Women's Ice Hockey All-NESCAC Teams Announced

Women's Ice Hockey All-NESCAC Teams Announced

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HADLEY, Mass. – Senior goaltender Sam Walther (Gambrills, Md.) of Hamilton was selected as the NESCAC Women’s Ice Hockey Player of the Year by the conference coaches. Walther is the second consecutive Continental to earn the honor, joining former teammate Katie Parkman (2017), and the third player overall in program history (Stephanie Miguel, 2009). Walther lead the league with a .966 save percentage and ranked second in goals against average (0.99) in conference play. She made 450 saves, posted seven shutouts and earned nine wins in NESCAC games. She is the third goaltender to be named NESCAC Player of the Year.

  • Five of the six players on the First Team are repeat All-NESCAC honorees, while every member of the Second Team earned an All-NESCAC honor for the first time in their careers. Hamilton placed three players on the All-NESCAC teams, while Amherst, Bowdoin, Connecticut College and Middlebury were represented by two players each.
  • Senior Julie Dachille moves up to the First Team after earning All-NESCAC Second Team honors last season. She totaled 13 points on a 10 goals and three assists in conference games. Dachille scored three game-winners for the Polar Bears.
  • Amherst senior Alex Toupal earns All-NESCAC First Team honors for the third consecutive season. She led the league in conference  scoring with 23 points on nine goals and 14 assists in NESCAC games.
  • Senior Jessica Young, the 2015 NESCAC Rookie of the Year, earned her fourth All-NESCAC honor with a spot on the First Team for the second straight season. She also garnered Second Team honors in 2015 and 2016. Young paced the Panthers with 21 points on eight goals, six coming on the power play, and 13 assists in league games.
  • Senior Brigit Bergin elevates to the First Team this season after earning All-NESCAC Second Team honors last year. She tallied five points from the blue line in conference games for the Polar Bears.
  • Middlebury junior Jenna Marotta led all NESCAC defenders in scoring with 15 points on one goal and 14 assists in conference games, to earn All-NESCAC honors for the first time in her career. She helped lead a Middlebury defensive unit that allows a league-low 1.06 goals per game.
  • Middlebury first-year Madie Leidt was selected as the NESCAC Rookie of the Year. She is the second consecutive Panther to earn the honor, joining teammate Lizzie Sheline (2017). Current teammate Jessica Young also won the award in 2015 and other Panthers to earn Rookie of the Year honor were Anna McNally (2008) and Annmarie Cellino (2006). Leidt ranked third among Middlebury’s leading scorers with 16 points on 10 goals and six assists. She also netted seven power-play goals to lead the league in conference games.
  • Bill Mandigo of Middlebury is the NESCAC Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his 30 years at the helm. Mandigo, who received the award in 2004, 2011, and 2016, guided the Panthers to a 13-1-2 record in league play en route to their eighth consecutive No. 1 seed in the NESCAC Championship.

Women's Ice Hockey All-Conference Teams

Player of the Year: Sam Walther, Hamilton
Rookie of the Year: Madie Leidt, Middlebury
Coach of the Year: Bill Mandigo, Middlebury

First Team All-NESCAC
Position Name Institution Class Hometown
F Julie Dachille Bowdoin Sr. Venetia, Pa.
F Alex Toupal Amherst Sr. New Brighton, Minn.
F Jessica Young Middlebury Sr. Mission Hills, Kan.
D Brigit Bergin Bowdoin Sr. Natick, Mass.
D Jenna Marotta Middlebury Jr. Katy, Texas
G Sam Walther Hamilton Sr. Gambrills, Md.
Second Team All-NESCAC
Position Name Institution Class Hometown
F Elena Gualtieri Connecticut College Jr. Rome, N.Y.
F Michaela Giuttari Hamilton So. Warwick, R.I.
F Meghan Halloran Williams Fy. Darien, Conn.
D Ashley Carbone Connecticut College So. Wallingford, Conn.
D Miriam Eickhoff Amherst Jr. Hanover, N.H.
D Caroline Knop Hamilton Sr. Lake Bluff, Ill.
G Allegra Grant Wesleyan So. Winnetka, Ill.