The fifth-ranked Middlebury women's ice hockey team has earned the top seed in the upcoming NESCAC Tournament. The squad hosts eighth-seeded Trinity in quarterfinal action on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. inside Chip Kenyon '85 Arena.

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• The Panthers are one of two squads to compete in every conference tournament since the inaugural installment in 2002.
• Middlebury touts a league-best playoff record of 47-12. Amherst sits in second place with 36 victories.
• The team pursues its 13th league title, with the most recent coming in 2024.
• The Panthers have advanced to 21 semifinals.

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• The trio of Trinity Walsh, Avery McInerny and Caroline Thomas has powered the Panther offense, combining for 86 points on 37 goals and 49 assists. Thomas paces the NESCAC with 17 markers and logged her first collegiate hat trick against Plattsburgh State earlier this winter.
• Walsh and McInerny share the conference lead with 20 helpers each and hold the top two spots in points with 31 and 29, respectively. McInerny's plus/minus of +24 sits in a tie for first in the NESCAC, while Thomas (+21) and Walsh (+19) are third and fourth.
• Kate Flynn and Olivia Gordon have contributed in the offensive zone. Flynn has scored seven goals and added 10 assists, while Gordon has tallied five markers and seven helpers.
• On the defensive end, Olivia McManus and Susannah Ward bolster a unit that has conceded just 34 goals, the third-fewest in the NESCAC. McManus leads the team with 27 blocked shots alongside 18 points (two goals, 16 assists). Ward has denied 26 bids and logged 15 points on three goals and 12 assists.
• Sophia Will has posted a strong senior campaign, ranking fourth in the conference with a 1.45 goals against average (GAA) across nearly 1,300 minutes of play. She has 497 saves and a .941 save percentage. The captain became the all-time single-season program leader in stops during the regular-season finale against Colby.

ABOUT TRINITY

• The Bantams enter the weekend with a 7-14-3 record and a 3-10-3 mark in league action.
• Trinity has reached the NESCAC Tournament 18 times and looks to claim its 10th win in the conference bracket.
• The Bantams have appeared in two league title games, hoisting the 2015 championship as the third seed.
• This season, Trinity ranks third in the conference in saves (621), saves per game (25.88) and faceoff winning percentage (.533) while sitting fifth in power-play efficiency (.134).

BANTAMS TO WATCH

• Rookie forwards Meena Al-Kadiri and Nani Keyes are top contributors to the Bantams offense. Al-Kadiri leads the squad in goals (seven) and points (12), while Keyes has five markers and five helpers.
• Lillian Cassidy slots second with 11 points on four goals and seven helpers. Her 19 blocked shots rank third on the squad.
• Pacing Trinity in the stopped shots department is Livia Angioletti, posting 22 blocks alongside a pair of goals and five assists on the offensive end.
• Madeline Carter has emerged as the primary goaltender down the stretch, playing to a 5-7-3 record with a pair of shutouts. She owns a 2.38 GAA and has made 340 saves with a .912 save percentage.

SERIES HISTORY

• Middlebury and Trinity meet for the 58th time, with the Panthers owning a 49-4-4 lead in the all-time series.
• The programs squared off twice this season. The navy and white claimed a 6-2 win on February 6 before earning a 4-1 triumph the following day.
• The sides meet for the seventh time in the NESCAC Tournament. Middlebury owns a 4-2 edge. The most recent Bantam win in the series came in a 3-2 victory during the 2015 NESCAC Championship game
• Saturday marks the second quarterfinal clash between the teams. The first was a 4-1 win for the Panthers in 2020.

CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION

• SCHEDULE
  • Quarterfinals – Saturday, February 28 (at Higher Seeds)
    • No. 5 Hamilton at No. 4 Colby – TBD
    • No. 6 Wesleyan at No. 3 Williams – 3:00 p.m.
    • No. 7 Bowdoin at No. 2 Amherst – TBD
    • No. 8 Trinity at No. 1 Middlebury – 4:30 p.m.
  • Semifinals – Saturday, March 7 (at Highest Remaining Seed)
    1:00 p.m. | 4:30 p.m.
    • Highest Remaining Seed vs. Lowest Remaining Seed
    • Remaining Quarterfinal Winners
  • Championship – Sunday, March 8
    2:00 p.m.
    • Semifinal Winners
• Championship Central
• NESCAC Seeding Announcement