The #7/second-seeded Middlebury women's ice hockey team scored twice in the final 22 seconds of play to top #10/third-seeded Colby 3-0 in NESCAC Semifinal action. With the victory, the Panthers advance to the championship contest, taking on #8/fourth-seeded Hamilton at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday in Amherst's Orr Rink.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The Mules had a good chance to score with 3:08 expired in the opening stanza. Lily Wisniewski was on a breakaway skating into the offensive zone, but blueliner Julia Johnson came barreling in, forcing Wisniewski's shot wide left of the goal.
• Middlebury looked to get on the scoreboard midway through the period. Sabrina Kim chipped the puck up the left boards to Cat Appleyard, who eventually fed it to Audrey Lazar. The Panther skated through the left faceoff circle and sent a beautiful centering pass looking for a one-timer, but Colby netminder Grace Caligiuri came out of the crease to deny the attempt.
• Middlebury nearly scored with 12:31 elapsed. Callia Ferraris weaved around a pair of defenders and blasted a shot from between the circles, but Caligiuri came up with a big stop to thwart the chance. 
• The Mules had a shorthanded breakaway attempt at the 14:09 mark, but goalie Sophia Will denied Meg Rittenhouse's wrister to keep the contest scoreless.
• Colby had a pair of quality opportunities to score in the middle frame. The first came with 5:20 expired during a power play. Rittenhouse sent a pass from the left dot to Beth Sinson between the circles, but Sinson's attempt was pushed aside by Will. Just over five minutes later, Wiseniewski had her second breakaway of the game, but Will made a sprawling save to deny the point-blank bid.
• The Panthers broke through with 11.9 seconds left on the clock during a power play. Cece Ziegler slid the puck from the top of the right circle to the left where Johnson was waiting. Johnson rifled her shot that circled the crossbar and tucked inside the upper-right corner for the 1-0 edge.
• The Mules nearly tallied an equalizer at the 3:59 mark. Kiara Jandusikova came out of the penalty box and rushed into the offensive zone, but her bid from the doorstep was denied by a butterfly save from Will.
• Middlebury made it 2-0 with an empty-net goal at the 19:38 mark. Avery McInerny beat a defender along the right boards in the defensive zone, but a Colby player snagged the puck. McInerny persisted, stealing the puck and blasting a shot from the neutral zone into the net.
• With two seconds left on the clock, the Panthers secured the contest. The puck squirted out of the defensive zone and Kylie Quinlan beat everyone to it. Quinlan carried the puck down the ice, deked the goalie and tucked it under the crossbar for the 3-0 triumph. 

NOTES

• Middlebury 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.
• The Panthers are seeking their 12th NESCAC Championship, having won the crown most recently in 2022, and advance to the championship for the 16th time.
• Middlebury and Colby played for the 66th time owning a 53-12-1 mark.
• The Mules have only been shut out three times this season, with two of those coming at the hands of the Panthers. 
• Colby entered the contest leading the conference in power-play percentage (.233), as Middlebury killed off all four attempts for the Mules.
• Will made 26 stops in goal to earn her fifth shutout of the season.

 
The Panthers and the Continentals play in the championship contest against each other for the first time on Saturday. Hamilton is seeking its first conference title and first win in tournament action against Middlebury.