The #7/second-seeded Middlebury women's ice hockey team opened the NESCAC Tournament with a 4-1 triumph over seventh-seeded Williams on Saturday. With the win, the Panthers advance to the semifinals for the 21st time and continue their pursuit of the program's 12th title.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Middlebury wasted little time out of the gates, scoring just 2:09 into the first period. Kylie Quinlan wrapped around the goal and sent a pass from the right pipe up to Rachel Neyman who was just inside the blue line. Neyman made no mistake, lifting her shot through the air and nestling it under the crossbar for the 1-0 edge.
• With 9:32 expired, the Panthers nearly scored again, but Jordan Hower's bid from the right dot pinged off the left pipe.
• The Ephs had a great chance to deadlock the contest with under a minute to play, but Lucie Bond's attempt from point-blank range was thwarted by Middlebury netminder Sophia Will.
• The Panthers started the middle frame much like the first, finding the back of the goal with 1:27 elapsed. Callia Ferraris worked her way behind the net and sent a pass to Kate Flynn who one-timed her shot from the slot for the 2-0 lead.
• Williams looked to cut the deficit down with 5:50 gone in the stanza. Christina Halloran won the faceoff in the offensive zone and blasted a shot on goal, but Will was ready and blockered the attempt away.
• The Ephs broke through at the 15:03 mark, taking advantage of the game's first power play. Katie Armstrong intercepted a failed clearing attempt by Middlebury and made the Panthers pay, one-timing her bid from the high slot to make it 2-1.
• Middlebury increased the advantage to 3-1 with 3:29 expired in the final stanza when Neyman rifled a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle that found nylon through traffic. 
• Just 13 seconds after the Panthers killed off a Williams' power play, Middlebury took a 4-1 lead. Sabrina Kim chipped the puck past a pair of defenders and skated down the right boards and behind the goal. Kim found Flynn on the doorstep who backhanded her shot into the goal.
• A little less than a minute into an Ephs' penalty kill, the Panthers earned a penalty as well. Williams called a timeout and pulled its goalie for the five-on-four advantage. The Ephs were only able to get a pair of shots off during the span, as the Middlebury defense held strong.
• Williams pulled its netminder again with 3:24 remaining, but a penalty sank the team's chances of scoring as the Panthers eased to the 4-1 win.

NOTES

• Flynn has tallied at least one point in three of the last four games. The two-tally outputs for Neyman and Flynn were both career-bests. 
• Will made 26 saves during the contest, including 12 in the final stanza.
• Middlebury and the Ephs played for the third time this season and the 90th time overall with the Panthers holding a 79-6-5 advantage in the series.

Middlebury travels to #3/top-seeded Amherst on Saturday and takes on #12/third-seeded Colby in semifinal action. The Mammoths face #8/fourth-seeded Hamilton in the other contest.