No. 6 Trinity played an itty-bitty bid better

Author: Jeff Patterson

When John Sullivan '10 reached the top step of the team bus, thereby sidestepping the blustery gusts of wintry Waterville wind, he grinned and said, "It's going to be a little windy today, with a chance of a NESCAC championship."

Middlebury, the winner of the previous four conference titles, had to like its chances of securing a fifth. But after losing an hour of sleep - to Daylight's Savings Time - the Panthers lost to Trinity College 3-2 in double overtime on Sunday.

Going into the tournament, most people did not think the sixth-seeded team from Hartford, Conn. stood a chance, but in the end it was Trinity fans that were standing and applauding from Alfond Arena's bleachers.

The Bantams were not the team anyone wanted to play after all. They had knocked out third-seeded Bowdoin and top-ranked Colby before defeating the second-seeded Panthers in the finals.

On the Panthers' 304-mile bus ride home there was still a slim chance they would earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, but when signs for Rutland came into view, the team learned that it would be stuck on the outside looking in. Elmira (19-3-5), Manhattanville (18-6-3), Hobart (18-7-2) and Wisconsin-Stout (18-8-3) earned the four at-large bids.

Behind the outstanding goaltending of Wesley Vesprini, the Bantams were able to withstand scoring chance after Panther scoring chance as they kept Middlebury off of the scoreboard for the final 73:51 of the game.

Since their goalie was using his quick glove to save shot after shot, the Bantams were able to finally cash in when Josh Rich netted the golden goal.

Vesprini was undoubtedly the evening's star. True to form, he clamped down the Middlebury attack even tighter and tighter as the game wore on. The end of the game certainly has been Vesprini's time to shine. On average this year, his first as a collegiate hockey player, he did not allow goals in the final 29:19 of the game.

In the first meeting between the two teams on Feb. 2 - a 4-1 loss at Trinity - Vesperini allowed a Jed MacDonald '08 goal 1:13 into the first period, but nothing the rest of the way.

With Rich's successful shot Sunday, three hours and five minutes after the first face-off, Trinity players ripped off their facemasks and jumped into a pig pile at center ice. They had won their second-ever conference championship and had stolen the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

There was no way they were going to get into the national competition if they had not won the automatic qualifier.The Panthers, on the other hand, looked like they were entering a church for a funeral service. Their season had ended too soon.

It turns out the last time the Panthers had played a game on March 9, it was also against the Bantams in the NESCAC championship game. And Trinity won that one in 2003 too, 4-2.

Sunday's game was more like last year's national championship final than anything else, though. Against Oswego State on March 21, 2007, the Panthers held a 2-1 lead - just like they did on Sunday - only to see it slip away when Garren Reisweber scored his second goal of the game in overtime. Rich, like Reisweber, was the opposition's first and last goal scorer. When the last one went in, in both cases, it was the last game of the season for the Panthers.

Co-captain Scott Bartlett '08 had two first period goals, but Rich's two - his second and third of the year - were more valuable.

Other than the 2-1 victory over Amherst the day before - where they "played with confidence, emotion and a lot of passion," said head coach Bill Beaney, and won thanks to a Jamie McKenna '09 goal with 3:06 left in the third period - Middlebury had lost its previous game at Alfond Arena 4-3 in overtime on Jan. 12 2007.

What lies ahead, now, are lighter evenings and even lighter hockey bags.