HARTFORD, Conn. – The eighth-seeded Trinity College Women's Ice Hockey will travel to top-seeded Middlebury College for the Quarterfinals of the 2026 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Women's Ice Hockey Championship at Chip Kenyon Arena on Saturday, February 28 at 4:30 p.m.
 
Bantam Bytes:

• The Bantams earned the eighth-seed in the tournament after posting a 7-14-3 regular season record with a 3-10-3 mark in conference play.
• Trinity is making their seventh straight appearance in the NESCAC Tournament.
• The Bantams are the No. 8 seed for the first time since 2020 and is looking for its first NESCAC Quarterfinal win since 2015.
• Trinity is 1-1-2 over their last four games, including a pair of overtime losses to fifth-ranked Amherst College.
• Offensively, the Bantams are generating 1.75 goals per game, while allowing 3.04 goals per game to opponents.
• Trinity logged 94 points on the season with 42 goals and 52 assists.
• On special teams, the Bantams powerplay converted at a 13.4 clip, fifth-best in the league, and had a penalty-kill rate of 81.5%.
• Trinity ranked third in the conference in faceoff win percentage, finding success on the draw 53.3% of the time.
• In goal, the Bantams goaltenders combined for a 3.04 goals-against average with 621 saves and a .895 save percentage.
• Meena Al-Kadiri paces the Trinity offense with a team-high 12 points on a team-high seven goals, including three powerplay tallies, with five assists.
• Lillian Cassidy has registered a career-high 11 points with four goals and a team-high seven helpers, while Nani Keyes has 10 points with five goals and five assists.
• Gabriela Gross owns six goals, and Caroline Holm and Kate French have added four goals apiece.
• In between the pipes, Madeline Carter holds a 2.38 GAA with 340 saves, a .912 save percentage and two shutouts, while Kathrine Lemke has 275 saves with a 3.95 GAA and an .879 save percentage.

 
Scouting Middlebury:

• Middlebury, the 2025 NESCAC Runner-Up, is the No. 1 seed for the 15th time in team history and the first time since 2022.
• The Panthers have qualified for every NESCAC Championship and has played in 22 semifinals while winning a NESCAC-best 12 titles.
• Middlebury checked in at #6 in the latest edition of the USCHO.com Division III Women's Hockey Poll.
• The Panthers boast the top offensive unit in the league, pacing the conference in points (223), goals (80) and assists (143).
• Middlebury owns the top powerplay unit, converting 25% of their chances, while their penalty-kill unit has allowed just one goal this season (60-61).
• Caroline Thomas leads the NESCAC in goals (17) and ranks fourth in points (26).
• Trinity Walsh leads the conference in points (31) with a league-high 20 assists and 11 goals.
• Avery McInerny is tied for the league-lead in assists (20) and ranks second overall in points (29).
• Olivia McManus (16) and Susannah Ward (12) both rank in the Top 10 in the league in assists.
• Goaltender Sophia Will ranks fourth in goals against average (1.45) and fifth in save percentage (.941).

 
History:

• All-time, the Bantams own a 4-49-4 record against the Panthers, dating back to their inaugural meeting during the 1998-99 season.
• Middlebury swept the regular season series versus Trinity, winning 6-2 and 4-1 in Hartford, Conn. The tournament series stands at 4-2 in favor of the Panthers.
• The teams last played in the 2020 quarterfinals, with Middlebury registering a 4-1 win.