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Volume CXXXIII, Number 15 |
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Women's streak shatters on ice
REBEKAH METZLER
STAFF WRITER
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| Nathalie Morgan '06 stakes out her territory in front of the net. Morgan has an 11-4-1 record, six shutouts, and a .937 percent save average. (Hans Law, Bowdoin Orient) |
After the fur settled, the Bowdoin Women's Hockey Team was forced to walk away from a matchup against the Middlebury Panthers with its first loss in the last 15 games. In the other matchup against the Williams Ephs, Bowdoin was carried on the very capable skates of Jess Burke '04 to a 1-0 win, bringing the team's record to a still dominating 13-1-0 in NESCAC action.
While the weekend action ended on a lower point, it started out with a bang. Facing the Purple Cows of Williams in Friday night action, the Polar Bears came out swinging. Burke assaulted the Ephs' goalie, smashing the puck into the top corner just minutes into the game.
While the remainder of the contest was scoreless, it was not lacking action. Numerous times the net-minders for both teams held their school within striking distance of the victory. Fortunately for Bowdoin, Burke's stellar play, not to mention the tireless effort of the rest of the Bears, was enough to pick up the win.
The first period of the Middlebury game remained scoreless, but it was full of back and forth action featuring chances for both teams. In the second, Middlebury snuck the puck past Bowdoin goalie Nat Morgan '06, putting them ahead 1-0. Not to be outdone, just 22 seconds later first-year Meghan Gillis slammed the puck home on a pass from classmate Kate Leonard to tie the game for the Bears.
Instantly, the already raucous crowd in Dayton Arena was on its feet and there they remained for the duration of the contest. Though Middlebury drew blood again early in the third period, Bowdoin responded in what could be considered one of her finest moments ever, as senior captain Gillian McDonald rifled a rebound into the back of the net, again tying the game for the Polar Bears.
Unfortunately for Bowdoin, this was the climax of the game. With 52 seconds left in the match, Middlebury managed to weasel another goal past Morgan. McDonald reflected, "Obviously we were disappointed that we couldn't come away with a W against Middlebury, but we know what we need to do when we meet them again."
Two conference games remain for Bowdoin as they travel to Wesleyan and Trinity to close out the regular season. Currently Bowdoin is ranked second in the NESCAC, trailing only Middlebury.
McDonald stated that preparations for the post-season were well underway, saying, "This week we have been working extra hard with the help of drill sergeant Dawn Strout." No doubt these Bears will be ready to take on all challengers as the final stage of the season begins.
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