Men's Hockey Throttles Colby, Slowed by Polar Bears

Author: Peter Yordan
Staff Writer

The Middlebury men's hockey team opened their winter season with verve and alacrity, rolling off four convincing wins before drawing with Bowdoin on Saturday. The team, which finished off the fall portion of their season with an important 3-2 victory over Plattsburg State, managed to successfully maintain their momentum over the winter break for the start of the difficult league portion of their schedule.

Middlebury lost no time picking up where they left off in December when they traveled down to Boston to face Tufts on Jan. 4. The Jumbos were quickly shown to be no match for the potent Panther attack, as Middlebury piled on five goals in the first period and never looked back. John Dawson '04, Timothy Graham '05 and Kevin Cooper '04 had two tallies each, and the Panthers finished with a 10-0 whitewashing of their New England Small Conference Athletic Conference opponent.

The next day the team continued to Connecticut College for a second helping of goals, and the Camel defense was more than willing to serve them. The Panthers again stormed off to a big lead, with Adam Foote '04 leading the way with two goals. When the dust had settled, Middlebury found themselves in possession of an 8-2 victory over their hapless opponents.

The Panthers kept it in cruise control for their midweek match-up against Hobart on Jan. 9. The team played sterling defense, not allowing their opponents a single shot on goal for the entire first period. Middlebury outshot Hobart by the convincing margin of 48-8, while Cooper, Foote, Dawson and Robert Chisholm '03 found the net to give the team an easy 4-0 win.

On Friday the team was faced with its first stern test of the new year in Colby College. Colby entered the game tied for first place in the NESCAC with Middlebury and Bowdoin. The White Mules, however, found themselves outclassed by the poised Middlebury squad. With both teams skating four a side 12 minutes into the game, Dawson broke the early deadlock with his third goal of the season. Resurgent senior Andy Campbell added another two minutes later to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead. "We've had scoring from a number of people," said Head Coach Bill Beaney. Campbell, whose ice time and production is well up this year, is one of the additions to the balanced offense that has characterized Middlebury's team this year. "Andy Campbell is playing a key role on the ice this year," noted Beaney. "He's been a very important part of our team."

Indeed, Middlebury's balance and depth were evident as the game went on. The Panthers out skated and out passed their rivals, and with subsequent goals from seniors J. F. Duchesne and Matt Dunn, the team handed the previously undefeated Mules their first loss of the season. Middlebury once again received a top-notch performance in goal from Christian Carlsson '02, who recorded his third shutout in four games.

The Panthers, however, had no time to rest on their laurels, as they had to turn around and face Bowdoin on Saturday. The Polar Bears brought a dangerous team to Vermont: one that sat along with Middlebury atop the leader board as the only undefeated teams in NESCAC play.

The team was playing its third game in five days, but managed to stay with their opponents through the rough early goings. Middlebury seemed to have taken the lead in the first period when Bowdoin's goaltender was unable to stop a hard wrist shot from Dawson, but the net was dislodged just as the puck crossed the line, and the officials overruled the apparent goal. Carlsson once again was asked to be sharp to keep the team in the game, and he and his defense were able to keep the score blank until the offense could put together some chances.

Finally, two minutes into the second period, Cooper found the net, scoring his team leading ninth goal of the season. Middlebury held the lead for 12 minutes before Bowdoin, taking advantage of a scrum in front of the net, slipped a loose puck underneath Carlsson's pads to tie the score at one apiece. Both teams fought hard for the remainder of the game, and Middlebury began to find its rhythm in the third period, but neither side was able to score again. "I was pleased with the team's effort and preparation, I thought we played better as the game went on," said Beaney. "You move on."

Middlebury indeed has much to prepare for their upcoming schedule. After a game on Tuesday against Potsdam, the Panthers will be taking their act on the road for a series of non-conference games that should be likely victories for them.

The team, however, is still mindful of its opponents. "It is a trademark of this program," said Beaney, "not to look past anybody."