Courtesy of Middlebury Sports Information
MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Cheeky Herr scored 54 seconds into overtime, leading third-seeded Trinity (18-6-2) to its first NESCAC Championship with a 3-2 overtime victory over top-seed Middlebury inside Chip Kenyon '85 Arena. The Bantams earn the conference's automatic bid to next week's NCAA Tournament, while Middlebury (20-4-3) hopes to gain one of the nation's at-large berths when selections are announced on Monday morning.
Trinity appeared in its second title game overall and for the first time since 2010, while Middlebury participated in its 10th championship contest. The Panthers suffer their first overtime loss this season (4-1-3) in eight games.
In the first period, Trinity's Lucy Robinson looked to get the Bantams on the scoreboard 1:25 into the game, but missed wide on an open Middlebury net. With Trinity keeping the offensive pressure up, Herr put the Bantams on the scoreboard at 2:58. She skated in on the left side and wristed a shot that deflected off a player and caromed into the short side of the net for the 1-0 lead. The Panthers had a pair of five-on-three opportunities minutes later which lasted 24 and 49 seconds but couldn't net the equalizer. Middlebury had a great opportunity to score again following a turnover at the Trinity blueline. Maddie Winslow skated to the loose puck and fed Jessica Young at the 11:09 mark, but Young's shot from the left side missed wide.
A little more than two minutes later, Trinity doubled its lead at 13:13. Off a faceoff in its offensive zone, Delaney Harrop threw a shot from the right point that Middlebury goalie Madeline Marsh saved, and Robison fired another quick shot that Marsh padded away. Keeping the pressure up, Emma Tani put home a rebound on the right side from just outside the crease. In the period, Middlebury held an 18-12 advantage in shots on goal.
Early in the second period and shorthanded, Robinson skated in and looked to make it 3-0 in favor of Trinity, but Marsh stymed her with a pad save on the breakaway. A little more than two minutes later, Elizabeth Wulf cut the Panther deficit in half at 4:21. Winslow won the puck along the boards and sent a pass to Katie Mandigo. She muscled her way into the middle of the ice and sent a knuckling shot that was tipped in by Wulf. With a little more than four minutes left in the period, Robinson broke in and made quick feed to Tani but Marsh made a pad save, keeping it a 2-1 game.
In the third period with the Panthers on the powerplay, Winslow tied the game at 2-2 with 3:41 elapsed. Hannah Bielawski laced a shot from the right point that was saved. Carly Watson collected the rebounding puck in front and poked it toward Winslow, who forced the puck into the net on a scramble in front of the crease. A little less than three minutes later, Trinity goalie Sydney Belinskas kept the score at 2-2 with a sprawling save to right on a backhanded shot by Katie Sullivan. Over the final minutes of the period, the action was back and forth with each team having scoring chances, but neither could tally the game-winner.
During the overtime period, Trinity's Shelby Labe intercepted an errant pass near the blueline. She sent a pass toward the Panther goal that Herr tipped up and over the outstretched glove of Marsh for the game-winning tally.
For the contest, Middlebury held a 44-22 advantage in shots as Marsh tallied 19 saves in the setback, while Belinskas was credited with 42 stops. The Panthers were 1-7 with the extra skater on the ice, while the Bantams were 0-1.
Photo credit - Will Costello
