The #3/second-seeded Middlebury women's ice hockey team seeks its second-consecutive NESCAC Championship this weekend. The Panthers take on #9/third-seeded Colby on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in semifinal action.

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury claimed a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory against seventh-seeded Williams on Saturday to advance in the tournament. 
• The Panthers are one of just two teams to make every conference tournament since its inception in 2002 and advance to the semifinals for the 22 time.
• Middlebury has a league-leading 46-11 record in the playoffs, which is 12 more than the next-best squad (Amherst - 34).
• The Panthers contend for their 13th NESCAC Title and have claimed two of the last three crowns.
• Middlebury leads the league in goals per game (2.92), total tallies (73), assists per game (4.96), total helpers (124), points per game (7.88), total points (197), power-play percentage (.236) and are second in goals against average (1.08 per game). 

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• Cat Appleyard and Kate Flynn have spearheaded the conference's top offensive attack. Appleyard leads the team with 11 goals, while Flynn is right behind with 10, including the first goal in the victory over Williams in the quarterfinals.
• Middlebury has three players with 10 or more assists this season. Sabrina Kim paces the NESCAC with 19 total helpers and has the best plus/minus on the team (+21). Olivia McManus (3G, 11A) and Avery McInerny (4G,11A) close out the trio with their double-digit assist totals.
• Defensively, Cece Ziegler has stepped in front of a team-leading 45 shots while contributing two goals and nine assists. Alison Geibler has impressed in her rookie season, blocking 26 shots and adding eight helpers.
• Sophia Merageas and Sophia Will have split time in between the pipes for the Panthers. Merageas leads the NESCAC in goals against average (GAA) with a 0.88 and has 11 triumphs in the crease.

ABOUT COLBY

• Colby enters the weekend with a 17-5-2 record and is ranked ninth in the country.
• The Mules tallied two first-period goals and held off a late charge to defeat Trinity 2-1 in quarterfinal action.
• Colby is making its 21st NESCAC Tournament appearance and 10th in the conference semifinals.
• The Mules are in search of their first NESCAC Championship.
• Colby sits in the top-five in the NESCAC in numerous categories, including assists per game (second - 3.88), face-off win percentage (second - .570) and penalty kill percentage (third - .961).

MULES TO WATCH

• Courtney Schumacher and Georgia Pettygrove lead an offense that has had 18 different players score. Schumacher has eight goals and eight assists on the year, while Pettygrove leads the team with 11 helpers alongside six markers.
• Sitting right behind the Mules pair in the stats column are Breanna Studley (8G, 7A) and Molly Lefebvre (6G, 9A).
• Jo Tattersall has stepped in front of a team-high 43 shots over 23 contests alongside seven points (2G, 5A). In her debut season, Kate Pura has 24 blocked shots. 
• Mandy Busky is the top goaltender for Colby, tallying 339 saves, while leading the NESCAC with a .963 save percentage. She had a season-high 42 stops in the triumph over Trinity in quarterfinal action.

SERIES HISTORY

• The programs face off for the 69th time with Middlebury holding a 53-14-1 advantage in the all-time series.
• Colby claimed both regular-season matchups. The Mules earned a 3-0 triumph on February 21 before a 2-0 win a day later.
• The teams have met seven times in the conference tournament with the most recent being a 3-0 Panther win in the 2024 quarterfinals.
• Middlebury and Colby have dueled three times in the NESCAC Semifinals. The Panthers have claimed two of those matchups with the last being a 4-2 triumph in 2009.

ABOUT AMHERST

• Amherst grabbed the top seed of the tournament and hosts the championship weekend for the second-straight year.
• The Mammoths are second to Middlebury in playoff wins (34) and titles (five).
• Amherst last hoisted the trophy in 2023.
• The Mammoths and the Panthers have battled in the championship bout nine times with Middlebury claiming seven of those. At least one of the conference foes has appeared in each of the last nine title tilts. 
• If the teams play on Sunday, it will be the third meeting this season and 68th overall. The Panthers claimed the regular-season series, winning the shootout on Friday before claiming a 3-1 victory the following day.
• Maeve Reynolds leads the Mammoth attack with 20 points on six goals and 14 assists.
• Netminder Natalie Stott sits second in the conference in GAA (.90) and save percentage (.959).

ABOUT HAMILTON

• Hamilton vaulted itself into the semifinals with a 2-1 upset of fourth-seeded Bowdoin in the NESCAC Quarterfinals.
• The Continentals have made the conference tournament 21 times and will appear in the semifinals for the fifth-consecutive season.
• The squad is searching for its first NESCAC crown and third-straight championship appearance.
• Middlebury and Hamilton met in last season's title tilt with the Panthers claiming a 4-0 triumph.
• Should the teams meet on championship Sunday, it will be the 78th all-time between the programs. Middlebury claimed the regular-season series with a pair of 3-1 triumphs to open the campaign.
• Lilly Truchon has a team-high seven goals and 14 points for the Continentals. 
• Teagan Brown has logged over 1,123 minutes and 486 saves in net.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

• Championship Central 
• Tickets for the semifinal contests are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for children/students and those three years or younger get in for free. One ticket is good for admission to both semifinal contests.
• Semifinal tickets will be available for purchase online starting Wednesday, March 5 at 12:00 p.m. through Friday, March 7 at 12:00 p.m. Tickets may be picked up at the Online Ticket Sales line outside Orr Rink on Saturday, March 8 starting at Noon. Bring the purchase confirmation email with you when picking up ticket(s), along with a photo ID.
• A limited number of game day tickets will be available at Orr Rink on Saturday, March 8 starting at 12:00 p.m. Cash is the only form of payment accepted.
• Tickets for the championship game are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for students/children 3 and older, and children under 3 are free. Tickets will only be available onsite outside Orr Rink starting at 1:00 p.m. for the 2:00 p.m. game. Cash is the only form of payment accepted.
• Ticket updates will be provided at NESCAC.com and NESCAC Twitter. A webcast of all games will be available online at NESCAC.com and on Roku, AppleTV, and Amazon Fire TV (search NESCAC Network).

The winners of each semifinal matchup will face off for the conference crown on Sunday, March 9 at 2:00 p.m.