The women’s hockey team ended 2006 on a positive note, defeating MIT 2-0, in its final game of the calendar year. Danielle Bugge ’07 needed only 14 seconds to give the Cardinals all the offense they would need, and Amanda Nickels ’08 added another goal in the first period to make it 2-0.

“It [the win] was very important for us in terms of giving us momentum into the second half of the season,” said Hannah Jackson ’09. “Even though MIT is a weaker team than most of our NESCAC opponents, it was still a very big win because it is often hard not to play down to the speed or skill of [a] weaker opponent.”

Following a four-week layoff, the Cardinals embarked upon a three-game Minnesota road trip. The team’s first game, against Augsburg, ended badly when Augsburg scored with 2:28 remaining and held on for a 3-2 win. The two teams clashed again the following day, with the Auggies jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead en route to a 4-1 victory.

The Cardinals took on St. Catherine the following Monday in the road trip’s final game. Jessica Fischer ’08 scored her team-leading sixth goal, and Lila Bolke ’08 lit the lamp for the first time to make it 2-0 in the second period. St. Catherine battled back in the third to knot it at 2-2, but Jaime Wendel ’07 scored her first goal of the year to give the Cardinals back the lead. Conner Brannen ’10 scored with nine seconds left to ice the 4-2 victory.

The Cardinals returned to NESCAC play on Jan. 12 against second ranked Middlebury. Dating back to the 2002-03 season, Wesleyan had gone 0-5-1 in its last six games against the Panthers, and have been outscored 48-3. After a scoreless first, the Cardinals jumped on the board with a power-play goal by Brannen, which proved to be the teams only shot of the second period. Wesleyan managed just nine shots in the contest. Middlebury tied it with 6:14 remaining in regulation, but thanks largely to the strong play of goalie Rachel Stemerman ’08 (47 saves), Wesleyan held on for a 1-1 tie.

“The tie against Middlebury was critical,” Jackson said. “It was a huge confidence boost, proving that we could play with any team in our conference.”

However, the Cardinals could not duplicate their success the following day, dropping the game to Middlebury 4-1. The loss dropped Wesleyan to 0-34-2 all-time against its Vermont foe. Stemerman, however, continued her solid play, making 38 more saves in the contest. For her efforts, Stemerman was named NESCAC Player of the Week.

The Cardinals traveled to Williamstown the following Friday for a home-and-home series with Williams. The Ephs easily handled the Cardinals in the opening game, jumping out to a 6-0 lead and cruising to an 8-2 victory. The Cardinals returned to Middletown the following night and battled to a 1-1 draw. Nickels scored late in the first, giving the Cardinals a lead that held up until the Ephs scored with 3:43 left in the game. Once again, strong play by Stemerman (36 saves) kept the Cardinals in the game.

“We definitely were not prepared for the first night,” explains Jackson. “It was important for us to show [on Saturday] that the previous day was not a real representation of our team.”

Head coach Donna Wright agreed.

“The difference [Saturday] was in our game preparations and mental aspect to the game. We didn’t play at Williams with the mental sharpness or team play that we displayed on Saturday night,” she said.

The Cardinals began another non-conference series this past weekend, hosting Cortland State on Friday night. The Red Dragons struck first, but Jackson scored her fourth goal to erase the deficit halfway through the second period. Cortland State reclaimed the lead with 4:38 left in the period and padded it thirteen seconds into the third. Wendel halved the Dragons’ lead with 2:46 remaining, but that would be the final tally in the 3-2 loss. Wesleyan took on powerhouse Utica the following afternoon. The Cardinals amassed seven penalties in the first two periods, four of which led to power play goals for the Pioneers. Wesleyan’s only goal in the 4-1 defeat, by captain Molly Adams ’07, also came on a power play.

The Cardinals will travel to Sacred Heart on Tuesday before a crucial weekend series at Connecticut College. At 1-6-3 in NESCAC play, Wesleyan currently sits one-half game behind 3-7-0 Trinity. With the Bantams traveling to Maine to take on second-place Bowdoin and sixth-place Colby, the Cardinals could assume control of seventh place in the NESCAC standings with a strong showing this weekend.

“The Sacred Heart game is important for our preparations for NESCAC foe Connecticut College,” says Wright. “We hope to prepare for the Conn. games with an intensity that will carry into the weekend.”

Tuesday and Friday’s games will be played at 7:00 p.m., while the puck will drop at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.