MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury College women’s hockey team swept a pair of games this past weekend from visiting NESCAC foe Bowdoin to improve to 9-3-3, 5-0-3 in NESCAC play. Bowdoin fell to 6-7-1, 3-4-0 in league action.
The Panthers, ranked No. 7 last week in NCAA Division III, remain locked in a duel with Amherst (11-1-3, 7-1-3 NESCAC) for first place in the league. This weekend Middlebury will play a pair of games at fourth-place Hamilton.
On this past Saturday, the Panthers defeated Bowdoin, 4-2, after Jessica Young scored twice in the third period to give Middlebury an insurmountable 4-1 lead.
Middlebury took a 1-0 at 13:10 of the first on a Shanna Hickman goal. Hickman received the puck from Anna Van Kula, who picked up a Polar Bear turnover at the blue line, and Hickman fought her way to the slot and beat Bowdoin goalie Lan Crofton.
At 15:24 of the second period, Bowdoin’s Miranda Bell tied the game by finishing a rink-long rush with a backhand.
The Panthers took the lead in the final minute of the middle period, when Maddie Winslow tipped home Janka Hlinka’s feed from behind the net. The tally was Winslow’s team-leading eighth and third in two games.
At 7:48 of the third Young stuffed home a loose puck from the edge of the crease on a Winslow rebound. The Panther defense held Bowdoin without a shot on goal for a little more than 14 minutes to start the period.
Young made it 4-1 at 16:06, when she intercepted a crossing pass at the Bowdoin blue line, skated in and lifted a wrister over Crofton’s left shoulder. With 21 ticks remaining, Bowdoin’s Jessica Bowen netted a rebound.
The Panthers held a 32-14 advantage in shots on goal. Crofton made 28 saves, and Middlebury’s Marisa Dreher stopped 12 shots.
On Friday, the Panthers blanked Bowdoin, 2-0, as Panther goalie Julia Neuburger made 13 saves in goal and Winslow scored twice.
Middlebury earned a power play with 34 seconds left in the first period, and Winslow lifted a loose puck over Polar Bear goalie Sophia Lattanzio with 15.4 seconds left.
Middlebury doubled its advantage 1:31 into the second period. The play started behind the Polar Bear net: Jessica Young sent a pass to the slot that Elizabeth Wulf one-timed on net. Lattanzio (28 saves) made the stop, but Winslow tucked in the rebound.