The seventh-ranked Middlebury women's hockey team cut a two-goal deficit down to one in the final period, but despite several efforts to knot the game, the Panthers could not overcome #2 Plattsburgh State. The Cardinals added an empty net goal in the final seconds to secure the 4-2 triumph and advance to the NCAA Semifinals. Middlebury concludes the season with a 17-8-2 record, having made its 18th appearance in the national tournament.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Plattsburgh State got on the board with 1:51 expired in the first period. An initial bid from the slot by Holly Schmelzer was denied by Panther netminder Sophia Merageas on the right pipe, but Emma St. McLean was there to one-time the rebound into the near side of the goal for the early 1-0 edge.
• The Cardinals threatened to double their advantage with 7:10 elapsed, but a sprawling Merageas thwarted McLean's attempt from between the circles.
• Middlebury knotted the contest 1-1 at the 9:47 mark during a power play. Eva Hendrikson slid the puck from the top of the right faceoff circle to Claudia Vira on the left before Vira's slapshot trickled through traffic and into the goal.
• Britt Nawrocki nearly gave the Panthers the lead with 4:56 left in the opening period, but her shot from point-blank range was denied by Plattsburgh State goalie Ashley Davis.
• The Cardinals had a final quality chance with 55 seconds left, but Merageas used her pads to deny Nicole Unsworth's bid from the right dot.
• Plattsburgh State took the lead (2-1) when Sara St. Krauseneck collected a clearing attempt by Middlebury, faked to her right and came across the crease before slipping the puck into the upper-right corner at the 11:09 mark.
• With just under two minutes remaining in the period, the Panthers had a great chance to level the score. Molly MacQueen won a faceoff and sent the puck to Vira just inside the blue line, but Vira's hard shot hit a Cardinal defender in the slot.
• Plattsburgh State increased its lead to 3-1 with 1:12 left in the stanza. Merageas stopped back-to-back efforts by Mattie Norton, but the rebound caused a scramble in front of the goal and Ivy St. Boric was on the right pipe to sneak the puck inside it.
• Middlebury cut the deficit to one (3-2) with 6:01 expired in the final period when Britt Nawrocki one-timed a shot from the left faceoff circle.
• With 11:52 left in the stanza, Jenna Letterie had a great chance to tie the game when she intercepted a clearing attempt by the Cardinals, but her attempt to tuck the puck under the crossbar was elbowed away by Davis.
• The Panthers had a flurry of quality opportunities in the final minutes, but a strong Plattsburgh State defensive unit held up.
• It took the Cardinals three chances to tally an empty-net goal at the end of the period to make it a 4-2 final score. The initial attempt by Krauseneck with 55 seconds remaining was denied by Hendrikson who sprawled out to just block the shot before Unsworth scored with seven seconds left for the final margin.

NOTES

• Nawrocki's goal gives her a team-best 16 this winter. She recorded at least one point in 21 games, including five of the last six.
• Letterie picked up an assist on Middlebury's second goal against the Cardinals. Letterie led the Panthers this year in points (31) and assists (21), recording a point in 11 of the final 12 games with eight points over the last four contests (1G, 7A).
• Vira's goal was her fifth of the season, while Schluter's assist was the 10th of her career.
• Merageas finished with a season-best 33 saves in front of the net.
• Middlebury is 21-14 in NCAA Tournament play, tying for second in wins among all Division III women's hockey programs.