The #7/second-seeded Middlebury women's ice hockey team seeks the program's 12th NESCAC Title. The Panthers travel to top-seeded Amherst on Friday for a semifinal contest against third-seeded Colby at 7:30 p.m. 
 
The NESCAC is one of the most competitive conferences in the country, with championship weekend featuring four top-10 nationally-ranked teams. Currently, Amherst is #3, Middlebury is #7, Hamilton is #8 and Colby is #10.
 
ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• The program is making its 22nd appearance in the conference tournament and is one of just two teams (Amherst) to compete in every bracket since its inception.
• Middlebury is seeking its 12th NESCAC Championship, having won most recently in 2022.
• The Panthers have advanced to the semifinals on 21 occasions and have appeared in the title tilt 16 times. 
• The squad topped seventh-seeded Williams 4-1 in quarterfinal action.
• Middlebury is third in the conference in points per game (5.79) and fourth in faceoff win percentage (.533).

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• Leading the team on the offensive output this season have been Avery McInerny and Kate Flynn. McInerny is first on the squad in points (18) and assists (13), while Flynn paces the Panthers in goals (12) and game-winners (four). 
• McInerny was instrumental in Middlebury's 4-3 overtime victory against then-#7 Hamilton, scoring the game-tying tally with just 43 seconds left and assisting on the golden goal. Flynn has been hot as of late, scoring three game-winning tallies in the last four contests, including the NESCAC Quarterfinal.  
• Forwards Cat Appleyard and Raia Schluter have double-digit point totals, tallying 13 and 11, respectively. 
• Blueliner Callia Ferraris has been critical on both ends of the ice, sitting second on the squad with 11 assists. Sabrina Kim (2G, 8A) and Cece Ziegler (10A) each have 10 points this season and have combined for 60 blocked shots. 
• Sophia Will has started in 16 games this season, ranking fourth in the NESCAC with a 1.32 goals against average (GAA), while boasting an impressive .941 save percentage. Sophia Merageas has started in seven contests and owns a .939 save percentage. 

ABOUT COLBY

• Colby advances to the semifinal round after edging Wesleyan 3-2 and is making its 20th appearance in the NESCAC Tournament. 
• The Mules are in pursuit of the program's first conference crown, having played in the finals just once (2008).
• The squad leads the conference in goals (3.28), assists (4.88) and points (8.16) per game. Colby also paces the league in power-play markers (17) and faceoff win percentage (.595).  

MULES TO WATCH

• Meg Rittenhouse sits atop the NESCAC rankings in both points (28), tallies (16) and game-winning goals (six). The Mule is also second on the team with 12 assists.
• Second on the squad in points is Beth Sinson, totaling 20 on the season (11G, 9A). 
• Defender Anna Staton leads Colby with 13 assists, while ranking third in blocked shots (25).
• Grace Caligiuri has started in 11 contests this year, boasting a 1.36 GAA with a .940 save percentage. Paige Bolyard played in net for the Mules during quarterfinal action and has started eight games this season with a 1.49 GAA and a .929 save percentage. 

SERIES HISTORY

• Middlebury and Colby played for the 65th time earlier this winter, with the Panthers coming away with a 2-0 victory, after settling for a 1-1 tie in the Friday feature. 
• Middlebury owns a 52-12-1 mark in the series and remains unbeaten in the last eight meetings.
• The teams have faced off six times in NESCAC Tournament action, with three coming in the quarterfinal round and three in the semifinals. The Panthers are 5-1 in those meetings, with Colby's lone win coming in 2008 in overtime (4-3). The teams have not met in the tournament since 2016.  

ABOUT AMHERST

• Amherst is the defending NESCAC Champion, having won its fifth title a year ago.
• The Mammoths join Middlebury as the two teams to appear in all 22 tournaments since its inception.
• If the squads were to meet on Saturday, it would be the 10th title tilt. The Panthers own a 7-2 record in championship meetings. Four of those have come down to overtime, with the inaugural title game taking three extra sessions to decide a victor. 
• Amherst and Middlebury played for the 64th and 65th times at the end of the 2023 calendar year, with the Mammoths earning a win and settling for a tie. The Panthers own a 38-13-16 mark in the all-time series, but Amherst is 4-0-1 in the last five.
• The Mammoths enter the weekend riding a nine-game winning streak and have reached eight-straight semifinals and played in six of the last seven championship games. 
• Amherst is second conference in goals (2.48), assists (3.92), points (6.40), faceoff win percentage (.595) and blocked shots (11.64) per game.
• Maeve Reynolds and Rylee Glennon pace the league in assists with 14, while Natalie Stott sits atop the goalie rankings with a minuscule 0.84 GAA and a .962 save percentage. 

ABOUT HAMILTON

• Hamilton is making its 21st appearance in the tournament and is looking to advance to the title game for just the second time in program history.
• The Continentals played in the championship a year ago, falling to Amherst 5-0.
• Hamilton blanked Trinity 2-0 in quarterfinal action.
• If the Panthers and the Continentals were to play in the championship game, it would be the first meeting. The squads have faced off six times in the tournament, with Middlebury winning each of those.
• The teams closed out the regular season just two weeks ago, with the Panthers winning the Friday night game and settling for a tie on Saturday. Middlebury owns 66-7-1 mark in the all-time series.
• Hamilton is second in the conference in goals allowed per game (1.24) and power-play percentage (.224). 
• The Continentals are led by Claire McGennis who ranks third in the league with 13 goals and Abby Smith who is second with five game-winning markers.
• Teagan Brown is second in the NESCAC in GAA (1.14) and save percentage (.950) to go along with five shutouts, but its been Mac Doovan in the crease as of late. Donovan has started in the last four games, owning a 1-1-2 mark. 

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

• Championship Central 
• Tickets for the semifinal games are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for students/children 3 and older, and children under 2 are free. One ticket is good for admission to both semifinal games. Semifinal tickets may be purchased online starting Tuesday, February 27 at 5:00 p.m. through Thursday, February 29 at 5:00 p.m. Purchase semifinal tickets here. Tickets may be picked up at the Online Ticket Sales line at Orr Rink on Friday, March 1 starting at 3:00 p.m. Bring the purchase confirmation email with you, along with a photo ID. A limited number of tickets will be available at Orr Rink on Friday, March 1 starting at 3:00 p.m. Tickets may be purchased in cash only.
• Tickets for Saturday's championship game are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for students/children 3 and older, and children under 2 are free. Tickets will only be available onsite at Orr Rink starting at 3:00 p.m. for the 4:00 p.m. game. Tickets may be purchased with cash only.
• Ticket updates will be provided at NESCAC.com and NESCAC Twitter. A webcast of all games will be available online at NESCAC.com and on Roku, AppleTV, and Amazon Fire TV (search NESCAC Network).

The semifinal winners from Friday will meet in the championship contest on Saturday, March 2 at 4:00 p.m.