Exeter girls hockey earned a strong 4–1 victory over Tilton School on Wednesday afternoon, using a decisive third-period surge to pull away and improve to 10-2-2 on the season.

The two teams traded goals in the opening period, with Maria Gray getting Big Red on the board first. The game remained locked at 1–1 through the middle frame as both defenses held firm.

Exeter broke the deadlock midway through the third period. With 12:36 remaining, Dominique Reiher hammered home a rebound off a shot from Grace Reilly in transition to give Big Red a 2–1 advantage. Just 31 seconds later, Reilly fired another shot from the point that was stopped by the Tilton goaltender, but Erin Sears was there on the wraparound to bury the rebound and push the lead to 3–1.

Sears capped the afternoon with an empty-net goal late in the contest, ripping a shot from mid-ice with just over a minute remaining to seal the win.

Big Red will be back in action on Friday night, hosting Rivers at 6:15 p.m.