Winning three straight titles is impressive. So impressive, in fact, that the sports world coined a word for it: the three-peat. And this week at Middlebury, not one, but two teams have exactly that on their minds.
After plowing through their respective NESCAC Tournaments and surviving their first-round contests in the NCAA Div. III Tournament, the Middlebury men's and women's ice hockey teams once again find themselves in the Frozen Four, and both are looking for their third consecutive national championship.
After getting past Bowdoin to win yet another NESCAC crown, the top-ranked Middlebury men's team received a first-round bye to the NCAA Quarterfinals where it met No. 15 UMass-Dartmouth.
The Panthers, who have only two seniors on their roster and will likely be back for another run next winter, controlled the pace of the game, netting a goal in each period and defensively stifling UMass-Dartmouth. The Corsairs slipped one past Middlebury sophomore goalie Ross Cherry in the waning minutes of the contest, but Cherry's 21 saves were more than enough for a 3-1 Middlebury victory.
Juniors Eric LaFreniere, John Sales, and Brett Shirreffs provided the necessary offense in the win. LaFreniere scored the first and third goals for the Panthers and got assists from Sales and Shirreffs on both tallies. Sales also assisted on the game's second goal, a second period tally by freshman Jamie McKenna, Middlebury's second-leading scorer.
Middlebury's women's team also got past Bowdoin en route to an NCAA Quarterfinals berth. Despite their No. 2 ranking in the nation, the Panthers were not rewarded in the first round, as they were paired with No. 3 Manhattanville. Worse yet, the winner of that contest would face a semifinal contest against No. 4 Gustavus Adolphus, the only team in the tournament to receive a bye. Top-ranked Plattsburgh State along with Middlebury and Manhattanville were inexplicably passed over for the first-round reward.
Instead of letting its difficult draw be a mental block, Middlebury took its frustrations out on the ice. After falling behind 2-0 in the second period, the Panthers scored the game's next four goals - plenty of offense to hang onto a 4-3 win after a late Manhattanville goal.
Freshman Annmarie Cellino, Middlebury's leader in goals, assists, and points this winter, did more of the same when it mattered most. She assisted on the team's first goal, scored the go-ahead tally in the third period, and assisted on the eventual game-winner late in the game.
Despite boasting the top-ranked men's team and the No. 2 women's team in the nation, the NCAA did not reward either the male or female Panthers with the hosting privileges. Middlebury's perennial dominance might have been their undoing in this decision; Kenyon Arena has hosted both championships in the past, so the NCAA likely opted to send the games to a new site this winter.
Instead, the Middlebury men will make the trip to upstate New York., where they will meet host No. 9 Elmira in the National Semifinals on Saturday. Elmira needed overtime to get past Manhattanville, 2-1, in the quarterfinals this past weekend. Despite going up against Elmira's home-ice advantage, the Panthers will be favored to win and move on to the National Championship game, which would pit them against the winner of the game between No. 2 St. Norbert or No. 7 Hobart in their quest for the three-peat.
Meanwhile, the Middlebury women will also make the trip to New York for the Frozen Four, as their tournament is hosted by Plattsburgh State. Four of the top five teams in the nation remain in the field, and Middlebury meets Gustavus Adolphus on Friday afternoon. A win would earn the Panthers a matchup with host Plattsburgh State or No. 5 Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
While Middlebury's opponents are daunting, and it will not benefit from home ice, don't be surprised if the Panthers find room for another pair of national championship trophies come Sunday evening.
