The Middlebury College men’s hockey team will make its ninth consecutive trip in the NESCAC semifinals as they travel to Colby this weekend. The Panthers will take on Amherst at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, while the host school meets Trinity at 1:00 p.m. The winners meet for the NESCAC Championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Tickets are available at the Middlebury box office during normal business hours Tuesday afternoon through Friday at 3:00 p.m. and are priced at $5 for adults and $2 for students.
Middlebury started the season off well, sporting a 13-2-1 record with an 11-game unbeaten streak through January. The Panthers then stumbled and went 1-4-1 over a six-game stretch, before ending the regular season with a pair of wins. Middlebury had little trouble last weekend as they cruised to a 6-0 win over Williams in a NESCAC Quarterfinal match-up. The Panthers are now 20-1 overall in NESCAC Tournament play.
The Middlebury offense ranks second in the NESCAC this season with 3.68 goals/game, while the defense is tied for second with .248 goals allowed/contest. The power play is third in the league at .220, while the penalty kill has struggled, ranked ninth at .773.
Senior Tom Maldonado (9-18-27) leads the team in scoring this season, including four power play and three game-winning goals. Senior Mickey Gilchrist (10-13-23) leads the team with five power play and four game-winners, while junior Jamie McKenna (7-14-21) is third on the team in scoring. Rookie Chaz Svoboda (6-13-19) and senior Scott Bartlett (7-10-17) round out the leading scorers. Ross Cherry is 10-3-2 with a 2.24 GAA and .885 SV% in goal, while Doug Raeder is 7-3 with a 2.80 GAA and .872 SV%.
Saturday, March 1st - Quarterfinals
#1 Colby 4, #8 Wesleyan 1
#2 Middlebury 6, #7 Williams 0
#6 Trinity 5, #3 Bowdoin 2
#4 Amherst 3, #5 Conn. College 2 (OT)
Semifinals - Saturday, March 8th - Colby
Colby (15-8-1) vs. Trinity (13-10-2) - 1:00 p.m.
Middlebury (17-6-2) vs. Amherst (14-8-3) - 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 9th
NESCAC Championship - 1:00