Top Four Teams to Meet This Weekend for Title

HADLEY, Mass. - Middlebury College, the defending NESCAC Women’s Ice Hockey Champion, will host the 2006 NESCAC Women’s Ice Hockey Championship this weekend at Kenyon Arena in Middlebury, Vt. Top-seeded Middlebury earned the right to host the semifinals and the championship for the first time since 2002 and will take on fourth-seeded Colby in the first semifinal of the day on Saturday, March 4, at 12:30 p.m. Second-seed Bowdoin will meet up with third-seed Williams immediately following the first game at 3:30 p.m. The 2006 NESCAC Women’s Ice Hockey Championship concludes on Sunday with the final at 1:00 p.m. Ticket packages for the fifth-annual tournament are $10 for adults for all three games and $4 for children and students.

Top-seed Middlebury (22-2-0, 15-1-0 NESCAC) didn’t wait for the NESCAC tournament to arrive before beginning its title defense this season. The Panthers started the 2005-06 campaign strong, winning their first 18 games and holding a 24-game winning streak dating back to last season, the second longest in school history. The only blemish on Middlebury’s conference record came against Williams on February 5, a 4-1 loss that put an end to the unbeaten streak. Taking care of the puck has been the key to the Panthers’ success this season. Defensively, Middlebury has allowed on average a league-best 1.29 goals per game, a figure lower than the 1.47 goals against that the Panthers allowed last season. Middlebury also features the best special teams in the NESCAC, converting just over 25 percent of its power-play opportunities while denying opponents with the extra attacker almost 96 percent of the time with an opportunistic penalty kill that has collected eight shorthanded goals. Rookie Annmarie Cellino (West Seneca, N.Y.) leads her squad in scoring this season with 20-15-35 through all 24 games, picking up 11 of those goals on special teams (6 PP, 5 SH) and four game-winners. She is one of five Panthers to post 10 or more goals this season.

Fourth-seed Colby (15-7-1, 9-6-1 NESCAC) returns to the NESCAC semifinals after a brief two-year absence from the field of four. The Mules made their way into the semis this year with a 4-2 victory over fifth-seed Amherst on Saturday, February 25. Colby finished the regular season on a high note, going 6-1-1 in the month of February while limiting opponents to two goals or less during that stretch. The Mules’ defense, ranked second in the NESCAC in goals allowed at 2.17 per game, will be put to the test this weekend as Middlebury has outscored Colby 10-1 in the two previous meetings this season, a 7-1 Panthers victory at Middlebury on January 7 and a 3-0 decision at Colby on January 27. Saturday’s semifinal meeting between the two clubs will be the first since NESCAC tournament play was adopted in 2002. First year forward Laura Anning (Ingramport, Nova Scotia) leads a youthful offensive attack for the Mules, as the top seven scorers are all in their rookie season for Colby. Anning is currently tied for the lead in the NESCAC in both points (36) and goals (20) this season.

Second-seed Bowdoin (16-8-1, 12-3-1 NESCAC) battled seventh-seed Connecticut College in what was the tightest game of the first round of this year’s tournament, as a third period goal lifted Bowdoin to a 2-1 victory and into the semifinals for the fifth consecutive year. The Polar Bears got off to a rocky start in the early days of the season, holding a 4-5-0 overall record in early January before putting together an 11-1-1 record over 30 days to secure the number two spot in this year’s tournament. While the eight losses are the most for Bowdoin since the 1999-2000 season, a closer look reveals that six of the eight games were decided by one goal. Offensive production has been key to the Polar Bears’ success this year, as they are averaging a conference-high 4.56 goals per game along with the league’s second-best power-play, converting roughly 22 percent of the time. Junior forward Katie Forney (Gettysburg, Pa.) leads the potent Bowdoin attack this season with 16-20-36, tying her for first with Colby’s Anning in points scored among NESCAC skaters.

The Polar Bears are the only team to reach the championship game every year that the tournament has been held. Standing in their way will be third-seed Williams (14-10-1, 11-4-1 NESCAC), which advanced to the semifinals for the fifth consecutive year as well after a 3-0 shutout of sixth-seed Hamilton over the weekend. It has been a while since Williams has faced Bowdoin in the NESCAC tournament, as the only meeting between the two teams came in the 2002 championship game, which ended in a 2-1 decision for the Polar Bears. Saturday’s meeting in the semifinals will be the rubber match for the two squads, after Williams took the first meeting of the season, 4-3 on January 7 in Williamstown, Mass., and Bowdoin returned the favor on January 27, 4-2 in Brunswick, Maine. Junior forward Anna Condino (Lexington, Mass.) has emerged as the top scorer for the Ephs down the stretch, scoring seven goals in her last seven games and leading her teammates in points with 14-13-27, picking up four game-winners in conference play.

2006 NESCAC WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round - Saturday, Feb. 25 at Higher Seeds
at No. 2 Bowdoin 2, No. 7 Connecticut College 1
at No. 3 Williams 3, No. 6 Hamilton 0
at No. 4 Colby 4, No. 5 Amherst 2

Semifinals - Saturday, March 4 at Middlebury
No. 4 Colby at No. 1 Middlebury - 12:30 p.m.
No. 3 Williams vs. No. 2 Bowdoin - 3:30 p.m.

Championship - Sunday, March 5 at Middlebury
Semifinal winners - 1:00 p.m.