The top-ranked Middlebury (17-0-0, 11-0-0) posted its eighth shutout of the season, as Caroline Silk made a career-high 23 saves in a 3-0 NESCAC win at Trinity (6-8-1, 2-6-0) on Friday. The  teams complete their two-game series on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.

The 17-0 start is the best for Middlebury since the 2005-06 season, when the team opened with 18-consecutive victories. The Panthers are also the lone remaining unbeaten team in Division III.

The hosts had a good opportunity to strike first with a 4x3 power play with just over seven minutes expired. After a second penalty on the Panthers gave the Bantams a two-player edge, Silk held her ground with four key stops to keep the game scoreless. Middlebury's offense struck at the 13:01 mark when Raia Schluter slid a pass back to Claudia Vira at the point, who wristed a shot through traffic for her second tally of the season.

In the second stanza, Silk thwarted Trinity's Paige Kehoe's bid from just outside the paint with two minutes off the clock. Late in the frame with the Panthers on the power play, Katie Hargrave just missed from the left circle, but Middlebury maintained possession on the rebound. After working the puck back to the left side, Jenna Letterie one-timed a pass from Eva Hendrikson for a 2-0 cushion with 3:12 showing on the scoreboard.

Midway through the final period, Trinity's Jenny Guiden got off a shot from the slot that was blocked by a Panther defender. She quickly gathered the rebound and fired a shot on goal from close range that Silk corralled. Middlebury tacked on an extra insurance goal with 3:01 remaining when Madie Leidt blasted a shot from the left wing for her NESCAC-leading 13th tally of the season.

The shutout was Silk's fourth of the season, while Hannah LeClair had 47 stops for the Bantams.

The Panthers fired a season-high 50 shots on goal.