Boxscore

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – The eighth-ranked Manhattanville women's hockey team dropped the opening game of the NCAA Division III Tournament, 1-0, to third-ranked Middlebury on Saturday evening at Kenyon Arena.

The lone goal of the contest came with 6:21 remaining in the contest as a shot from the point by Madison Styrbicki was knocked down in the slot allowing Nora Bergman to put a shot on the cage of Manhattanville sophomore Emy Cote (Saint-Hubert, Quebec/Dawson College). Cote made a nice save, as the rebound put in by Maggie Woodward just outside the crease.

Neither team scored in the first period, with each having a failed power play opportunity. The period ended with the Panthers holding a 12-6 shots advantage.

Middlebury had an opportunity 7:00 into the second period, but Sara Uglade was denied by Cote before Lauren Greer was also turned away. Grace Waters just missed a top shelf shot at the 13:00 mark on the power play, before the Valiants followed with a great opportunity late in the period.  Sophomore Katie Little (Victoria, British Columbia/Team British Columbia) made a crossing pass to classmate Lynsey Schill (Waterloo, Ontario/Kitchener Rangers (PWHL)) whose redirect was denied by Alexi Bloom. The second period ended scoreless with the Panthers holding a 19-12 shots advantage.

Manhattanville had a chance on the power play 7:30 into the third, as junior Hannah Muskego (Neilburg, Saskatchewan/PWM Steelers (AMMFHL))'s shot hit senior captain Shannon Coffey (Malden, Mass./North American Hockey Academy) before deflecting off Bloom's shoulder. Bloom followed a minute later with a big glove save on classmate Holly Nonis (Brampton, Ontario/Saint Thomas Aquinas) to keep the game scoreless.

The Panthers finished the contest with a 30-20 edge in shots, while Cote made 29 stops. Bloom made all 20 stops for her 11th blank of the season.

Manhattanville finishes the season with a 19-7-2 overall record and a 13-4-1 record in ECAC East Conference play. Middlebury will continue on the NCAA DIII Frozen Four next week and will take on RIT.