A goal scored late in the first period and an impressive performance by goalie Sophia Merageas proved to be the difference-maker for the Middlebury women's hockey team, as the Panthers defeated Amherst 1-0 to complete the weekend sweep on Saturday. Having been on the road for the last two weeks, Middlebury (7-0) returns home on Friday when it hosts UMass-Boston at 3:00 p.m.
 
The Panthers controlled the action in the opening period with its 14-9 shot advantage, but the could not seem to get past goalie Caitlin Walker with her 13 saves in the first 20 minutes. With less than two minutes to play, Cat Appleyard scored, with assists from Jenna Letterie and Madie Leidt, to give the visitors a 1-0 edge heading to the second frame. 
 
The Mammoths came out to play in the middle stanza and just barely trailed in shots on goal (16-15). Both teams had two chances to score with the extra player, but both netminders were on point and kept it a one-goal contest after two.
 
Both goalies kept working in overdrive and were the stars of the third period. Halfway through, Amherst took four shots in quick succession, two of which were saved by Merageas. The Mammoths were relentless, but Merageas was able to hold on until the final whistle.
 
The rookie goalkeeper earned her fifth win and her second shutout of the young season to help her team remain undefeated. Merageas ended the game with a personal best 33 saves, while Amherst's Walker had 39 stops in the loss. Middlebury led in shots the entire game, finishing with a 63-43 advantage.