The rivalry between women's hockey perennial powerhouses #7 Middlebury and #3 Plattsburgh State took overtime to decide a victor, but it was the Cardinals who edged the Panthers 2-1. Typically an annual rivalry, tonight marked the first meeting between the teams since 2020.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Middlebury came out strong, firing eight shots over the opening seven minutes. 
• The best chance to score for either team in the first stanza came with 13:30 expired. Plattsburgh's Holly Schmelzer skated toward the Panther goal on a breakaway, but Selia Coady barreled down the ice and poked the puck away. Mae Olshansky was there and attempted to flip the puck into the goal after an awkward bounce, but quick-reacting goalie Sophia Will denied the chance with a nice glove save.
• With 2:37 gone in the second frame, Cardinal Riley Calhoun looked to get the visitors on the board during a one-on-one attempt against Will, but the netminder made a sprawling stop to keep the contest scoreless.
• Middlebury's Zoe Pincelli had a great opportunity to score with 13:35 showing on the clock. Avery McInerny gathered a loose puck behind the goal and sent the puck toward the slot. Pincelli dove and got her stick on the puck, but the attempt was thwarted by goalie Lilla Nease.
• Plattsburgh earned a power play with roughly 16 minutes expired in the period. Despite keeping the puck in the offensive zone during the entirety of the two-minute power-play, a strong Panther penalty-kill unit kept the Cardinals at bay.
• Middlebury nearly broke through just over five minutes into the third period, but Eva Hendrikson's slap shot was thwarted by a sprawling save from Nease.
• The Panthers opened the scoring with 7:29 expired in the frame. An initial bid by Sabrina Kim was blocked by a blueliner, and McInerny's one-timer was denied by Nease, but Britt Nawrocki was there to tap in the loose puck and make it 1-0.
• Plattsburgh answered with 3:44 left in regulation when Nicole Unsworth redirected an initial shot by Mattie Norton, making it 1-1 and sending the contest into overtime.
• Middlebury had a great chance to score just 1:05 into the extra session, but Jenna Letterie's bid from the right dot was denied by a great stick save from Nease.
• The game-winning goal came with 1:55 left in overtime. Sierra Benjamin made a move around a defender and slipped the puck into the left side of the net for the 2-1 Cardinal win.

NOTES

• Nawrocki's goal was her team-leading seventh of the season. 
• Claudia Vira was phenomenal on defense, blocking a season-best five shots and adding to her conference-high total of 22. 
• The Panthers denied Plattsburgh a chance to increase their nation-leading power-play goal percentage, killing off the Cardinals one opportunity.
• Middlebury held a 28-10 advantage in faceoff victories.