For the fifth time in six years and the ninth time overall, the Middlebury women's hockey team will serve as the host site for the NESCAC Championship weekend. The Panthers (18-4-3) earned the right after defeating Colby (6-16-3) 4-3 in a quarterfinal game in Kenyon Arena for their seventh-straight victory. Top-seeded Middlebury advances to the semifinal next weekend, while the eighth-seeded Mules conclude their season.

Top-seeded Middlebury will host #5 Trinity at 1:00 p.m. next Saturday, while #2 Amherst meets #3 Connecticut College in the other semifinal at 4:00 p.m. The winners meet in the NESCAC Championship game on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

The seventh-ranked Panthers opened the scoring at the 8:34 mark of the first period on a goal by Maddie Winslow. Jessica Young started the play by winning the puck along the right boards and pushing a pass to Elizabeth Wulf in the circle. Wulf quickly centered the puck to Winslow on the doorstop, who one-timed it past Colby goalie Angelica Crites.

Crites kept it a one-goal game the rest of the period, finishing with 12 saves as Middlebury held a 13-2 advantage in shots on goal. One of her better saves came with 1:24 left, as she denied Janka Hlinka on a shot from the top of the crease after a pass from behind the net by Young.

Colby started the second period with a push, recording four of the first five shots, but minutes later the Panthers opened up a 2-0 lead. Grace Jennings sent a wrist shot on goal from the left point that found its way through traffic in front of the net for her third goal of the season.

The Mules got on the scoreboard with 2:27 left in the middle frame on a goal by Bella Papapetros. Brooke Gary's shot from the right point hit a body in front and deflected to Papapetros at the left post as she scored her ninth of the year to make it a one-goal game.

The Panthers quickly regained a two-goal edge when Rachael St. Clair used her speed to get around the Mule defender on the left side and slide the puck behind Crites 44 seconds after Colby had scored. That goal gave the hosts a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes of play and was St. Clair's third of the season.

Middlebury opened up a three-goal lead on the initial shift of the final period when Winslow laced a shot into the upper corner of the net as she charged down the left wing. That tally came 16 seconds into the period and was her team-leading 15th of the season.

The Mules crept back to within a pair of goals exactly four minutes later when Papapetros made a diving centering pass to Delaney Flynn, who knocked in her sixth goal of the year.

Colby pulled Crites with 1:45 left in regulation and were then awarded a power play with 51.9 seconds on the clock for a six-on-four advantage. The Mules capitalized 10 seconds later on a shot by Megan Fortier from below the left circle found its way past Panther goalie Julia Neuburger for her fourth of the season.

Neuburger earned her 10th win of the season with 17 saves, while Crites had 34 for the Mules as the hosts held a 38-20 edge in shots. Colby went 1-2 on the power play, while Middlebury was scoreless in its only opportunity.