The fifth-ranked Middlebury women's ice hockey team skated to a 1-1 tie with second-ranked Amherst on Saturday afternoon. Both teams rippled the nylon during the second period.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The Mammoths looked to take an early edge after 1:31 of action. During the power play, Natalie Fu wristed a shot from the left face-off circle that was on target, but Panther goalie Sophia Will blockered the effort wide of the goal.
• Middlebury produced a quality chance when Avery McInerny and Cat Appleyard skated two-on-one into the offensive zone. McInerny ripped a shot from the right dot that Amherst goalie Natalie Stott turned away. The rebound bounced to Appleyard's skates but she couldn't control the puck as time expired in the first frame.
• The Panthers nearly opened the scoring less than one minute into the second period. A redirected shot found Kylie Quinlan right in front of the net, but her backhand effort from close range was pushed aside by the left pad of Stott.
• Middlebury grabbed the lead at the 3:36 mark in the middle stanza. On the power play, Sabrina Kim fired a pass to Olivia McManus in the right slot. Her initial shot was stopped but the rebound fell to Kate Flynn on the doorstep and she tucked her bid into the left corner for the 1-0 lead. 
• Rylee Glennon almost leveled the contest with 10:28 to go in the period. The Mammoth skated behind the goal and wristed a shot from the left circle that was smothered by Will to preserve the lead.
• Amherst knotted the game at 1-1 with 1:30 remaining in the period. Alejandra Ubarri sent a pass toward the right pipe which reached Mary Thompson. Thompson flipped the puck across the crease to Cara Mancini, who knocked her close-range shot past Will to even the score.  
• Will was forced into two great saves less than a minute into the final frame. Marie-Eve Marleau skated in and ripped a shot from the left circle that was denied by the Panther netminder. The rebound fell to Janya Park who fired a shot from straight on, which was thwarted to keep the game tied. 
• With 9:55 left, Flynn skated into the offensive zone on her own and fired a shot toward the bottom-left corner but Stott sprang across her goal to knock the attempt wide with her pad. 
• Middlebury's best chance of the third period came with 5:30 to go. A loose puck was batted down and retrieved by Jordan Hower inside the crease. Her bid was blocked by Stott and the rebound ricocheted to Britt Nawrocki, but her follow-up from the left pipe was stopped miraculously by a sprawling Stott.
• The Panthers owned the final five minutes of play, peppering the Amherst goal, but were unable to find the winner, as the contest headed to overtime.  
• In the extra session skating three-on-three, Flynn found room behind the defense, but her shot was saved by the left pad of Stott just 14 seconds into action.
• With 1:42 remaining, Nawrocki muscled her way down the left side, sending a knuckling shot that Stott got a piece of with her blocker before covering the puck.
• The hosts looked to produce the game-winning goal in the final minute, but Will saved three shots to earn the 1-1 tie. 

NOTES

• The assist was the first of McManus' career as a Panther.
• Will finished with a season-best 26 saves, including four in the overtime period.
• Kim picked up an assist, good for her 30th career helper.
• Middlebury and Amherst played for the 65th time in an all-time series the Panthers own a 38-12-15 advantage.

The Panthers return to the ice on Saturday with a 7:00 p.m. home contest against UMass Boston in Chip Kenyon '85 Arena.