1/9/04 - In a battle of two of the nation's top teams, #1 Elmira topped #6 Middlebury, 2-1 in women's hockey action on Friday night. The Panthers out shot Elmira 25-19, but had a hard time to solve Soaring Eagle netminder Edith Racine, who was solid with 23 saves.

            Middlebury controlled the play early, having four one-on-one opportunities with Racine in the first period, but she was equal to the task. Elmira was first to get on the board at 16:17 as Laura Hurd hit Lindsay Palmer with a nice pass as she converted a two-on-one break with a snap shot from the left side. The game remained at 1-0 until the 7:11 mark of the third period when Hurd scored an unassisted goal on the power play with a shot from just left of the slot after gathering a loose puck. Middlebury cut the lead in half late in the period as Emily Quizon made a nice cross pass to Lorna Gifis, who snapped a shot into the top right corner of the net from the left side. The Panthers had a few chances late with their netminder pulled, but they could not tally the equalizer. Kate Kogut made 18 stops in net for the Panthers. (box)