The third-ranked Middlebury women's ice hockey team scored once in each period en route to a 3-1 victory at #10 Hamilton to start the season.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The Panthers looked to get on the board with 4:14 elapsed. Jordan Hower barreled down the right boards and centered a pass to Cat Appleyard in the slot. Appleyard spun around and fired the puck on goal, but netminder Teagan Brown denied  the chance. 
• Just over a minute later, Middlebury took a 1-0 edge following a faceoff. Kate Flynn won the battle at the left dot and tipped the puck back to Sabrina Kim, who was just inside the blue line. Kim rifled the puck through traffic, finding Calia Ferraris on the left pipe, who tipped the puck past Brown. 
• The Panthers looked to increase the lead at the 11:34 mark after a loose-puck scramble on the doorstep, but Avery McInerny's sneaky bid was thwarted by Brown.
• The Continentals tested goalie Sophia Merageas in the final minutes of the opening period with a trio of shots that were easily turned away by the veteran netminder. 
• Hamilton came out of the break strong with a great opportunity to tie the contest with 2:04 expired. Abby Weiss intercepted a clearing attempt and circled around the Panther goal. Weiss fed the puck to Ava Romano, whose point-blank chance was denied by a butterflying-Merageas. 
• The Continentals broke through at the 13:37 mark. Romano skated with the puck from center ice through the right circle and centered a pass to Lydia Bullock who's quick-stick eluded the Panther defense, as the puck trickled into the left side of the net to tie the game at one apiece. 
• Middlebury responded just under five minutes later when Hower collected the puck along the left boards at center ice. The senior skated through the left circle across to the right and muscled her shot past Brown to put the Panthers back on top 2-1.
• Hamilton looked for the equalizer with 7:37 expired in the third period. Grace Crowley beat a defender and rifled a shot on goal that Merageas covered with her glove.
• Middlebury added an insurance tally with just under six minutes remaining. Maeve McAdams sent a cross-ice pass to Flynn, whose initial bid from the doorstep was denied by Brown. McAdams was there to shovel the rebound into the net with a backhanded sweeping shot for the two-goal victory.

NOTES

• The goal by McAdams was her first in the navy and white.
• With a pair of assists, Kim now has 45 in her career. 
• This marked the ninth-straight season-opening win for the Panthers.
• Middlebury and Hamilton met for the 76th time as the Panthers improved to 68-7-1 in the series. 

The teams return to the ice on Saturday, closing out the series with a 3:00 p.m. puck drop.