MIDDLEBURY, Vt. - The Connecticut College women's ice hockey team hung tough with No. 6 Middlebury College, ultimately falling to the Panthers 4-2 on Saturday from Chip Kenyon Arena. With the loss, Conn falls to 6-8-5 and 2-8-2 in NESCAC play, while Middlebury improves to 10-3-3 and 7-1-2 in conference play.

Conn (6-8-5, 2-8-2 NESCAC) came out strong, recording the first three shots of the contest within the opening 2:18. Middlebury (10-3-3, 7-1-2 NESCAC) responded with a couple of shots, but it was the Camels that opened the scoring. Just over nine minutes into the frame, Conn was awarded a power play and took advantage of the extra skater. With time winding down on the power play, Casey Chesner (Great Falls, Va.) found the back of the net to put the Camels up 1-0 at 10:50 with Kylie McCarthy (Dedham, Mass.) and Alan Burm (Hingham, Mass.) earning assists. Conn held strong, taking the 1-0 lead into the intermission.

Five minutes into the middle frame the Panthers were awarded a power play. With the extra skater Kylie Quinlan tied the game at one with a tally at 5:34. Three minutes later, on another woman-advantage, the Panthers took their first lead of the afternoon on a goal from Britt Nawrocki. Middlebury added another goal on the power play at 13:18, with a goal from Molly MacQueen. The Camels cut into the deficit two minutes later, as Sydney Frank (Stillwater, N.Y.) beat Sophia Merageas at 15:30 to make it 3-2, with assists from Serena Seiple (Wilmette, Ill.) and Abby Munger (Trinity, Fla.), as Conn trailed heading to the third.

Middlebury looked to stop any chance of a comeback early in the third period, recording four shots in the opening five minutes, but Devon Galizio kept the Camels alive. Conn slowly started to take over, pushing for the tying goal, ultimately pulling Galizio for the extra attacker at 17:25. However, with just 34 seconds remaining, Raia Schluter put one into the empty net, as Middlebury came away with the 4-2 win.

Middlebury outshot Conn 37-25, while winning 27 of 46 face-offs.

Galizio got the start in goal, finishing with 33 saves on 37 shots. Chesner and Frank both recorded a goal, while Burm, McCarthy, Munger, and Seiple all added an assist. Claire Sammons (Naperville, Ill.), Brum, and Frank all tallied four shots on goal, while the Camels blocked 15 shots as a team, led by Frank, McCarthy, and Bridget McGann (West Hartford, Conn.), who all blocked three. Sammons won 11 of 22 draws, while Conn went 1-2 on the power play and 3-6 on the penalty kill.

Merageas stopped 23 of 25 shots in net. Nawrocki and Callia Ferraris both tallied two points, while eight other Panthers recorded one point. Middlebury finished the afternoon 1-2 on the penalty kill and 3-6 on the power play.

Conn wraps up non-conference play on Tuesday night, as the Camels host Nichols College at 7:00 p.m. in Dayton Arena.