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Volume CXXXII, Number 17 |
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Polar Bears skate undefeated into NESCAC tournament
REBEKAH METZLER
STAFF WRITER
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| Shellie Chessie '03 (22) and Kirsten Larsen '04 fly after a loose puck in a 2-2 tie against Middlebury. (Karsten Moran, Bowdoin Orient) |
The drama has begun-the Bowdoin Women's Hockey Team finished its regular season as the only undefeated team in college hockey, regardless of division for both men and women. An overtime tie against Middlebury and a close 3-2 victory over rival Williams preserved its undefeated status.
Contrary to last week's report, the win over Williams gives Coach Michele Amidon her 100th win and places her as one of only three coaches in Division III who have reached the century mark.
In the heart-stopping match-up against hated rival Middlebury, the Polar Bears were seeking revenge for a 1-1 tie that took place in Vermont earlier this season. Despite holding a 2-1 advantage until the final 30 seconds of the game, Bowdoin allowed the tying goal, forcing what resulted in a scoreless five-minute overtime.
Controversy abounds, however, as the net was off its posts during the moments surrounding the final goal. Alas, the officials neglected to make the call and breathed new life into the Panthers. Despite this non-call, the Polar Bears emerged unscathed with their undefeated record intact.
Big-time players show up for big-time games. With the near capacity crowd flooding Dayton Arena, all of Bowdoin's big guns leapt at the chance to show off their stuff. In the second period, senior Ba Lanoue put on a clinic scoring an unassisted goal that pulled the Bears to a 1-1 tie. About five minutes later, Shelly Chessie '03 proved that she was not to be outshined.
After a scuffle in front of the Panther net, Chessie flipped a miracle shot into the goal, giving Bowdoin their 2-1 advantage. Appropriately, top-scoring defenseman Kirsti Anderson '05 and three-time NESCAC Player of the Week Marissa O'Neil '05 collected assists on the play.
Middlebury, ranked fourth nationally, put up 28 shots against second-ranked Bowdoin. However, goaltender Emily McKissock '03 continually robbed the Panthers and subsequently finished the night with 26 saves. In the final moments of overtime, the talented Middlebury goaltender denied golden opportunities for O'Neil and Cathie Quinlan '05.
Of the tie, O'Neil said, "I feel that we are stronger and have more depth than Middlebury, but we kind of psych ourselves out because it's always one of our biggest games, and we come out too nervous in the first period."
Quinlan added, "The Middlebury tie was disappointing, but it gives us something to be hungry for, to work for. The win is something we all want so bad that the tie just motivates us to work harder." From here on out, the Bears will have to win to assure the continuance of their season.
Against Williams College the next day, Bowdoin held on to a 3-2 lead through the very end, asserting its dominance over the rest of the NESCAC competitors. Finding themselves down 1-0 after the first period, the Polar Bears answered with a pair of power play goals to take a 2-1 lead. Gill "Spirit Fingers" McDonald '04 notched the tying goal with assists from O'Neil and Anderson. Beth Muir '03 slammed the second one home on another Anderson assist.
In the third frame, Lanoue snatched the puck at mid-ice and skated at lightening speed toward the Ephs' goalie, scoring the shorthanded breakaway goal with seeming ease and textbook form. McKissock ended the contest with 16 saves preserving the win for the Bears.
Said Quinlan, "The thing I regret the most about our season is our first tie to [number one ranked] Elmira. It keeps me in good spirits, however, that we were only three games into our season, and were missing the players who went abroad. I feel much more confident now and look forward to meeting them again."
O'Neil echoed the same confidence, saying, " I'm very happy with the position that we are going in to postseason with, except that a win versus Middlebury would have been big."
Concerning practice, the mini-game saga continues. When asked about the rumors of McDonald and Sadie Wieschhoff '04 cheating, O'Neil simply said, "They aren't rumors." O'Neil also noted, "Frankie is so far the mini-game MVP". The winner of this much-coveted title will be revealed later.
In lighter matters, Chessie, acting as a Residential Life Staff member, organized a figure skating competition that featured acts including team members Francesca Klucevsek-Whalen '03, Leah McClure '05, Quinlan, Wieschhoff, McDonald, Rebecca Selden '06, and Alyson Lizotte '03.
The event allowed the participants to express the more artistic aspects of their talents and certainly provided priceless entertainment for the significant crowd that ventured out to catch them. Quinlan said, "Like the mini-games, it's good to have a little competition on our team. Everyone was awesome, but I have to hand it to 'Spirit Fingers'-the way McDonald tossed Wieschhoff into the air like she was some kind of blow up doll was unbelievable."
O'Neil remarked, "Gill stole the show-Sadie could have worked on her skating skills, Leah and Cathie had a very skillful techno performance, and all the others were great."
The hard work has paid off thus far for the team, and the grind of playoff play is beginning. It is always tough to balance sport and academics, but as the Bears gear up for midterms, their efforts must be re-doubled on the ice to keep their dreams of a National Championship alive.
Quinlan said, "The team is in a great position going into playoffs. We are all having a great time and playing well. We improve every game and hopefully that will continue throughout."
So when you see those Bears trotting from class to practice with frantic looks on their faces, take a second to shout out "Hey, good luck!", "Keep up the good work!", or maybe "Beat everyone so I can talk trash to friends at other NESCAC schools!"
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