WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Propelled by a dominant performance from senior goaltender Abby Hodsden, the sixth-seeded Middlebury Tigers defeated the second-seeded Hartford Hurricanes, 3-0, on Saturday in the VPA Division II girls hockey semifinals at Wendell A. Barwood Arena.

Freshman forward Ella Tucker scored two goals to backstop Hodsden, who finished with 26 saves.

For first-year Hartford coach Kylie Young, the only loss occurred on the ice.

“Before the game I told the girls that no matter what happened, we had already won.” she said. “This season came out of nowhere for us. I saw a lot of development, both in hockey knowledge and hockey skill. This is just step one for the next few years of the program.”

The Hurricanes (5-5-0) were playing in their first VPA semifinal since 2011.

Both squads came into Saturday’s contest with similar records, but it was hard to tell in the first period as the Tigers dominated for the first 15 minutes.

Tucker found the back of the net first at the 7:56 mark, with an assist from eighth grader Channing Brush. The goal came on Middlebury’s third attempt on net for the possession, after Hartford’s senior goalie Zoe Pfeiffer blocked the first two shots. Brush would score one herself with 16.2 remaining in the period, on an assist from freshman defender Lily Finn, to put the Tigers up, 2-0, after one.

Middlebury came close to scoring another goal in the second period when pushing the puck on a two-on-one break with 7:12 remaining. However, Pfeiffer made a diving stop in the net to keep the game within reach. She finished the game with 28 saves.

Hodsden later returned the favor, diving to stop a one-timer from sophomore Canes defender Julie McDermid that would have cut the Tiger lead in half.

Hartford came out firing in the third, pushing the puck on offense.

“For most of the game, we wanted to utilize our long bench against their nine skaters. We wanted to wear them down,” Young said. “In the third, we shortened our bench to our top skaters.”

The aggressive tactic worked, as the Hurricanes were able to put 15 shots on goal in the final frame.

“We shot more than usual,” Young noted. “I was pleased with the offensive play.”

Despite Hartford’s more aggressive offense, Hodsden stood strong in net, shutting the Canes out. Middlebury tacked on another goal late in the third on a shot from Tucker for her second goal of the game, with Brush assisting.

Hartford continued to push on offense, even pulling Pfeiffer late for an extra skater, but the score held.

With the win, Middlebury advances to the D-II title game on Wednesday in Barre, where they will play either ninth-seeded Burr & Burton or fourth-ranked South Burlington.

Hartford graduates Pfeiffer and forwards Izzy Stack and Rylee Potwin.