In front of an electric Kenyon Arena crowd, the top-ranked Middlebury women's hockey team showcased its depth and resilience against #3 Amherst College this past weekend in a crucial game of the NESCAC series.
The Panthers secured a shootout victory after Friday's 1–1 tie before claiming a convincing 3–1 win on Saturday, marking their first victory over the Mammoths since the 2022 NESCAC Championship.
"There's truly nothing like Kenyon Arena home ice advantage," said forward Meg Simon ’26. "It was such a cool feeling seeing so many familiar faces in the stands — my classmates, golf teammates, both my J-Term and Econ professors, our friends from the Yellow House, and even the little girls we volunteer skate with. The support we have from the town of Middlebury makes playing here so meaningful."
Friday's contest saw early action with Avery McInerny ’26 finding the net off a setup from Raia Schluter ’25 eight minutes into the first period, but Amherst quickly responded five minutes later to tie the score 1–1 and force an eventual overtime. Despite a near game-winner from Sabrina Kim ’25 that was waved off in overtime, the Panthers maintained their composure.
"Unfortunately you can't control waved off goals, so we all were trying to stay positive by cheering everyone on to put another puck in the net," Simon said. "There are a lot of injuries on the team right now, so the depth of our team was important."
The Panthers played without Zoe Pincelli ’26 and Molly MacQueen ’25 this weekend, who were both injured earlier in the season.
In the ensuing shootout, Cece Ziegler ’25 stepped up with the first goal to break the tie.
"I didn't feel too much pressure because I knew my coaches had confidence in me, and it is something we had practiced many times. We have incredible goalies on our team, so getting to practice against them prepared me well for the moment,” Ziegler said.
Goalie Sophia Merageas ’24.5 stopped two of three attempts by the Mammoths for a 2–1 edge as the teams ended the game with shared points in the NESCAC standings.
Saturday's rematch saw the Panthers assert their dominance early, with Kate Flynn ’27 opening the scoring. Ziegler then delivered what would prove to be the game-winner early in the second period, crediting her team for a great set up for the shot.
"It started with Raia Schluter. She had great speed and pressure to force the Amherst defender to turn it over," Ziegler said. “Flynn gathered the puck, and had great poise. I saw space around the top of the circle and Kate made an awesome pass to me. Then both Raia and Avery McInerny did an amazing job to screen the goalie and take her eyes away which opened up a lane for me to shoot the puck.”
The weekend's success highlighted not just individual performances but also the team's detailed preparation. According to Ziegler, the Panthers spent the week focusing on the “little things” that would make a difference against a top-ranked opponent like Amherst. Their effort, grit, and attention to detail – especially blocking shots – proved to be the difference maker in the series.
The Panthers rank first in the conference, but the pressure from this ranking hasn't fazed the team's approach.
"Being number one definitely adds more attention, but our team is taking our schedule one game at a time," Simon said. "We have a good, deep group with a lot of talent so that is where our confidence comes from."
Looking ahead, Middlebury continues its five-game homestand with a series against #10 Bowdoin College (10–1) next weekend. The Panthers look to maintain their momentum, focusing on what Simon described as communication, discipline and poise. With their depth, talent and strong team culture, this Middlebury squad appears prepared for continued success as they defend their top ranking.
Ting Cui (she/her) is a Sports Editor.
Ting has previously contributed as a sports writer and spent the past year in Washington, D.C., where she interned at the National Press Club as a policy analyst and politics writer. She also interned as an Editor at Fair Observer this past summer, focusing on stories related to international politics and security.
Ting is majoring in Political Science and minoring in History. She is also competitive figure skater for Team USA and enjoys hiking, thrifting, and consuming copious amounts of coffee.
