Hartford, Conn. – The visiting Middlebury College Panthers scored three times in the second period to defeat the Trinity College Bantams, 3-1, in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) women's ice hockey action this afternoon at Williams Rink. Trinity, ranked No. 9 in the nation, falls to 11-3-4 overall and 4-3-3 in the NESCAC, while the Panthers, ranked No. 7 nationally, improve to 13-3-1 overall and 10-1-1 in the league with their fifth consecutive victory. Trinity had tied the Panthers, 1-1, exactly three weeks ago in Vermont.
Middlebury freshman forward Sara Ugalde (Burlington, Conn.) broke the scoring drought 2:05 into the second period, flipping in a rebound over the pads of Trinity freshman goalie Alexa Pujol (New Canaan, Conn.) after Pujol had saved the initial shot. Sophomore forward Maggie Woodward (Dover, N.H.) and sophomore defenseman Heather Marrison (Brewster, N.Y.) assisted on the play. Panther freshman defender Jennifer Krakower (Montreal, Quebec) assisted on additional scores by sophomore blueliner Madison Styrbicki (Edina, Minn.) and sophomore forward Libby Miner (Fairfield, Conn.), respectively, late in the second. Trinity senior captain Kim Weiss (Potomac, Md.) got the Bantams on the board with 2:53 left in the contest, slapping in a loose puck with her backhand in front of the crease and converting on assists by rookies Macauly Bauer (Sheboygan, Wisc.) and Emily Kleidon (Oakdale, Minn.). Trinity pulled Pujol after the goal, but the Middlebury defense did not give up a shot the rest of the way.
The Bantams doubled up Middlebury in shots, 12-6, in the first period, but Middlebury came close to scoring on two of those. Senior captain Julia Ireland (Greenwich, Conn.) misfired high from 15 feet away in front of the net after stealing the puck from a Trinity defender midway through the first period, and Pujol stymied Panther freshman Madeline Joyce (Boxborough, Mass.) on a rush late in the first. Pujol finished with 17 saves and Panther senior backstop Alexi Bloom (Highland Park, Ill.) had 22 saves. The teams combined to kill of all of the game's 12 penalty minutes.
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