The Middlebury College Women’s hockey team has arranged a match on Wednesday evening against Western New England for the NCAA Division III tournament, subsequent to their triumphant acquisition of the NESCAC tournament title this previous weekend.
With a record of 16-6-4, the Panthers have earned the privilege to host Western New England (17-7-3) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. The winner of this match will advance to a Saturday NCAA quarterfinal at Plattsburgh (22-4-1).
Admission to the Wednesday NCAA game has been declared as complimentary, as all tickets for this event have been procured by college officials, as per information provided on the Middlebury College athletics website.
Despite their achievements in the league playoffs, the Panthers were not bestowed with a home quarterfinal. This accolade was instead conferred to the league’s regular season champion and NESCAC tournament host Amherst (21-3-2), who were defeated by Hamilton in the NESCAC semifinal round.
If the Panthers achieve victory against Western New England, they could potentially confront Amherst in the NCAA semifinal round. Middlebury did not compete against Western New England this winter, but they clashed with Plattsburgh twice, ultimately suffering a 3-1 loss on November 26 at home, and then a 2-1 defeat on January 23 at Plattsburgh.
Middlebury secured their automatic bid to the NCAA tournament by vanquishing Hamilton, 4-0, in Sunday’s NESCAC final, and Colby, 3-0, in Saturday’s semifinal, in games hosted in Amherst, Mass.
In the game against Hamilton, Cat Appleyard bestowed the Panthers with the lead with 29 seconds left in the opening period. Jordan Hower facilitated by dispatching the puck from the left boards to Appleyard in the left circle. Middlebury then amplified the lead to 2-0 during a power play at 14:05 in the second period. Kylie Quinlan extended it to 3-0 35 seconds later. Another goal followed at 13:44 of the third period, ensuring a victory for the Panthers.
Meanwhile, the Saturday game against Colby was a tighter match throughout that culminated in a 3-0 final. The Panthers scored twice in the final 22 seconds of the game, with goaltender Sophia Will making 26 saves for the team.
If Middlebury were to conquer these upcoming fixtures, they could be on their way to an electrifying championship showdown in the NCAA semifinal round. Regardless of the outcome, sports enthusiasts can anticipate a thrilling and highly anticipated matchup.