NEW LONDON, Conn. — In a duel of two women’s college hockey teams that entered the weekend ranked in the top 10 among NCAA Division III teams, visiting Middlebury and Connecticut College settled for a split this past Friday and Saturday.
The Camels, then ranked No. 9, won the opener, 3-1, while the Panthers, then ranked No. 3, bounced back to win the Saturday rematch, also by a 3-1 final.
Middlebury (4-2, 3-1 NESCAC) and Connecticut (4-1, 3-1 NESCAC) finished the weekend in a four-way tie for first place in NESCAC with Hamilton and Williams, also 3-1 in league play.
The Panthers will wrap up first-semester play on Saturday with a 3 p.m. game at non-league foe Castleton.
On Saturday Jessica Young scored twice and Carly Watson netted the game-winner as the Panthers earned the weekend split.
Connecticut opened the scoring 3:35 into the game on a power play goal from Kyla Floresca. The goal was the first power-play goal the Panthers had given up this season after killing 21 previous opportunities.
Young evened the game at 15:39 of the second period, putting home the rebound of and Elizabeth Wulf shot.
Watson netted the game-winner on a power play 6:39 into the third period. Her shot from the top of the left circle came after a feed from Maddie Winslow. Young added an empty-net strike with 1:06 remaining.
Middlebury’s Lin Han made 27 saves in goal, while Katherine Chester made 24 stops for the Camels.
On Friday, the Panthers came up short despite outshooting the Camels, 37-24. Connecticut scored all three of its goals in the first 16:06.
Julie Beattie opened the scoring with a blast from the red line 1:59 into regulation. With 12:04 remaining in the frame, Anna Bleck knocked in a rebound off of a shot from Jordan Cross. At 16:06, Katlyn Paiva converted a wraparound.
Young put the Panthers on the board with a short-handed tally at 18:38 of the middle period, with an assist from Winslow.
Chester made 36 saves. Julia Neuburger started and made seven saves in 16:06 while allowing the Camels’ three scores, and Han relieved and stopped 14 shots.