MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury College women’s hockey team on Saturday capped off the first-semester portion of its schedule with a 6-0 triumph over visiting Castleton (4-6-1).
The 4-3 Panthers, who entered Saturday ranked No. 7 in NCAA Division III, resume play on Jan. 5 and 6 with a two-game NESCAC series at Amherst.
On Saturday, the Panthers outshot the Spartans, 44-9, and scored twice in each period. Middlebury goalie Anna Goldstein made nine saves for her first collegiate victory and shutout.
In the first period, the Panthers scored a pair of goals 36 seconds apart. The first tally came at 9:50, when Haley LaFontaine’s wrist shot from the left point found its way through traffic for her first score of the season. Middlebury added a second goal when Jessica Young cut toward the slot from the right circle and fired a shot past Spartan goalie Alexis Kalm (38 saves) for her team-leading sixth goal of the year.
In the second period Sidney Portner made it 3-0. Elizabeth Wulf started the play by winning the puck in the corner before feeding a short pass to Katarina Shuchuk, who relayed to Portner in the crease for a shot into the upper right corner. Middlebury made it 4-0 with 3:46 left in the period when Maddie Winslow buried a shot on a pass from Katherine Jackson, who was set up behind the net.
In the final period, Winslow directing a feed from Wulf home with 13:34 to go. Young finished the scoring with 3:14 remaining, sending a low shot from the left wing inside the right post.