Middlebury's Sophia Meregeras (29) with the save on the Elmira shooter as part of a 23 save night. It would be the second game of the 2022 Buster's Cardinal/Panther Classic and it would feature the top ranked Middlebury Panthers and the #4 Elmira Soaring with the winner advancing to the championship tomorrow to take on the upset minded #6 Wisconsin River Falls. The game would start off good for the #1 team in the country as they would get the opening goal of the game at the 12:45 mark of the first period as Britt Nawrocki would light the lamp at the 12:45 mark of the first period and give the Panthers the 1-0 lead. That is where the game would stay till the 4:24 mark of the second period when Panthers would strike on the powerplay and give them the 2-0 lead on Britt Nawrocki's second goal of the game. The Soaring Eagles would keep fighting though and they would eventually get on the board at the 5:08 mark of the third period and make it a one goal game again on the Elizabeth Lepage goal. Although the one goal lead would be short lived as the Panthers would regain the two goal lead at 3-1 at the 8:09 mark by Maddie Bayard. From there the Panthers defense would hold the Eagles in check and give them there first lose of the season. In the winning effort Sophia Meregeas would make 23 saves as they advance to the finals and will take on the #6 Wisconson River Falls Falcons to be crowned the 2022 Busters Cardinal/Panthers Classic champion. Gallery

Elmira's Leonie Kuehberger (1) with the pad save on the scramble in front of the net as part of a 27 night. Gallery

The Middlebury College women's ice hockey team celebrates an overtime game-winner in the 2022 NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey National Championship. The Middlebury College women's ice hockey team made history Saturday, defeating Gustavus Adolphus College 3-2 in overtime of the NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey National Championship at Chip Kenyon Arena in Middlebury, Vermont.
The win capped off the first-ever perfect season in Division III women's ice hockey, and the first unbeaten season since Plattsburgh's 2007 run.
The hosts got on the board in style in the first period with a short-handed goal at 13:44, as the Panthers were on the second of back-to-back penalty kills.
Junior forward Jenna Letterie extended her stick to break up a pass to the far point off a faceoff won by the Golden Gusties and followed the puck into the neutral zone to set herself on the breakaway. Junior goaltender Katie McCoy appeared to make the save, but the puck trickled through the five-hole for the goal.
Gustavus Adolphus was able to draw level on a power play at 12:30 in the second period. Freshman forward Kaitlyn Holland passed the puck to Junior forward Emily Olson below the goal line. Olson patiently waited a second behind the goal before finding Junior forward Clara Billings in the slot for the one-time shot inside the far post.
Middlebury regained the with under three minutes remaining in the third period. Letterie forced a turnover in the neutral zone that set up senior forward Katie Hargrave for a shot from the high slot. McCoy made the save, but senior captain Madie Leidt got to the rebound on the blocker side first and shot it on the backhand for the go-ahead goal.
With Gustavus Adolphus on the power play late in the game, a video review of the time on the clock at 16 seconds resulted in an additional 2 seconds on the clock that would prove to be crucial.
After the Golden Gusties put a flurry of shots on Middlebury goaltender Sophia Merageas at the end of the period, the clock hit zero and the Panthers began their celebrations, but a lengthy video review showed that a backhanded rebound shot by junior forward Molly McHugh crossed the line with 0.1 seconds on the clock, sending the teams to overtime.
Intense overtime in which both teams had several scoring chances, Middlebury senior forward Ellie Barney put the game away at 13:17 of the extra period. Junior defenseman Eva Henrikson found Barney with a stretch pass out of the defensive end, and although McCoy stopped the initial shot, Barney put away her own rebound to season the championship.
Merageas stopped 29 of the 31 shots she faced in the win, while McCoy saved 25 of 28 shots in the loss.
With the win, the Panthers completed a perfect 27-0-0 season with a National Championship, while the runner-up Gustavus Adolphus finished at 25-4-2. Gallery

Middlebury junior Caroline Cutter ties up with Gustavus Adolphus senior Jamie Byrne on a faceoff. Gallery

Plattsburgh junior goaltender Lilla Nease prepares to dive on the loose puck at the top of her crease. The Plattsburgh State women's ice hockey team claimed third place at the 2022 NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey National Championships with a 3-2 victory over Elmira College Saturday at Chip Kenyon Arena in Middlebury, VT
With both teams coming off semifinal losses the night prior, it was Elmira who jumped on the scoreboard first in the consolation game.
Freshman forward McKenzie Schmidt carried the puck into the offensive zone, but quickly lost possession to Plattsburgh defenseman Sierra Benjamin. Benjamin was unable to clear the puck out of the zone, instead finding the stick of Elmira freshman forward Claire Elfring, who sent a wrist shot from the top of the left faceoff circle to beat Plattsburgh goaltender Lilla Nease on the blocker side.
Despite a 12-8 advantage in shots in the opening period, the Cardinals went to intermission with a 1-0 deficit.
Plattsburgh tied things up early in the second period, with a goal from senior forward Nicole Unsworth. Elmira goaltender Leonie-Louise Kuehberger made the save on a shot from junior forward Ivy Boric, and Unsworth – fresh off the bench – picked up the rebound, moved the puck to her backhand as she skated across the slot, and deposited it into the open net.
A bit more than four-minute later, the Soaring Eagles regained the lead. Junior forward Kelly Millins forced a turnover in the neutral zone and carried the puck into the offensive zone, where she left a no-look drop pass to senior defenseman Brianna Haviland. Haviland passed the puck to senior forward Brooke McArdle, whose shot from the left hash marks was tipped by Millins for the goal.
Down 2-1, the Cardinals were intent on drawing level before the second intermission, and the powerplay unit did it in final minute of the second period.
Benjamin sent in a wrist shot from the top of the right faceoff circle toward the far post. Boric had her stick tied up with Elmira senior forward Morgan Mordini at the top of the crease, but managed to get just enough contact with the puck to redirect it through Kuehberger's five-hole.
Plattsburgh thought they had the lead at the 11:58 mark of the third period with a Boric wrap-around into an open net, but after video review, the goal was disallowed due to goaltender interference by Katinka.
The Cardinals took the lead for real just three minutes later, this time scored by Katonka off an assist by Boric. Katonka found Boric in the neutral zone, who skated it in and left the drop pass to return it to Katinka. The shot from the high slot beat Kuehberger high on the glove side.
Elmira pulled Kuehberger late in the period to try to come back and got a reprieve when a Plattsburgh shot at the empty net hit the post and settled in the crease, but the Cardinals held on for the 3-2 win.
Kuehberger made 30 saves on the 33 shots she faced in the Elmira net, while Nease stopped 18 of 20.
With the final result, Plattsburgh finished the season in third place with a record of 26-3-1, while fourth-placed Elmira finished with a record of 25-4-1. Gallery

Plattsburgh freshman forward Lily Stumm chips the puck into the corner from the half-boards under pressure from Elmira freshman defenseman Elizabeth LePage. Gallery

Middlebury captain Madie Leidt celebrates scoring the eventual game-winning goal late in the third period of the NCAA Division III national championship game. The top-ranked Middlebury College women’s ice hockey team got one step closer to its first national championship since 2006 with a 3-2 semifinal victory over Elmira College Saturday at Chip Kenyon Arena in Middlebury, Vermont.
A game featuring two of the top three defenses in the nation unsurprisingly went through the first period without a goal, as the teams exchanged scoring chances early.
The scoring began at 8:10 of the second period as Middlebury sophomore forward Cat Appleyard got the hosts on the board with a power-play goal.
Junior forward Jenna Letterie passed the puck from the top of the right faceoff circle to Senior forward Katie Hargrave at the goal line. Hargrave took one touch on the puck to find Appleyard at the right hash marks before Appleyard sent the one-timer on the net for the goal.
Middlebury College players and fans celebrate the eventual game-winning goal in the third period of the NCAA Division III national championship game. The visitors got back even just 1:01 later on the game clock, however.
Senior forward Morgan Mordini beat two Panthers to the puck in the right corner before sending a centering pass toward the slot. The puck took a slight deflection off the skate of graduate forward Emma Crocker before finding senior forward Eliza Beaudin in the low right circle, where Beaudin sent a low-angle shot to sneak in just below the glove of Middlebury freshman goaltender Sophia Merageas.
The Panthers regained the lead at 12:44 of the second period with a goal from freshman forward Kylie Quinlan. Freshman forward Raia Schluter corralled the puck along the left half-board and passed it to fellow freshman Molly Macqueen in the corner, who found Quinlan in the slot. Quinlan beat Elmira goaltender Leonie-Louise Kuehberger with a toe drag to get around the left pad.
Middlebury gained the crucial insurance goal at 8:13 of the third period with a goal from senior captain Madie Leidt. Letterie controlled the puck bouncing off the back of the goal before finding Leidt in the slot of the one-timer.
Elmira managed to get some offensive pressure late in the third, cutting the deficit in half at 15:46. After an icing call, Elmira senior forward Mary McCafferty won the defensive-zone faceoff, and freshman forward Erika Goleniak chipped the puck up the boards to herself into the offensive zone on the right-wing. Gollnick beat the Middlebury defenseman with a pass to junior forward Holley Riva in the slot, who buried the puck behind Merageas.
The Soaring Eagles were unable to complete the comeback.
Kuehberger made 29 saves in the 3-2 loss for Elmira, while Merageas stopped 16 of the 18 shots she faced in the Middlebury goal.
With the win, Middlebury advanced to Saturday’s Division III Women’s Ice Hockey National Championship Game against Gustavus Adolphus, while Elmira fell to the third-place game against Plattsburgh. Gallery

Middlebury freshman forward Jordan Hower carries the puck through the neutral zone after skating past Elmira forward Claire Elfring. Gallery

Adrian junior goaltender prepares to make a save against the breakaway of Elmira graduate student Emma Crocker late in overtime to hold onto the 2-2 tie in the Northfield Savings Bank East-West Classic’s consolation game at Norwich’s Kreitzberg Arena. The consolation game of the Northfield Savings Bank East-West Classic at Norwich University’s Kreitzberg Arena went to overtime for the third consecutive iteration of the tournament, with the Elmira College Soaring Eagles sharing third place once again, this time after a 2-2 tie with the Bulldogs of Adrian College.
Elmira opened the scoring late in the first period with a shot from the blue line by sophomore defenseman Madi Morton on the powerplay after Morton exchanged the puck several times with Senior forward Mary McCafferty several times to shift the defense.
In the final seconds of the first period, Adrian senior forward Jessica VanRuden took a shot as the puck fell to her in front of a wide-open net at the back door, only to be robbed with a diving glove save from Elmira freshman goaltender Leonie-Louise Kuehberger.
Despite Adrian’s 13-4 lead in shots on net in the opening frame, Morton’s tally gave the Soaring Eagles the 1-0 lead at the first intermission.
With Elmira’s Sabrina Shvartsman already in the penalty box for a tripping call late in the first period, a tripping penalty by Jenny Heath in the first minute of the second period gave the Bulldogs a 5-on-3 advantage. Adrian took advantage of the penalties, as a pass by sophomore defenseman Jocelin Hudanish deflected off an Elmira skate into the net for the tying goal.
Despite long spells of offensive pressure from the Bulldogs in the second period, the Soaring Eagles retook their lead at the midpoint of the game with a goal by senior forward Morgan Mordini and once again carried the one-goal advantage into the locker room.
Early in the third period, Adrian once again took full advantage of a powerplay opportunity, as an Elmira defenseman dispossessed a driving Maya Roy, only to have the puck fall to the stick of sophomore forward Karmen Anderson, who sent the puck high glove-side for the game-tying goal.
The two sides exchanged scoring opportunities throughout the 3-on-3 overtime period, but neither side could breakthrough for the victory.
The best opportunity of the extra period came in the final minute, as an ill-timed line change left Adrian exposed. The Soaring Eagles skated in 2-on-0, but Adrian’s junior goaltender Sophie Goldberg was able to kick the right pad out in time to deny the goal.
Kuehberger made 35 saves on Adrian’s 37 shots, while Goldberg stopped 30 of Elmira’s 32.
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Adrian junior defenseman Jaden Rilei sends in a shot from the point past the block attempt from Elmira junior forward Holley Riva in the Northfield Savings Bank East-West Classic’s consolation game at Norwich’s Kreitzberg Arena. Gallery

Elmira goaltender Leonie-Louise Kuehberger keeps her eyes on the rebound as freshman defenseman Katie Manning holds off pressure from Plattsburgh graduate student Kaitlin Drew-Mead in the Northfield Savings Bank East-West Classic at Norwich’s Kreitzberg Arena. Plattsburgh State graduate student Annie Katonka stole the show with a hat trick in her return from injury as the Cardinals earned their revenge win, 4-3 over Elmira College in the first round of the Northfield Savings Bank East/West Classic at Norwich University’s Kreitzberg Arena.
Plattsburgh started strong early in the first period, sending a flurry of shots toward Elmira’s freshman goaltender Leonie-Louise Kuehberger, but it was the Soaring Eagles who broke through first, as junior forward Holley Riva found the back of the net near the midpoint of the period.
The opening goal started a frantic sequence in which the teams combined for three goals in just 1:19 of game time. Plattsburgh defenseman Kendall Wasik leveled the score with a snipe from the point before Elmira captain Eliza Beaudin broke forward to regain the lead.
Having given up two goals on five shots, Plattsburgh goaltender Ashley Davis - who had struggled in games against Endicott and Elmira two weeks ago - was done for the evening, as coach Kevin Houle opted instead for junior goaltender Chloe Beaubien.
A powerplay late in the first period helped the Cardinals tie the game before the intermission, as Katonka took advantage of a scramble in front of the Elmira goal to put the puck home.
The Soaring Eagles once again took the lead at 3:10 of the third period with Beaudin’s second goal of the night, but an Elmira penalty for too many players on the ice gave Katonka the chance to once again tie the game on the power play.
Elmira had an opportunity to retake the lead after the midpoint of the period, as two Plattsburgh penalties gave them a full minute of the 5-on-3 powerplay, but the Cardinals’ penalty kill stood strong.
Another Plattsburgh penalty late in the third period gave the Soaring Eagles one more hope of avoiding overtime, but it backfired.
Shortly after a shorthanded breakaway by graduate student Kaitlin Drew-Mead was cut short by Elmira’s Madi Morton, Kantonka created some magic of her own. Katonka stole the puck from the stick of senior defenseman Jenny Heath at the Elmira blue line and skated in alone to beat Kuehberger.
The shorthanded tally completed the hat trick for Katonka, in her first game back after suffering a leg injury two weeks ago against Endicott.
Beaubien earned the win with 29 saves on the 30 shots she faced after replacing Davis, while Kuehberger’s 34 saves on 38 was not enough to avoid the loss.
Plattsburgh advanced to Sunday’s East/West Classic final against host Norwich University, while Elmira moved on to the consolation game against Adrian College. Gallery.

Plattsburgh junior goaltender Chloe Beaubien kicks out the leg for the pad save as Elmira freshman goaltender Erika Goleniak skates into the zone on the weak side in the Northfield Savings Bank East-West Classic at Norwich’s Kreitzberg Arena. Gallery.