MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — The Middlebury College women’s hockey team swept two games from NESCAC foe Wesleyan over the weekend before falling at top-ranked Plattsburgh on Tuesday in a showdown of the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in NCAA Division III. Middlebury will host Colby on Friday and Saturday this weekend.
This past weekend the 10-1-2 Panthers twice defeated host Wesleyan, 3-1, in both games scoring twice in the third period to snap 1-1 ties. The Cardinals fell to 6-6-1, 0-5-1 in NESCAC play.
On Friday the Panthers took the lead in the first period on a Madie Leidt goal. Jenna Letterie forced a turnover and set up Leidt’s score.
Wesleyan knotted the game midway through the second period, when Audrey McMahon one-timed a centering pass from Cali Stevens.
Audrey Lazar netted the game winner at 11:10 of the third period. Lazar potted the rebound of a Leidt shot. Sidney Portner wristed home a shot after a feed from Katie Hargrave to make it 3-1. Panther goalie Lin Han made 16 saves, while Wesleyan’s Allegra Grant saved 33 shots.
On Saturday Wesleyan’s Caroline Seibold made it 1-0 lead at 9:25 of the second period, when her shot from along the right wall went through traffic and eluded Han. With 38 seconds left in the period Leidt flipped in a rebound from the slot as she dove to the ice to tie the game.    
Middlebury’s defense allowed only one shot on goal in the third, and Morgan Griffin and Leidt scored. Griffin gave the Panthers the first lead at 2:19 by sweeping a low shot inside the left post on a rush, and Leidt made it 3-1 by jammed in the rebound of an Anna Zumwinkle shot. Han stopped 10 shots, and Grant made 39 saves. Leidt was named the NESCAC Player of the Week.

VS. PLATTSBURGH
On Tuesday host Plattsburgh improved to 18-1, dealt the Panthers their first setback, and avenged its only loss by defeating Middlebury, 4-1.
The Cardinals came out strong, outshooting the Panthers by 14-1 in the first period and scoring twice. Middlebury nearly scored early on its only shot, but Cardinal goalie Ashley Davis denied Leidt from the slot.
 Plattsburgh scored at 9:48 on a Sara Krauseneck power-play goal, and then with 29 seconds left the Cardinals broke up a clear and Nicole Unsworth batted in a loose puck at the top of the crease.
 The Cardinals made it 3-0 late in the second period, when Madison Walker lifted a high shot home from between the hash marks. Panther defender Evan Hendrickson scored on a power play 52 seconds into the third period on a slapper from the high slot. Unsworth added an empty-netter in the late going.
The final shot tally favored Plattsburgh, 34-22. Han made 28 saves, and Davis stopped 21 shots.