Men’s hockey beats down on Tufts in NESCAC preliminary

The Middlebury men’s hockey team extended its winning streak to seven games last Saturday with a 6-2 defeat over Tufts to advance to the semifinals in the NESCAC playoffs. The Panthers once again saw strong performances from veteran players as well as standout contributions from several rookies.

The Panthers showed their grit and determination on Saturday afternoon in Kenyon Arena. Spurred on by the packed, cheering stadium and postseason aspirations, the team skated with purpose.

“We really wanted to focus on playing our game and playing to our strengths,” said assistant captain Charlie Townsend ’10. “Whenever we get to play on our rink, which is a lot bigger than most, we can utilize our speed and wear out the other team,” he continued, citing another lesser known advantage of playing at home.

First-year Mathieu Dubuc ’13 ended the night with a hat trick as well as an assist, while fellow rookie Mathieu Castonguay ’13 scored his first two goals of the season in the contest.

The men controlled the pace of the game, outshooting Tufts 56-14. However, their control was not always reflected on the scoreboard thanks to impressive goaltending by NESCAC standout goalie Scott Barchard.

After the Jumbos scored early in the first period, Dubuc drew first blood for the Panthers off of a feed from AJ Meyer ’10. Later in the period, Dubuc fed Jak Knelman ’12, bringing the score to 2-1. The Panthers scored their first power-play goal in the second period as Castonguay shot from the left point, eluding Barchard and putting the Panthers up by two.

The Panthers were able to make a run and open up the game in the third period, scoring twice in the span of 42 seconds to bring the score to 5-1. Tom Clayton ’13 garnered his second assist of the night as he fed Dubuc for Dubuc’s second of the game, also on a power play. Castonguay quickly scored again, with a similar shot to his first. Dubuc rounded out the scoring at 16:39 in the third period for his third goal of the night.

“Dubuc played very well for us on Saturday and kickstarted the offense,” said Townsend. “Anytime you score three goals, it’s a pretty special night,” he continued, praising his rookie, “and something he’ll remember for a long time I’m sure.”

John Yanchek ’12 played the whole game in the net, making crucial saves during the second period when Tufts was within striking distance.

Based on the seeding, the Panthers were expecting to face Amherst in the semifinal game, which would have pitted the two NESCAC finalists from last season against one another in what would have been a highly charged match. However, fifth-ranked Trinity overcame fouth-ranked Amherst in overtime to advance to the semifinals.
Middlebury will face Trinity this Saturday at 4 p.m. If they win, the men will then contest the winner of the Bowdoin-Hamilton matchup the following day.

Trinity is an interesting foe to face; the Panthers have only met the Bantams once this season, and the match ended in a tie. This weekend will be an exciting culmination of the team’s extreme dedication, time commitment and, of course, talent.

“Games at this point in the season really come down to work ethic and who wants it more,” said Townsend. “Talent and skills kind of take a back seat to focusing on putting 60 minutes of hard work and desire together will be a focus for us.”

Middlebury has won the NESCAC championship seven times and has long since been considered the team to beat in NESCAC hockey. However, the past two years the Panthers have fallen in the NESCAC tournament and failed to receive an NCAA at-large bid. This year’s team hopes to change that.