HARTFORD, Conn. – The Trinity College women's ice hockey team fell to visiting No. 6 Middlebury College, 6–2, in a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) matchup Friday evening at the Koeppel Community Sports Center. The Bantams move to 6–12–1 overall and 2–8–1 in conference play, while the Panthers improve to 13–3–3 on the season and 8–1–2 in the league.

What Happened

• The Panthers held a 13–10 edge in shots on goal in the opening period and struck first at the nine-minute mark on a tally by Britt Nawrocki. Two minutes later, Trinity's Kate French found the equalizer, making it 1–1, after sending the puck home off a rebound from a shot by Lily Brook.
• Middlebury regained the lead on a shorthanded goal by Avery McInerny with under seven minutes left in the frame. The Panthers extended their advantage to 3–1 on Middlebury power play at 15:22 when Alison Giebler fired a shot from the Bantam faceoff circle that clipped the crossbar and dropped in.
• The second period opened with another Panthers goal after a Trinity clearing attempt by Walsh caromed off the end boards and slid back across the crease, where Caroline Thomas knocked the puck in off Katie Lemke's back shoulder. Later, McInerny put a shot on net that Lemke turned aside, but the rebound went straight to Olivia Gordon, who buried Middlebury's fifth goal as Lemke tried to recover.
• With under four minutes remaining, Trinity answered following a faceoff in the Panthers' defensive zone. Nina McKenna pounced on a loose puck just outside the crease to cut the deficit to 5–2. Brook picked up the assist.
• Just under nine minutes into the final frame, the Panthers' Thomas scored her team's sixth and final goal. Despite an evenly played period that saw Trinity hold a 10–9 edge in shots, the Bantams were unable to add to their total, falling 6–2 in the NESCAC matchup.

Inside the Numbers

• Shots on goal: Trinity 22, Middlebury 32
• Faceoffs: Trinity 30, Middlebury 25
• Blocked Shots: Trinity 10, Middlebury 7
• Power Plays: Trinity 0-for-1, Middlebury 1-for-1
• Saves: Katherine Lemke (TRIN) – 26; Sophia Will (Middlebury) - 20

Up Next

The Bantams look to split the weekend against the Panthers tomorrow, Saturday, February 7th. Puck drop is at 3PM in the Koppel Community Sports Center.