No. 5 Warriors Battle No. 3 Maryville; Split Weekend Series
FREMONT, Neb. – No. 5 Midland University honored its senior class as it hosted No. 3 Maryville University over the weekend. The Warriors claimed the opener, 6-2, while recognizing their 2025 seniors. The Saints responded with a 3-1 victory on Sunday to secure the weekend split.
SATURDAY: Midland 6, Maryville 2
Saturday's opening period was action-packed as the teams met for the third time this season. Darbi Poole struck first at the 5:00 mark, scoring off an assist from Taylor Bell. Less than a minute later, Rylee Martin doubled the lead with a goal off a feed from Davanna Ditto.
Maryville answered with a power-play goal near the midway point to cut the deficit to one. Midland quickly responded with a power-play goal of its own at 10:52, as Makenna Larson found the net off a setup from Poole.
With time winding down in the first period, the Saints tallied another power-play goal at 17:29. The Warriors responded just 30 seconds later when Bell capitalized on a defensive lapse, scoring off assists from Grace Page and Poole to give Midland a 4-2 lead at the intermission.
Both defenses settled in after the break. The scoreboard remained quiet until the final minutes of the second period, when Martin notched a power-play goal at 18:19, assisted by Poole and Larson.
Midland secured the victory with a final insurance goal in the third period. Page found the net at the 5:43 mark, with Poole picking up her fifth point of the game on the assist. Bell also recorded her third assist, sealing the 6-2 win for the Warriors.
Goaltender Megan Stewart made 26 saves in the victory, while Maryville's netminders combined for 33 stops. Midland outshot Maryville 39-28, and both teams went 2-for-4 on the power play.
SUNDAY: Maryville 3, Midland 1
Sunday's game was a defensive battle, with the first goal not coming until late in the second period. Midland broke the deadlock at the 14:15 mark with a power-play goal from Poole, assisted by Martin and Larson.
Maryville took advantage of a 5-on-3 opportunity, scoring at 16:35 to even the game. Less than 30 seconds later, the Saints struck again on the power play to take a 2-1 lead into the final intermission.
In the third period, Maryville added an insurance goal near the midway point. Midland had a late power-play chance but was unable to convert, falling 3-1.
Natalie Rampton took the loss in net, making 25 saves. The Warriors outshot the Saints 38-28, including a 13-7 advantage in the final period.
Midland (25-7) now awaits the pairings for the Women's Midwest College Hockey (WMCH) Tournament, which begins later this week. Seedings are determined by the ACHA national rankings. Tournament play starts Thursday in St. Louis.