The fourth-ranked Middlebury women's ice hockey team battled Hamilton to a 2-2 tie, but the Continentals prevailed 2-1 in the shootout on Saturday evening from Chip Kenyon '85 Arena. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Continentals grabbed the lead nine seconds into the contest. Lydia Bullock forced a turnover deep in the Panther defensive end and skated in front of the crease. The forward tucked her shot inside the right post past a sprawled-out Sophia Will to make it 1-0.
• Kate Flynn created a breakaway opportunity at the 9:45 mark. Despite having a defender on her right hip, the junior charged toward the left post and blasted a shot that Hamilton goalie Teagan Brown denied with her right glove.
• With 6:36 remaining in the opening stanza, Maisie Koo raced to the doorstep and tried to tuck a bid inside the left post. Will laid out to stuff the shot.
• The Panthers turned up the pressure in the waning seconds of the opener. With 21 ticks left, Olivia McManus blasted an attempt from the blue line that Brown denied. The shot began a barrage of three more stops by the Continental netminder over 15 seconds.
• Middlebury knotted the contest just 1:11 into the second stanza. Callia Ferraris blasted a bid from the blue line that tailed to the right. Peyton Kennedy got her stick on the puck and redirected the chance into the back of the net.
• The visitors regained the lead with 3:10 expired. Katie Allen tapped a bouncer to Sarah Myziuk, creating a two-on-one chance. Myziuk hustled down the ice and flipped a pass to a trailing Grace Long, who tapped it into the right side of the net for a 2-1 edge.
• Middlebury shook off the goal and tied the contest at 2-2 via a power play tally at the 8:31 mark. McManus collected the puck in the left corner of the ice and tapped a quick pass to Avery McInerny. The captain muscled a cross-ice feed to a darting Susannah Ward for a shot that snuck underneath the bar. 
• Middlebury controlled momentum in the third period. With 14:42 remaining, McInerny went coast-to-coast with a defender on her right hip. The forward got enough power for a shot that Brown covered.
• The Continentals had a near-breakaway opportunity at the 12:12 mark. Bullock raced up the ice and sent a bid that defender Alyssa Frazier stepped in front of to redirect to the left corner.
• The Panthers had the last chance in regulation with six ticks left. Ward fired a shot from in between the faceoff circles that Brown gloved, sending the game into overtime. 
• Both sides had one chance in the added period. At the 1:05 mark, Bullock cut to the left and wristed a shot that Will deflected away, while Middlebury had a two-on-one chance off the stick of McManus that was stuffed with 2:38 remaining, pushing the game to a shootout.
• After Molly Ji missed the first attempt, Flynn buried hers in the back of the net to put the Panthers up 1-0.
• Sophia Rodham and Bullock countered with consecutive makes, putting the pressure on Middlebury. Ward skated up and sent her shot just wide of the net as Hamilton grabbed the 2-1 shootout win.

NOTES

• Kennedy and Ward each tallied their first goals in a Middlebury uniform.
• Ferraris and McManus earned their initial points of the campaign.
• The Panthers held a 65-24 advantage in shots and a 28-25 lead in faceoffs.
• Middlebury is now 11-1-2 in its last 14 contests against Hamilton.

The Panthers hit the road for a Tuesday evening showdown against Vermont State University Castleton. Puck drop is slated for 6:00 p.m.