Panthers ice holiday competition Big wins over non-conference foes help ring in the new year

Author: Steve Beslow

It has been an eventful few weeks for the men's hockey team, even with the holiday season. After a tough-luck tie against Plattsburgh on Dec. 9, Middlebury headed into Winter Break in need of some rest and recuperation. Judging by their recent play, it would seem that the Panthers got all the rest they needed and more.

Middlebury's first challenge after the break came at the annual Middlebury Holiday Classic Tournament. Although the Classic marked the return of the Panther's explosive offense, the shining star of the tournament was freshman netminder Doug Raeder. Named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, Raeder was phenomenal, making 27 saves in a 6-1 victory over Babson and 20 more in the finals against Amherst, which Middlebury took home 4-1. Raeder's efforts did not go unnoticed around the league, and his outstanding tourney earned him NESCAC Player of the Week honors.

With their home-ice dominance reestablished, Middlebury men's hockey team went back on the road. In this case, however, "the road" was not all that unfamiliar. In a rare opportunity, Middlebury played Skidmore at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y. Home of the United States' 1980 Olympic shocker over Russia, Lake Placid was a fitting site for a game featuring two pairs of old acquaintances.

When head coach Bill Beaney and the rest of the Panthers looked to the opposing bench, they saw one of their own looking back: Neil Sinclair, Skidmore's new coach, has more than his share of ties to the Middlebury community. After graduating from Middlebury in 1993 (where he was a first-team All-American in his senior season), Sinclair went on to coach the Middlebury Union High School's boys' team, leading them to a Vermont State Championship in 1996. Sinclair then rejoined the Panthers as assistant coach in 1999, even taking over as interim head coach during Coach Beaney's sabbatical in 2002-2003.

Needless to say, Sinclair is familiar with the way that the Panthers do business, and Friday night's game was business as usual. Middlebury jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in an 8-2 victory, burying the Thoroughbreds under 49 shots. Goals from Yev Saidachev '07, Mickey Gilchrist '08, Darwin Hunt '07, Scott Bartlett '08, Jeff Smith '06, Rob MacIntyre '08 and two tallies from Jed McDonald '08 overwhelmed two Skidmore goalies, while Raeder, Ross Cherry '08, and Yen-I Chen '06 all saw time in the Middlebury net, the latter two not allowing a goal in 30 minutes of play.

While they did not factor into the scoring, there were two players for whom the game held special significance. For the first (but not necessarily last) time, first-year Jamie McKenna met up with older brother Taylor, a junior at Skidmore. Besides a reunion, the game was also a homecoming for the McKennas who grew up right in Lake Placid.

The Panthers finished up their road trip close to home, taking on neighboring Castleton State. Just as in the previous games, Middlebury scored early and often. First period goals by Tom Maldonado '08 and John Sales '07 were more than enough to take down the Spartans, who only managed a late third-period goal against Ross Cherry, who made 18 saves for the win. A pair of goals from Eric LaFreniere '07 and tallies from Mason Graddock '09 and McKenna iced the 6-1 Middlebury win.

This week is the most important of the season so far for the men's hockey team. After an away game at Williams on Tuesday, the Panthers come home to face other perennial rivals Colby and Bowdoin on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. A good showing in these crucial match-ups can cement yet another successful season.