Men's Hockey Stutters at Amherst Yet Streak Stays Alive

Author: Andreas Apostolatos

While many Middlebury students enjoyed the weeklong February recess, the Middlebury men's hockey team was hard at work continuing its winning ways. The Panthers played three games during the week of Feb. 1-8 and triumphed over Babson and Hamilton and tied Amherst. The Panthers (16-3-1, 13-1-1 NESCAC) have now not lost a game since Dec. 7, and currently ride a 14-game undefeated streak.
Most importantly, Middlebury's dominance has carried it into first place in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) standings. Trinity, which previously sat atop the league, did not have a successful time in Maine during the weekend of Jan. 31-Feb. 1, when they were beaten by both Bowdoin and Colby. Trinity's losses to the two NESCAC rivals allowed Middlebury to gain a first-place ranking with a 7-4 win against Hamilton on Feb. 7.
Against Hamilton, the Panthers scored the first four goals of the game, which turned out to be quite a high-scoring affair. Middlebury was lead by Tim Graham '05, who scored a hat trick with one goal in the second period, and two in the third.
The following day, the Panthers traveled to Amherst for their second straight game against a NESCAC opponent. Middlebury managed to break through first behind a power-play goal by Kevin Cooper '04 with 14:03 remaining in the first period. The game's second and final goal came in the second session, when Amherst tied the score during a power play of its own. While a 1-1 deadlock is certainly better than a loss, the Panthers could not help but be slightly dissatisfied with the result against the sixth-place team that they should have beaten.
"We feel like we need to re-focus for the final regular season stretch run. We may have become a bit complacent in the last couple of weeks and that resulted in some uninspired play last weekend. It's a long season and it is difficult to keep your energy up for the entire run," commented team captain Rob Chisholm '03.
"We remain confident that we can be in the thick of it come playoffs but realize that it is time for us to take that next step towards becoming a more explosive team. I wouldn't say that anyone is satisfied with the season. We have been happy with our play on occasions but we are never really satisfied. There is always the hunger for something bigger and better down the road."
Currently, the positioning of teams in the upper echelon of the NESCAC is very tight. The top four teams -- Middlebury, Trinity, Colby and Bowdoin -- are separated by just five points. With two weeks left in the regular season, each team will play at least two more games against league opponents, which will be paramount in terms of the final league standings. Middlebury, which has 27 league points overall, will host second-place Trinity on Feb. 14. Should the Panthers manage to pull out a victory on Valentine's Day, they would only have league cellar-dweller Wesleyan left on their schedule of NESCAC opponents.
"This weekend will present a great opportunity for us to see where we are as a team," said Chisholm. "Playing us will bring out Trinity's best and we will enjoy the challenge because it will force us to get better as a team. This game may decide who wins the NESCAC regular season title and who is likely to host the NESCAC Championships."
With two wins this weekend at Kenyon Arena, the NESCAC regular season title will be solidified.