The sixth-ranked Middlebury women's ice hockey team stunned #4 Plattsburgh State, shutting the Cardinals out 2-0 in NCAA Quarterfinal action. With the win, the Panthers advance to the frozen four for the 10th time in school history.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Middlebury had a chance to get on the board with 3:28 expired. Avery McInerny and Raia Schluter skated two-on-one into the offensive zone, but McInerny's attempt from the right dot was thwarted by Cardinal goalie Lilla Nease. 
• The Panthers threatened to score at the 7:39 mark when Audrey Lazar sent a nice feed from the right boards to Cat Appleyard on the doorstep, but Nease made a sprawling save to deny Appleyard. 
• Middlebury broke the scoreless draw a little more than midway through the period. Lazar carried the puck from the right side, blasting a shot from the dot that whistled over the left shoulder of Nease for the 1-0 edge with 11:20 expired.
• Plattsburgh State nearly knotted the contest with less than two minutes remaining during a power play. Mattie Norton sent a pass from the top of the left faceoff circle to Julia Masotta in the low slot, but Masotta's one-timer was denied with a brilliant save from netminder Sophia Will.
• The Cardinals looked to tie the game with 2:23 elapsed with the extra skater, but Kendall Wasik's chance from the top of the circles was denied by a stick save from Will.
• The Panthers doubled their advantage at the 7:32 mark. Callia Ferraris carried the puck from the center around a defender and to the top of the left faceoff circle. Ferraris sent a pass to Kate Flynn who was skating toward the right dot with a head of steam and lifted the puck into the top-right corner to make it 2-0.
• Plattsburgh State looked to cut the deficit to one midway through the stanza. Masotta grabbed a loose puck in the slot and tried to flick it past Will, but Will was ready and thwarted the chance. 
• With 2:54 expired in the third, Middlebury tried to tally another goal with the same Ferraris-Flynn combination as the second, but Nease padded away Flynn's attempt.
• The Cardinals almost cut the deficit in half at the 3:56 mark when Ivy Boric dropped a pass back to Dani Longuemare who rifled a shot from the doorstep that Will snared with her glove.
• Plattsburgh State had a great chance to spoil the shutout during the 15th minute while on a power play. A split save from Will denied an initial bid by Boric. Orr was on the right pipe and tried to shovel the puck past Will, but Sabrina Kim was there to block the attempt.
• The Cardinals pulled Nease with 3:23 left in the contest and peppered Will, but Middlebury was up to the test and kept the 2-0 shutout intact to advance to the national semifinals.

NOTES

• Will finished with 30 saves and posted her fourth-straight shutout. She has tallied eight shutouts this winter, tying her for second place in the single-season Panther record books.
• Lazar tallied her second goal of the NCAA Tournament, scoring once against Western New England and recorded the game-winning goal against the Cardinals.
• Kim picked up an assist on each goal, giving her five helpers in this year's NCAA Tournament.
• Flynn has posted a point in both NCAA contests, scoring twice along with an assist in the first-round win and had a goal in Saturday's game.
• The programs met for the 43rd time and the ninth time in the NCAA Tournament, with Plattsburgh State holding a narrow 5-4 edge. Saturday's game marked the second-straight year the programs have played in the quarterfinals and the fourth meeting overall.
• The Panthers earned their first win against the Cardinals since December 1, 2019 when Middlebury earned a 2-1 decision in the championship game of the Panther/Cardinal Classic.
• Head coach Bill Mandigo earned his 660th career win, owning a 660-172-55 record. 

PRESS CONFERENCE

The Panthers will play #14 Elmira in the national semifinals, as the Soaring Eagles earned a 2-1 overtime victory over #5 Amherst. The teams played each other in the 2022 NCAA Semifinals with Middlebury recording a 3-2 victory.