Men’s hockey enters postseason with two wins

The Middlebury men’s hockey team emerged victorious in the last weekend of regular season play, beating both Skidmore and Castleton State on the road. The Panthers are now skating into the playoffs with a six-game winning streak.

The four-point weekend began with a 3-1 win over the Skidmore Thoroughbreds on Friday night. Saturday afternoon followed as the Panthers garnered a handy win over Castleton, 7-3.

Middlebury completed the regular season with a slim second-place finish in NESCAC standings behind Bowdoin. Had Bowdoin lost this weekend, Middlebury would have taken over the top seed. The Panthers are now slated to contest seventh-ranked Tufts in Kenyon Arena on Saturday as they move into the postseason.

The Skidmore victory was not the Panthers’ greatest match, but they did what needed to be done to come out on top. Skidmore came out strong and took the lead in the first period, but the Panthers went on the rebound to quickly score with a Mathieu Dubuc ’13 goal assisted by Tom Clayton ’13. Clayton led in points for the night, notching the game winner in the third period during a 4 vs. 4 situation.

Charlie Townsend ’10 added an empty net goal late in the third for his 10th goal of the year. John Yanchek ’12 skillfully minded the net, only allowing Skidmore’s first-period goal and saving 25 of the 26 Thoroughbred shots on goal. During a crucial Skidmore power play in the third period, strong defense kept Middlebury ahead in the match, with Yanchek netting five saves during those important two minutes.

The men found their stride on Saturday, soundly beating Castleton State, 7-3. In a game rife with penalties, the Panthers were dominant across the board, seeing five different players score. While on Friday the Panthers went 0-for-5 on power-play opportunities, they went 4-for-10 against Castleton State, a marked improvement from the night before.
The Panthers pulled away from a 2-2 tie to score three straight goals late in the second period, seeing goals from captain veterans John Sullivan ’10 and Townsend as well as from Jak Knelman ’12. Sullivan had two goals on the night, while Nick Resor ’12 rounded out the scoring with two goals in the third period. Yanchek was again impressive in the goal, making 36 saves between the pipes.

As of Feb. 16, when the NCAA Division III Ice Hockey Committee released its regional rankings, Middlebury was ranked fourth in the East Region. U.S. College Hockey Online has the Panthers similarly ranked at sixth.

In both polls, Middlebury men’s ice hockey is the highest ranked NESCAC team on the list, which bodes well for the men’ ‘confidence and playoff hopes. The Panthers have shown an impressive turnaround from two weeks ago when they sat fifth in the NESCAC standings, winning their last five games by a total combined score of 22-8.

The Tufts game will be an interesting showdown, considering that the teams have not met since their season-opening tie. If the Panther winning streak continues in front of the home crowd this Saturday afternoon, Middlebury will move onto the NESCAC semifinals and one step closer to the NESCAC championship that eluded the squad last year.