On Saturday, the Middlebury women’s hockey team hosted Colby in the NESCAC semifinals. It was a Kenyon Arena marathon, with the Panthers fighting valiantly for over four hours before conceding the winner in the third period of overtime. The loss brings Middlebury’s postseason campaign to a close; the Panthers, ranked sixth in the nation, did not receive an NCAA tournament spot in Sunday's selection event.
Middlebury came into the tournament seeded first, Colby fourth, but a close contest was expected. The Mules had played the Panthers in the final game of the regular season, coming out on top 3-1. Colby also demolished Hamilton 6-2 in their tournament opener, while Middlebury eked out a 1-0 victory over last-seeded Trinity at home.
The Panthers opened the match with two quick chances. Emma Hannah ’28 and Trinity Walsh ’29 shot from the midrange, but their attempts were muffled. Colby, too, had their early chances. Goalkeeper Sophia Will ’26 made her first save of the night, straightening to block a shot from the left circle with her shoulder.
Halfway through the first period, Olivia Gordon ’28 skated to receive a pass and was clobbered by a Colby defender, drawing a penalty. Gordon received the puck at the top of the circle, slotting it away to put the Panthers ahead with 12:22 remaining.
“My teammates did a great job setting me up, and I happened to be in the right place at the right time,” Gordon said. “We haven't scored the first goal often this season, so everyone was super happy to start the game that way.”
The remainder of the period saw both teams create goalscoring opportunities, but neither was able to convert. Two minutes after Gordon’s goal, with a Colby attacker bearing down on the net, Will made a clean stop with her right leg. With under a minute to play, Middlebury’s Callia Ferraris ’27 received the puck at the point, but her first-touch shot was deflected away.
Middlebury seized the initiative in the opening seconds of the second period, looking to expand its lead. Caroline Thomas ’29 tried twice from point-blank range, but her shots were swallowed by the Colby goalkeeper.
But with three minutes elapsed, Middlebury's advantage collapsed. The Panthers were punished for covering in the crease, and Colby converted the penalty shot to tie the game.
Not five minutes later, the Mules were bestowed a chance to steal the lead with a stunning second penalty shot. The approach was unconvincing, and Will shut down the attempt.
Colby peppered the goal in the final period of regulation, but Will stood her ground. With 3:30 to play, the Panthers missed a prime opportunity when Trinity Walsh skated across the center line, lost a defender with a clever feint, and raced towards the goal. Her backhand shot was deflected away by the Colby goalkeeper.
With 30 seconds remaining, the Mules squandered a chance of their own. A Colby attacker arrived in front of the goal unmarked, but the first-time shot went wide, forcing the game into overtime.
Facing sudden death, the teams renewed the battle, and both saw chances to put the game away. Maeve McAdam’s ’28 shot in the fourth minute of overtime was poked away. Will swatted away a sizzling Colby attempt six minutes later.
Unresolved through one period of overtime, Kenyon Arena was treated to a double overtime thriller for the second Saturday in a row. The teams continued to compete, but the exhaustion was visible on the players. They cherished the extra rest during shovel breaks, as attendants cleared the ice around the benches and goals.
“It was like playing two games,” said Gordon. “Everyone was so exhausted, people’s legs were dead between periods.”
But the team remained positive and rallied around one another. “It was a fun hockey game,” said Will. “Our coach was cracking jokes on the bench, morale was high, and we even had shovel breaks, something I never would’ve expected to happen in a D3 hockey game.”
Play slowed a little in the second period of overtime, and came fewer and farther between. Middlebury’s Avery McInerny saw an early chance saved. Colby blitzed the goal late in the second overtime period, but Will dug in. With under a minute to play, a Colby shot was tipped and went inches past the post. The Panthers lived to see another period.
The student section thinned out as spectators left for dinner, but fans in red and purple took their places. Close to an hour had elapsed since the second matchup of the day between Wesleyan and Amherst was supposed to start. The atmosphere remained tense.
Colby finally found the winner with 4:23 left to play, a tipped shot sneaking past Will's outstretched arm to end the Panthers’ campaign.
Will’s 61 saves were a career high, and took her to the top of Middlebury’s career saves list. Despite her career coming to an end, she reflected on the team’s achievement of hosting the tournament. “Being able to host NESCACs for the first time in my four years, that was a huge accomplishment, even though we lost in the semifinals, to get that first seed through our regular season play,” Will said.
“Coming in, we didn't really know what the season would look like because we lost many seniors last year,” Gordon said. “Everyone stepped up to the plate.”
“I was really proud of everyone. Playing two games back to back is unimaginable, and everyone gave it their all,” Will said.
