Panthers dismantle Purple Knights and Cadets Midd skaters thump St. Micheal's 4-1 before trouncing rival Norwich 7-3

Author: Jason Lockhart

The rivalry between the Norwich and Middlebury men's ice hockey teams is historic, and is arguably one of the biggest in all of Division III hockey. Its significance is not bound by one factor alone. Sure they both play in Vermont and have both won multiple National Championships in the past 10 years, but it is not merely the geography, or the achievements that make up this rivalry; it is the intensity and passion that goes into their games against one another.

Rivalries, however, do not always play up to their potential, as was the case in this weekend's match up at Norwich. What was turning into another epic battle between these two Vermont hockey superpowers turned into a one-sided pasting by the Panthers. A five-goal outburst in the second period put the game out of reach as the Panthers skated away with a surprising 7-3 win over the #3 ranked Cadets.

"We needed to beat Norwich to gain the confidence and play the kind of hockey that will lead us to success in the playoffs," said Mickey Gilchrist '08 who scored Middlebury's first two goals of the game.

The explosion of momentum occurred just moments after the 10 minute mark of the second period. Gilchrist chipped home his second goal of the game and team-leading 17th of the season to give Middlebury a 2-0 lead.

"Getting the first goal was huge in getting us going," indicated Justin Gaines '08 who had three assists in the game. "However, the second goal was even bigger because that just opened the flood gates on them."

Before Gilchrist's second goal was even announced, Evgeny Saidachev '07 streaked back in the zone and fired a shot on Norwich's goaltender Kevin Schieve. Schieve didn't deal with the shot properly and the puck trickled in just 13 seconds after the Panthers' second goal.

The Panthers continued to pressure scoring three more goals in a span of 4:06. Schieve was replaced after the Panthers third goal. Following the Panthers fourth goal, Levi Doria '05 was ridden hard into the boards by Phil Sbrocchi, resulting in a five-minute power play for the Panthers. Middlebury made Norwich pay by scoring two goals on the power play.

The Panthers let up a bit in the third period allowing three goals, but Brian Phinney '05 capped off the scoring in the game to once again, give the Panthers a comfortable lead.

What shouldn't be overlooked was the fact that Middlebury was clinging to a 1-0 lead for nearly half the game. It seemed likely that Norwich would score soon as they pressured intensely during the first half of the second period, however, first-year netminder Ross Cherry kept his composure and shutdown the Cadets for as long as he needed to.

"Cherry's play was exactly what we needed," said Gaines. "He kept us in there all night." The previous night, Cherry had a another stellar performance as Middlebury topped another in-state rival St. Michaels, 4-1.

The Panthers will host the NESCAC quarterfinal game on Saturday against Hamilton. If the team wins that game they will travel to Trinity College, where the semifinals and finals of the tournament will be held March 5th and 6th.