MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury College women’s hockey team will make its 12th trip to the NCAA Division III final four this weekend after defeating Nazareth University, 1-0, this past Saturday in a quarterfinal matchup.

The Panthers will be seeking their fifth NCAA title and first since 2022, when they became the only women’s hockey program at any NCAA level to complete an undefeated season.

On Saturday, sophomore forward Kate Flynn zipped home the game-winner in the second period, and junior goalie Sophia Will made 23 saves behind strong Panther defense as Middlebury advanced.

Middlebury Coach Bill Mandigo was pleased with his 21-6-1 team’s effort against 21-7-1 Nazareth, a team that played with a fast pace.

PANTHER SOPHOMORE KATE Flynn’s shot nestles in the upper left corner during Saturday’s NCAA D-III quarterfinal’s second period. Her strong forehand goal proved to be the game-winner as the Middlebury women’s hockey team advanced to this weekend’s Frozen Four in Wisconsin.
Independent photo/Steve James

“It was a great game. Both teams played really well,” Mandigo said. “Nazareth is really, really good, and I thought our kids played hard, and they did the things we asked them to do. They blocked shots, they got the pucks in deep when they needed to.

“Kate stepped up with a big-time goal” Mandigo added. “And once again, having Willy (Will) in the back of the net, it’s kind of a safety net back there. She played great.”

Defending NCAA champion Wisconsin-River Falls (24-3-2) will host the final four. The tournament draw pits the Panthers against a familiar foe, NESCAC champion Amherst (22-5-1), at 4 p.m. on Friday. River Falls will then take on Augsburg (24-3-1) at 8 p.m. Friday’s winners will meet at 4 p.m. on Sunday for the title.

The Panthers did not face either of the western teams this winter, but met the Mammoths three times. On Jan. 17 in Kenyon Area the teams tied 1-1, and on Jan. 18 host Middlebury, prevailed, 3-1. Amherst won on home ice in the NESCAC final, 1-0, on March 9.

“We’re 1-1-1 with them. They’re really good … They’re really well coached, one of the top four teams in the country,” Mandigo said. “We’re going to go out there and play and see what happens.”

Middlebury will bring defense and goaltending that allows only a goal a game and an offense that averages 2.8 goals per outing.

SATURDAY GAME

Chances were few early on in this past Saturday’s quarterfinal as the teams felt each other out. In the first eight minutes Nazareth goalie McKinley Hoff (30 saves) stopped Panther Olivia McManus, while Will denied Alexis Jones, both on bids from right-wing circles.

PANTHER JUNIOR GOALIE Sophia Will thwarts Nazareth forward Alexis Kindred for one of her 23 saves on Saturday during the Panther hockey team’s 1-0 NCAA D-III quarterfinal win.
Independent photo/Steve James

Then the Panthers began to heat up midway through the period. Hoff gloved Britt Nawrocki’s bid from between the circles and denied the best chance, Molly MacQueen’s one-timer from the doorstep. Soon afterward Alison Giebler’s one-timer from close range sailed just wide, and two minutes after that Nawrocki’s rebound bid also just missed.

Then Nazareth countered, and Will had to be alert to block away Ivey Lyden’s close-range backhand with 5:30 on the clock. Will also stopped Nikki Sharp from between the circles three minutes later. With a minute remaining, McManus whistled a forehand just past the upper right corner. The Panthers outshot Nazareth, 11-6, in the period.

“We had good scoring chances in the first period,” Mandigo said. “We had pressure and kind of knew something was eventually going to fall our way.”

The Panthers came out hard in the second period, and Hoff stood strong in a third-minute scramble. After Will made a save on Brooke Judkiewicz on a three-on-two counter, the Panthers went back to work. Hoff stopped defender Sabrina Kim at the right post minutes in, and then Rachel Neyman on a feed from Kim shortly afterward. Play evened for a little while, although defender Cece Ziegler had a bid that missed just wide 11 minutes in.

NAZARETH GOALIE MCKINLEY Hoff holds the short side to deny Panther senior Molly MacQueen during the Middlebury College women’s hockey team’s 1-0 NCAA D-III quarterfinal win.
Independent photo/Steve James

With 6:40 left in the period the Panthers broke through. Kim chipped the puck up the right side, and Hower won it below the right circle and moved the puck to Flynn at the top of the circle with a little skating room. Flynn dusted one defender, and before another defender could interfere whipped a forehand from the inside of the circle exactly into the upper far corner.

“Jordan had the puck, and she was able to whack it back to me, and I was coming in, and I saw the D was heading out, so I just pulled it back and let it rip,” Flynn said.

Mandigo said the shot had to be incredibly hard and accurate to beat Hoff from that angle.

With 5:22 to go, the Panthers were assessed the game’s only penalty, but held Nazareth without a shot. Flynn called that sequence pivotal.

“It was an amazing penalty kill by all the girls on our team, and it really meant a lot going forward,” Flynn said.

MEMBERS OF THE Middlebury College women’s hockey team celebrate their NCAA D-III home quarterfinal shutout win on Saturday by mobbing goalie Sophia Will, who is somewhere in the crowd.
Independent photo/Steve James

The Panthers outshot Nazareth, 11-7 in the period, but Nazareth came out hard in the third period, earning a 10-9 advantage in shots, many coming early on. One bid by the visitors’ Sydney Gurley, appeared to hit the left post, and Will gloved Amy Laskowski’s bullet from the left circle seven minutes in.

The Panthers then reasserted themselves. Hoff had to block a McManus bid ticketed for a top corner a minute later, and she held the short side on Kylie Quinlan with nine minutes left. Callia Ferraris set up Cat Appleyard for a one-timer that Hoff denied, and then Hoff had to stone Ferraris shortly afterward.

As time wound down Will made one strong save on Nazareth’s Brooke Terry with about three minutes to go. Nazareth pulled Hoff with 1:17 remaining, but were unable to generate a shot. Soon the Panthers were mobbing Will and posing for pictures.

Flynn credited grit and preparation for the result.

“Every play we battled. They were physical,” she said. “Everything that we worked on in practice really showed today. Everything that we worked on all year, really.”

PANTHER CO-CAPTAIN Cat Appleyard displays the Saturday postgame evidence that the Middlebury women’s hockey team is going back to the NCAA Division III Final Four this coming weekend.
Independent photo/Steve James

The Panthers have made a habit of playing in close games this season, and winning most of them. Would that help them in the final four?

“Playoffs is a whole other season, and I know going into these games a lot of them are going to be 1-0 games, or 2-1 games,” Will said. “I just think having confidence, and having fun out there, and doing what we know we can do is a big contributor to getting it done.”

A year ago, the Panthers outplayed Elmira in an NCAA semifinal, but lost, 1-0, in a game also played at River Falls. Flynn referenced that game when asked about the final four.

“For a lot of us, we feel that we left something out there last year in Wisconsin,” she said. “And we’re all excited and fired up to get back out there and get the job done this time.”