Scott stops seniors' spectacular streak

Author: Jeff Patterson

In a game worthy of SportsCenter's opening highlight, Oswego State - the alma mater of ESPN anchors Linda Cohen and Steve Levy - beat the men's hockey team 4-3 in overtime to win the NCAA D-III Championship. The Panthers forced extra time with a John Sullivan '10 goal with 2:25 left in the third period, but they could not beat Laker goalie Ryan Scott another time.
"Everyone on the ice was just battling to get that goal," said Mickey Gilchrist '08. "We kept saying, 'keep believing, keep working for it.'"
When it was all done, though, it was Scott who turned in the unbelievable performance. The Blueshirts pummeled him with 50 shots, but he came away scot-free, making 47 saves.
"To get this far [in the tournament] you have to have an outstanding goaltender," said Gilchrist. "I thought he played really well tonight. He deserves the win."
Jamie McKenna '09 and John Sales '07 answered Garren Reisweber's opening goal with successful long-range shots, but Oswego tied the game late in the second period and retook the lead five minutes into the third.
After a charter flight to Duluth, Minn. (the closest airport to Superior, Wis.) on Thursday night, the Panthers found themselves in uncharted territory - down a goal - while playing in Sunday's Championship game. Prior to Oswego's outscoring overtime, no one on the team had ever trailed - let alone allowed a goal - in a game when the gold championship trophy was on the line.
Reisweber scored the golden goal, 12:55 into sudden death, after flying down the right wing. The Oswego bench erupted and the players spilled out onto the ice in celebration. Green gloves were thrown on the ice, while Panther players, coaches and fans stood there shocked, green with envy.
"We had our chances to do the same," said Coach Bill Beaney. "We just didn't put them away. That's the game."
On the first night in Wisconsin, Cliff, the Middlebury bus driver, had told the curious cargo, "Your hotel is on an island in the middle of the bay. They heard about your reputation and they didn't want to take any chances." He was half joking, but not about Middlebury's hockey reputation.
At the Championship Banquet Friday night, Master of Ceremonies John Munson quipped that the Frozen Four has, over the years, come to be known as "the Middlebury Invitational." And for good reason: the men had won the previous three championships.
The team's six seniors: Darwin Hunt, Richie Fuld, Brett Shirreffs, Eric LaFreniere, Yev Saidachev and Sales have only added to this remarkable reputation. The team's record over their four years of play has been 97-19-5, thanks to their combined 148 goals and 230 assists.
If you think New England Patriot quarterback Tom Brady's 12-2 record in the playoffs is impressive, try the 24-1 clip owned by these six.
Although comedian Jerry Seinfeld attended Oswego for a few semesters before transferring to Queens College, there was nothing funny about this loss. Tired from almost 73 minutes of grueling hockey and disappointed from not coming out on top, the bus to the airport, the flight to Burlington and the bus home had fewer words than the previous sentence.
While the stands in Sinto S. Wessman Arena were only on one side of the rink, the games played there this weekend were anything but one-sided: all three Frozen Four fights were decided by one goal, as Oswego won both of its games, the first coming against number-one ranked St. Norbert's, in overtime by 4-3 margins.
Middlebury, which came in as the ninth-ranked team in the country, gallantly defeated second-ranked Manhattanville and National Player of the Year winner Andrew Gallant 3-2 to get to the finals.
"I was very pleased with the grit our guys showed after what I thought was a sluggish first period," said Beaney.
Gilchrist opened the scoring with a short-handed goal 26 seconds into the second period, and his linemate McKenna shot the puck past Gallant right before the second period ended to tie it at two. Eighty-nine seconds into the third, Saidachev backhanded the puck, which Hunt and Shirreffs had shot on goal, with the necessary placement to get by the Valiant goalie.
"We had a couple of wacks at it," said Saidachev describing his goal, "I just put it underneath."
Doug Raeder '09 stood his ground with a huge save on Jason Murfitt's shot, gloving the puck at full extension. It was one of his career-high 34 stops on the night. Manhattanville had moments before called a timeout to set-up a play, but Middlebury's defense held on.
"They came right at me," said Raeder. "But our defense really stepped it up."
After four NESCAC championship titles, three NCAA Championships and now a NCAA runner-up, it is reasonable to label this year's senior class as one of the best in Middlebury hockey history. Ironically, it seems as if a different label prevented them from winning more than three NCAA titles. Peek inside any of the coaches' Middlebury jackets and you will see one word branded in big letters: Trimark.