In 1981-1982, the first varsity Middlebury Women’s Ice Hockey team was established. Walter “Duke” Nelson was the head coach and the team finished with a record of 7-8-0. The captains of the first team were three seniors: Ann Machado, Sue Lyle, and Maggie Gordon. In their first season, the team played several strong teams such as Dartmouth and Williams.
Bobby Ritter became the head coach of the women’s ice hockey team for the 1982-1983 season and led the team to a 10-5 record. Ritter remained as head coach for four seasons until Mike Gerber took over for the 1987-1988 season. In Gerber’s only season as head coach, he led the team to a 11-3-0 record.
The following season (’88-’89), Bill Mandigo was hired as the new head coach. An Ice Hockey preview from the November 1988 issue of the Middlebury Campus writes,
“The Lady Panthers are up against a tough schedule…They’ll be facing off against such rivals as Yale, Dartmouth, and Colby, as well as powerful Boston schools like MIT, Boston College and Boston University.”
At this time, the women were playing in the Division III ECAC East league. As a member of this league, Middlebury played against bigger schools, such as Boston College and Boston University, teams they no longer face today. The team finished with a 10-5-0 record that season, proving what the January 20, 1989 issue of the Middlebury Campus wrote,
“Some things in life are inevitable – death and taxes. There are also some things that are fairly sure bets – a strong season by the Middlebury Women’s ice hockey team seems to fit this latter category.”
Amidst coaching changes and sometimes a lack of players, the early years of the women’s ice hockey team marked the beginning of strong tradition and a great program that would flourish in the years to come.