UTICA, N.Y. —Middlebury College women’s hockey on Saturday outlasted host Utica, 4-3, to conclude first-semester play at 4-1-2. The Panthers, ranked No. 6 in last week’s NCAA Division III poll, are off until they host Amherst on Jan. 4 and 5. Utica dropped to 9-2 with the setback. 
Katie Hargrave gave the Panthers the lead 5:54 into the game with her team-leading fourth goal. Sidney Portner won a faceoff to Hargrave, who ripped a shot home from the top of the circle.  
The Panthers went up 2-0 at 12:16 of the period when Madie Leidt netted her third of the year. Leidt netted a rebound from the top of the left circle.
Katherine Jackson made it a 3-0 just over two minutes later in transition, after a feed from Leidt.
Utica got on the board less than a minute later (15:37) when Lexi Stanisewski scored with a slap shot on the rebound of a Georgiana Santullo shot.
Middlebury took a 4-1 lead midway through the second period when Katarina Shuchuk’s shot through the five hole trickled over the line, with Alexis Ryan assisting.
Utica made it 4-2 with 2:16 left in the period on a Kayle Dion power-play goal from the point. A 5:58 of the third Maddie Paydos deflected the puck home from a tough angle to make it 4-3 before the Panther defense clamped down the Pioneers the rest of the way. Middlebury goalie Lin Han made 21 saves while Bria Reilly made 31 stops for Utica.