took a penalty and Coach Steele boldly pulled Fralick for the extra attacker. A second Midd penalty then resulted in :09 of 6x3 action with another 1:51 of 6x4 pressure to face. Mandigo was finally able to take a Laven pass out through the neutral zone and lug the puck down the right wing half boards and nail a nifty backhand from in front of the Conn bench for the 3-0 final.
Hamilton 2 Bowdoin 0 final
Exciting action at Lansing-Chapman Arena in a frigid Williamstown saw Middlebury run their winning streak to 9 in skating to a hard fought 2-1 victory over Williams. The Panthers came out fast in the 1st outshooting the Ephs 10-4 in the period. Cleroux was sharp in goal for Williams and made a nifty blocker save on a Mandigo tip from her gloveside at 3: Middlebury took the lead seconds later with Hlinka in on right wing, making a drop pass for a Fluke one timer from the right circle; the drive handcuffed Cleroux and Young caught the rebound out of mid-air and scored from Cleroux's stickside. The officials conferred briefly before signaling good goal. Panther goalie Jones made a nice stop on Lehman at about 15: when Lehman found space in the slot for an open look. The 2nd saw the Ephs outshoot the Panthers 10-9 despite killing 2 penalties. Cleroux kept things close with another big save on a Wardwell drive from the left point about 13: Williams ran into some bad puck luck at 15:20 when a shot eluded Jones only to appear to carom off the crossbar and deflect out off the stickside post. The Ephs finally broke through to tie things at 7:31 of the 3rd when Beattie made a play holding the blueline and launching a shot from left point on net; Jones made the initial stop but Heller had a quick put back and then Noyes got the score up over a sprawling Jones from top of the crease. The game winner came minutes later with Middlebury skating 6x4. Fluke got a shot off from the right circle; Young had a poke at the loose puck in the ensuing scrum before Winslow rammed it home from Cleroux's stickside. Williams was unable to cash in either of 2 late powerplays. At about 18: after an icing call Eph Coach Gillis called time out and presumably readied to pull her goalie for an extra attacker, but the Panthers were able to prevent Williams controlling the puck and kept play in the Eph end until time ran out. Hard fought game until the final buzzer. A Midd partisan was heard to comment that not all wins feel the same, but it must not have been too bad a bus ride up the Ethan Allen highway going home.
Quick comment on first Midd goal. Referee on the goal-line waved the goal off immediately signaling high stick. Mandigo instantly launched into a patented tirade on the Midd bench directed at the ref on the Blue Line in front of his bench. That referee immediately over-ruled the referee in the correct position on the goal-line to make the call. Clear case of knowing who signs your paycheck.
This game in general was the worst refereed college game I have seen in several years (both ways). Penalties called that weren't penalties, penalties that weren't called, goal reversals, final goal set up by two back to back questionable calls mid 3rd period. Even the line calls were atrocious - random icing wave-offs, missed offside calls, icing called on a man down situation on the team short a player, face-offs at random spots unrelated to the stoppage cause. The players literally had no idea what any given penalty or line call was going to be - you could see them constantly looking at the referees and linesmen to see what they were going to do. While both teams played hard and well, this game was ultimately decided by a terrible group of officials - a shame they had such an effect on what could have been a good game.
Per the goal in the Middlebury win at Williams, the ref in front of the Midd bench had a better angle on Young's mid-air catch and shoot and the height of her stick than the ref behind the goal line.
OMG Coach Mandigo works the refs??? It is probably more notable that a coach doesn't work the refs? Isn't it part of the job? During NESCAC play in 16 games this season Middlebury has 65 penalties and opponents have 73. Hardly a glaring difference. Panther players know there is a right way to play the game and actions exceeding those norms will get you benched (let us remember a certain NESCAC quarter-final). I wish I saw the same discipline of and attitude toward chippy play by all the coaches.
499 career wins at Middlebury result from the refs being in his back pocket? Please...
Per the goal in the Middlebury win at Williams, the ref in front of the Midd bench had a better angle on Young's mid-air catch and shoot and the height of her stick than the ref behind the goal line.
OMG Coach Mandigo works the refs??? It is probably more notable that a coach doesn't work the refs? Isn't it part of the job? During NESCAC play in 16 games this season Middlebury has 65 penalties and opponents have 73. Hardly a glaring difference. Panther players know there is a right way to play the game and actions exceeding those norms will get you benched (let us remember a certain NESCAC quarter-final). I wish I saw the same discipline of and attitude toward chippy play by all the coaches.
499 career wins at Middlebury result from the refs being in his back pocket? Please...
