Box Score College Hockey Stats Box Score

Middlebury, VT -- The Elmira College women's ice hockey team held a lead late into the third period, but a power play goal with 3:24 left on the clock altered the landscape of the game, leading to a 5-3 defeat to No. 2 Middlebury College in the opening game of the Cardinal-Panther Classic. The matchup of these two top-five teams lived up to its billing as the game came down to the final seconds.

Middlebury took the lead over 11 minutes into the game off a power play goal from Hannah Bielawski, but the Soaring Eagles would respond with a power play goal of their own to tie the game right before the first intermission. Ashley Ryan '15 carried the puck into the right faceoff circle and sent a pass to Ashton Hogan '15. Hogan redirected the puck into the back of the net for her fifth goal of the year and tied the game with 41 seconds left in the first period. Brooke Wilgosh '15 also picked up an assist on the goal.

Both teams had good scoring chances early on in the second period, but Middlebury's shot hit the post and Panther goaltender, Annabelle Jones, made a nice glove save on an EC breakaway to keep the game tied at one. The Purple and Gold broke through to take the lead with 6:34 left in the second period when Tanis Lamoureux '14, after receiving passes from Ryan and Wilgosh, fired a shot at the net. The puck flew under the arm of Jones and hit the back of the net, giving EC a 2-1 lead. The Soaring Eagles would take the 2-1 advantage into the third period.

After three goals in the first two periods, EC and Middlebury would explode for five combined goals in the final 20 minutes. The Panthers tied the game just about five minutes into the third period, but Elmira would regain the lead just four minutes later on Hogan's second goal of the game. The forward's one-timer on a feed from Lamoureux got past Jones to give the Purple and Gold the 3-2 advantage.

The lead would hold for much of the remaining nine minutes, but an EC bench penalty for too many players on the ice, gave Middlebury a man-up advantage with 4:26 to play. That penalty proved to be the deciding factor as the Panthers would score over a minute into the power play and swung the momentum back into their favor. Middlebury would retake the lead with two minutes left to play as Sara Ugalde's shot bounced off an EC defender and past Elmira goaltender, Lisa Marshall '14. An empty net goal with three seconds left in the game sealed the 5-3 defeat.

Marshall, who did not face the Panthers in any of the three matchups last season, recorded 27 saves on the afternoon while Annabelle Jones made 17 saves for Middlebury.

The Soaring Eagles will be back at Kenyon Arena tomorrow afternoon as the women will square-off with Amherst College in the final game of the Cardinal-Panther Classic. The game is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.