Middlebury, Vt. - The No. 4-seeded Colby College Women's Ice Hockey team faced the No. 1-seeded Middlebury College in the NESCAC Championship Semifinals. After three periods and three rounds of overtime, the Mules broke through with a 2-1 win to advance to the finals.

Colby was ready to take action in today's matchup. Middlebury took advantage of a power play 7:38 into the first period to take a 1-0 lead, but that didn't bring down the Mules. Despite no goals from Colby in the first, they fired 15 shots, won 11 of 20 faceoffs, and goaltender Ally Martinello made 11 saves. The second period was action-packed, with strong offensive and defensive pressure from both teams. Just 2:45 in, Lizzy Hamel scored the equalizer off a penalty shot for the Mules to make it a 1-1 game. Colby fired 22 more shots in the period, while Martinello added nine more saves. Heading into the third period tied at 1-1, Colby continued to show high energy. The Mules recorded 30 shots compared to Middlebury's 13, and Martinello made six more saves to keep the Panthers off the board. After 60 minutes of play, the Mules and Panthers remained tied at 1-1.

In the first overtime, neither team could break through. Colby added another 11 shots, nine faceoff wins, and Martinello made seven more saves. With 20 more minutes played and still no goals, the game moved into a second overtime. Double overtime featured multiple scoring chances on both ends, with the Mules firing 23 more shots while Martinello added 12 more saves. The Mules entered triple overtime with composure and grit. Finally, at 15:37, Emily Olsthoorn broke through for the Mules, earning their hard work the win. Her goal was assisted by Hamel and Molly Lefebvre.  After 116 minutes of play, Colby finished with 117 total shots and Martinello made an outstanding 47 saves to secure the thrilling 2-1 win. 
 
The Mules will advance to the NESCAC Championship tomorrow afternoon at 2:00pm right back at Middlebury. They will face the two seeded Amherst Mammoths who they defeated once and tied once during the regular season on the road. Fans can follow alongside the championship game using the live stats and live video links as well as check out the NESCAC Championship Central page for more information. Ticket information can be found HERE.