Women's Ice Hockey Championship Seeding Released

Middlebury Edges Amherst for Tournament's Top Seed

HADLEY, Mass. – With a 4-2 win at Bowdoin on Saturday afternoon, Middlebury College secured the number-one seed for the 2011 edition of the NESCAC Women's Ice Hockey Championship. The Panthers will begin their pursuit for a fifth conference crown when they host a quarterfinal contest along with Amherst, Bowdoin, and Trinity on Saturday, Feb. 26.

If Middlebury advances, it will host the semifinals and championship at Kenyon Arena the following weekend on March 5-6. Ticket information for the quarterfinals shall be released by the hosts in the upcoming week.

The top seed in this year's championship came down to just two teams in the final weeks of the regular season - a neck-and-neck race between Amherst and Middlebury (18-4-1, 14-1-1 NESCAC). The squads split their season series back on Jan. 14-15 in Amherst, as the Panthers earned a 3-0 shutout the first night before the Lord Jeffs responded with a 2-1 victory the next day. Tied for first with three weeks to go, the Jeffs ran into trouble at Bowdoin during the first weekend in February, falling behind the Panthers in the standings after a 2-1 setback to the Polar Bears. Middlebury looked to be in danger of having the same problem at Bowdoin in the season finale on Saturday, trailing 2-0 in the first period before regrouping and scoring four unanswered goals en route to a 4-2 win and the number-one seed for the first time since 2008. Winners of 10 of their last 11 games, the Panthers will host eighth-seeded Williams (4-16-1, 3-12-1 NESCAC) in this year's quarterfinals. Middlebury shut out its travel partner in both encounters this season, skating to a 3-0 win at home on Dec. 4 and a 5-0 decision in Williamstown on Jan. 22. The Ephs have had their struggles throughout the year, most recently dropping a set in Maine to Bowdoin (4-3) and Colby (4-1) over the weekend. In the all-time playoff series between the two, Middlebury holds the advantage at 4-1, winning the last four meetings. The Ephs upset the top-seeded Panthers in the 2002 semifinals to earn their only final appearance. Middlebury has won four NESCAC titles, more than any other program, and has reached the semifinals every year the tournament has been held.

Although second-seeded Amherst (17-5-2, 13-2-1 NESCAC) came up short in its bid for the number-one seed for the third year in a row, the Jeffs have known for a while that they would be home in the first round once again. Losing out to Middlebury for home ice throughout the playoffs may not be that bad for Amherst due to the recent success the Jeffs have had at Kenyon. The defending NESCAC champions have won two of their three titles at Middlebury, including their inaugural crown in 2007, and their first of back-to-back NCAA championships occurred at Kenyon. Before the Jeffs can start thinking about next weekend, they must get past seventh-seeded Colby (9-15-0, 5-11-0 NESCAC) this coming weekend. The Mules locked up the seventh spot with a 4-1 victory against Williams on Saturday, only their second win in their last seven games. The Jeffs, meanwhile, have continued their winning trend from recent years with a 14-2-1 showing since the start of January, including a pair of decisions over Colby on Jan. 28-29 in Amherst, 3-2 and 3-1. This will be the second-straight year that Amherst and Colby have clashed in the quarterfinals. Holding a 1-0 lead after one period last February, the Jeffs broke open the game in the second with an eight-goal barrage in a 10-1 final, the most goals scored in tournament history.

Third-seeded Trinity (17-3-4, 10-3-3 NESCAC) returns to the NESCAC championship following the most successful season in program history. The Bantams racked up a school-record 21 victories during the 2009-10 campaign and reached the finals for the first time ever after a marathon 2-1, quadruple-overtime win over Middlebury. Even though Trinity came up short to Amherst for the conference crown, in overtime no less, the Bantams received their first invitation to participate in the NCAA Tournament. There's been no letdown for Trinity this season, as the Bantams enter their quarterfinal match with sixth-seeded Hamilton (11-13-0, 6-10-0 NESCAC) riding a six-game winning streak following a road sweep. The Continentals suffered a 3-1 loss to the Bantams on Friday night but closed out their regular season on a high note, snapping a three-game skid with a 4-0 decision over Wesleyan. Trinity also won the other match in the two-game series, posting a 3-1 victory at home on Nov. 27, and took the lone meeting in the playoffs between the two in the 2008 first round by a 5-1 score.

The final quarterfinal contest features a resurgent Bowdoin (14-8-2, 9-6-1 NESCAC) against a determined Connecticut College (12-10-2, 8-7-1 NESCAC) in the four-five match. The two-time NESCAC champion Polar Bears made their way back into the semifinals last year after a two-year absence and nearly upset top-seeded Amherst, eventually falling 3-2 in overtime. Bowdoin hopes to take it a step farther this year, however the Polar Bears will have to maneuver past a Connecticut College squad in the midst of its best season in program history. The Camels' 12 victories are the most in the 14 years the team has been in existence, and their fifth-place performance in the NESCAC standings matched their highest finish ever. Bowdoin and Connecticut College split their annual series, as the home team won in both instances by a 4-3 score. Only once have the Polar Bears and the Camels faced one another in the tournament. Bowdoin edged Connecticut College, 2-1, in the opening round of the 2006 championship, the last year the Polar Bears managed to reach the final.

2011 NESCAC WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
Quarterfinals - Saturday, Feb. 26 at Higher Seeds
No. 6 Hamilton at No. 3 Trinity - 3:00 p.m.
No. 8 Williams at No. 1 Middlebury - 4:00 p.m.
No. 5 Connecticut College at No. 4 Bowdoin - 4:00 p.m.
No. 7 Colby at No. 2 Amherst - TBA

Semifinals - Saturday, March 5 at Highest Remaining Seed
Highest remaining seed vs. Lowest remaining seed - 1:00 p.m.
Remaining first round winners - 4:00 p.m.

Championship - Sunday, March 6
Semifinal winners - 2:00 p.m.