The sixth-ranked Middlebury women's ice hockey team scored two goals in the first period and never looked back, easing to an 8-0 win over Western New England (WNE) in an NCAA Tournament first-round contest. The Panthers advance to Saturday's quarterfinal round with a 3:00 p.m. matchup at #4 Plattsburgh State.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Middlebury looked to get on the scoreboard 5:13 into the opening period, but Golden Bear goalie Rieley Jessie-Gerelli denied a pair of quick shots on the doorstep by Raia Schluter.
• WNE produced a quality chance three seconds past the midway point of the stanza when Maddie Pope ripped a wrister from the right dot that Panther netminder Sophia Will saved with her glove.
• Middlebury took a 1-0 lead with 16:59 elapsed when Avery McInerny stuffed the puck into the left side of the net following a wraparound feed from Kate Flynn.
• The Panthers doubled their advantage 1:05 later. Delanie Goniwiecha deked a defender and lifted a shot over the shoulder of Jessie-Gerelli for a 2-0 edge.
• The hosts exploded in the middle frame with four goals. 
• McInerny made it a 3-0 contest on the power play at 2:44 when she ripped a one-timer from between the circles.
• Middlebury pushed the advantage to 4-0 just over four minutes later with the extra skater. Sabrina Kim sent a pass from behind the goal to a cutting Flynn who shoveled her shot into the top corner of the net.
• An unassisted tally by Flynn on a great individual effort increased the Panther lead to 5-0 at 9:36. Flynn gained control of the puck near the blueline, skated through the defense and lifted a shot past Jessie-Gerelli.
• WNE manufactured a great scoring chance when Brie Dube found space on the right side of the ice with just over a minute left in the period, but her bid was thwarted by the sprawling left pad of Will.
• Just seconds later, Jordan Hower found the back of the net with 52 ticks left on the clock when she muscled the puck over the goal line for a 6-0 lead.
• Audrey Lazar scored her first goal of the season at 3:49 of the third stanza after collecting a rebound outside the crease off a shot from the right dot by Selia Coady.
• Schluter capped the offensive output with 10:23 gone in the third period, firing a bid on the rush past Jessie-Gerelli.
• Golden Bear Maddie Tucker had an opportunity to get the visitors on the board with 1:07 remaining, but Will slid across the crease and made the butterfly save to keep her shutout intact for the final 8-0 score. 

NOTES

• Flynn and McInerny each finished with three points in the victory, as both Panthers scored twice and tallied an assist. Flynn's point total tied a season best.
• The shutout was the third in as many games for Will. The Middlebury netminder has tallied 71 saves during that stretch and hasn't allowed a goal in 204:57 of action.
• Julia Johnson recorded a career-best two assists in the win.
• The eight goals scored by the Panthers are the most in a game since an 8-0 triumph over UMass.-Boston on January 3, 2022.
• The win was the 17th of the season for Middlebury, marking the fourth-consecutive winter and the 12th time in the last 13 seasons that the program has posted 17 or more wins in a campaign. 
• Both NESCAC teams in action during the first round picked up a victory with Hamilton slipping past Nazareth 2-1 in overtime. The Panthers were the lone team in the three first-round contests to post a shutout. 
• Wednesday's meeting between Western New England and Middlebury was the first matchup in women's ice hockey. It also marked the first trip to the NCAA Tournament for the Golden Bears in just their third season as a varsity program.

The Panthers and Plattsburgh State will play for the third time this season on Saturday in the NCAA Quarterfinals with a trip to the frozen four on the line.