Undefeated Middlebury shut out Amherst 4-0 Friday night at Orr Rink. The No. 1 Panthers (11-0/10-0) now boast a 135-game Division III unbeaten streak, with their last loss coming at the hands of RIT on January 14, 1995. With the loss, Amherst drops to 4-9 overall and 3-7 in conference play.
Junior defender Amber Neil tallied two goals and teammate senior forward Nina Kieves recorded a goal and an assist to pace the Panthers. Junior netminder Heidi Alexander was stellar in net for the Jeffs, finishing with 41 saves, while senior goaltender Megan Hutchinson turned away all 13 shots she faced to earn the shutout victory.
The visitors pierced the scoring column 7:41 into the first period when Kieves gathered a rebound off the post and slid the puck past a sprawled Alexander, giving Middlebury a 1-0 advantage to end the opening stanza.
Neil tallied her first goal 14:34 into the second period on the power play, stuffing another rebound into the back of the net. She would strike again on a wraparound early in the third period for her team-leading 10th goal of the season.
Sophomore forward Kristin Reid added a late insurance tally, shooting a wrister from the slot over the shoulder of Alexander to set the final score.
