After being deadlocked at 1-1 after the opening 20 minutes, the top-ranked Middlebury women's ice hockey team tallied four unanswered goals to clinch a 5-1 victory over Trinity on Saturday. Britt Nawrocki (2G, 1A) and Rachel Neyman (1G, 2A) led the way with career-best performances for the squad. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Panthers put together consecutive opportunities about three minutes into the contest. Cat Appleyard fired a shot that bounced off Trinity goalie Maddie Carter. Appleyard collected the rebound on the crease and tried to stuff it in, only to have her chance smothered by the Bantam netminder.
• Middlebury took a 1-0 lead with 3:30 remaining. Neyman raced up the ice and fired a backhanded bid that deflected off Carter's pad. Nawrocki grabbed the loose puck near the left post and poked it in.
• The Bantams answered 16 ticks later after Paige Kehoe dumped the puck into the Panther end. Middlebury goaltender Sophia Will tried to cover the puck on the right post, but Martina Exnerova dug it out and pushed it past the line to knot the game at one goal apiece.
• Middlebury edged ahead with 3:05 gone in the second period. An initial bid near the blue line by Sabrina Kim was stopped by Carter. Trinity could not clear the puck, as Nawrocki slid a pass to Neyman, who tucked it inside the left post to make it 2-1.
• The Bantams turned up the pressure after the Panther goal, creating consecutive opportunities with less than nine minutes remaining in the second stanza. Paige Kehoe and Jenny Guider tallied chances on the doorstep of the crease, but Will stopped both to keep the lead. 
• Middlebury increased its advantage with less than six minutes left in the second frame. After a faceoff to the left of the Bantam net, Kylie Quinlan sliced an attempt that ricocheted off Carter's chest. Molly MacQueen got to the loose puck first and buried it into the net for a two-goal cushion heading into the third. 
• Trinity had a breakaway chance with 17:46 remaining in the final stanza. Kate French raced up the right side of the ice and rifled a shot that looked to be going inside the right post but Will snared it with a glove save.
• The Panthers made it a 4-1 game about a minute and a half later. Liv Fernandez sent a feed from the middle of the faceoff dots towards the right corner. Nawrocki timed her stride perfectly, pushing the puck past a sprawling Carter for her second of the contest.
• Callia Ferraris capped the scoring with less than four minutes left. After her initial bid was stopped by Carter, the forward collected the rebound and slid it over the line to make it 5-1.
• Trinity threatened late in the period, but Will stepped up and corralled a riser from Kehoe with 19 seconds remaining to seal the 5-1 triumph.

NOTES

• Nawrocki tallied a career-high three points with her two goals and an assist.
• Neyman grabbed her first goal of the campaign while dishing out two helpers.
• Cece Ziegler played in her 100th career game.

The Panthers play Williams in a home-and-home next weekend, beginning with a 7:00 p.m. contest on Friday at Chip Kenyon '85 Arena.