MIDDLEBURY, Vt. - Cece Ziegler assisted on three goals to lead the Middlebury College Panthers to a 4-2 victory over the visiting Trinity College Bantams in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) women's ice hockey action this evening.  The game was the season opener for both teams and they will finish the two-game series in Vermont tomorrow at 3 p.m.  Sophomore forward Martina Exnerova (Nelahozeves, Czechia) had a goal and an assist for the Bantams who led, 1-0, and, 2-1, before the Panthers scored three unanswered goals.

Trinity opened the scoring when Exnerova slipped a loose puck into the net with 8:09 expired in the first period. The Panthers looked for the equalizer with back-to-back chances during the 14th minute. Claudia Vira's attempt was denied by a nice stick save from Trinity goalie Hannah Leclair (Kensington, Prince Edward Island), before Sabrina Kim's bid sailed just wide. Middlebury tied the contest 1-1 at the 15:55 mark. Britt Nawrocki gathered the puck behind the goal and sent a pass to Cece Ziegler at the top of the left faceoff circle. Zieglar sent a pass across the circles to Eva Hendrikson, whose shot rifled through traffic and into the back of the goal. Trinity regained a one-goal lead with 6:43 expired in the middle frame. Exnerova won the faceoff and pushed the puck out to sophomore Annika Dyczkowski, (Milford, Mich.) who tucked her shot inside the left pipe for the 2-1 edge.

The Panthers knotted the contest nearly three minutes later. An initial bid by Ziegler from the high slot was denied by Leclair, but Delanie Goniwiecha was there to one-time the rebound into the goal to make it 2-2.  Middlebury took its first lead of the contest at the 16:45 mark of the second period during a power play when Vira blasted a shot from the top of the circle into the goal.  The Panthers secured the victory midway through the final period. Julia Johnson sent a hard shot toward the goal that Leclair stopped with her body, but the puck deflected up and over the her before trickling into the net for the 4-2 final. Dycxjkowski and rookie Jelani Adorno (Tariffville, Conn.) both put shots on goal late for the Bantams, but Middlebury goalie Sophia Merageas made the last two of her 23 saves.  Leclair finished with 28 stops for Trinity.