Playoff-bearded Panthers win by their chinny chin chins

Author: Jeff Patterson

The Middlebury men's hockey team has been short-handed all season. Multiple injuries, a concussion and a case of pneumonia have forced Coach Bill Beaney to fiddle with his lineup in an attempt to find the perfect harmony.

Thanks to two short-handed goals against Bowdoin in the NESCAC Championship game, the Panthers found themselves up 2-0 halfway through Sunday's second period. With Bowdoin on the power play, Brett Shirreffs '07 opened the scoring 4:07 into the game when he stole a lead pass intended for Greg McConnell, carried it down the ice and beat all-black goaltender Chris Rossie with a shot from the top of the left circle. Justin Gaines '08 did nearly the exact same thing in the second period, only this time he scored on the goal on the other side of the ice.

With the majority of the team fit as a fiddle, Middlebury was not going to play second fiddle to anyone. They controlled the puck all game long and used well-executed dump-ins to keep the pressure on the home team. Three minutes and 12 seconds after Gaines' goal, Mickey Gilchrist '08 scored an even-strength goal on a one-timer, set-up by Yev Saidachev '07, to put his team up 3-0. It turned out to be the game-winner, Gilchrist's fifth outcome-deciding goal this season.

Shirreffs had not played in the previous meeting with the Polar Bears, a 6-2 Bowdoin win. But on Sunday, for the 4-2 win, he was in uniform, in the scoresheet and in the back row, in the embrace of fellow senior John Sales for the customary championship photo.

"I thought he was a major reason why we won," said Assistant Coach John Dawson '04. "I thought it was a huge difference to have him back there. It was one of the best games - not just because he scored - of his year. He was just outstanding in all areas."

Sunday marked the fourth time that Sales and Shirreffs and their fellow seniors have won the league title and the seventh time Middlebury has in the eight years the NESCAC Tournament has existed.

"They're kind of immune to the pressure, kind of immune to the playoffs," said Dawson. "They don't get tight, they don't get nervous."

Even with the majority of the crowd rooting against the Panthers, the players kept their composure and came out champions.

"Playing in an atmosphere like that, it really drives them," said Dawson.

Ross Cherry's '08 performance in between the pipes, piped down the boisterous Bowdoin band. In total, Cherry stopped 32 shots, holding the Polar Bears well below their 4.36 goals per game average.

"If they were going to get anything on us, we made them really earn it," said Dawson. "They had to work for it, we frustrated them, and they couldn't really get a point-blank shot. When they did get a couple, Ross was fantastic."

Like the bad guys in a Hollywood movie, Bowdoin outshot its opponents by a substantial amount, but could never kill the heroes. In order to meet Bowdoin in the finals, Middlebury had to first overcome Colby. The Mules, who are coached by Jim Tortorella, the brother of Tampa Bay Lightning coach John Tortorella, beat the Panthers 4-3 on Jan. 12. This time, however, lightning did not strike twice. The Panthers reversed the 4-3 score, even though they committed five more penalties than the Mules.

Colby defenseman and first-team All-NESCAC selection Arthur Fritch struck twice to give the Mules a 1-0 lead 6:43 into the first period and later to tie the game at three. Middlebury had just taken the lead only a minute and three seconds earlier when Scott Bartlett '08 jammed home a loose puck.

Bartlett struck twice too, scoring his second goal, the eventual game-winner, with a shot from just inside the blue line. Super speedy skater Shane Mandes '10 dug up an abandoned puck in the corner before feeding Bartlett for the snipe.

The goal quieted the large Colby crowd that had made the 51-mile trip from Waterville. Goalie Doug Raeder '09 kept the Mules from scoring in the last 14:10 for the win. He stopped 26 shots, and kept the league's number one offense one goal short.

By winning NESCACs, Middlebury secured a bid to the NCAA Tournament, making it 13 straight years the Panthers have postponed the task of picking up their razors. On March 7 the team faces off against Fredonia, the SUNYAC champions who beat Plattsburgh 6-4.

Without a doubt, Brunswick, Maine has been hospitable to Beaney and his teams this year. In October his men's golf team won the NESCACs there. Five months later, his hockey team did the same.

A few days before the NESCAC opener, Beaney severely severed his right index finger doing a job around the house. Over the weekend, it was taped to his middle finger for support. Any attempt to push the elevator button or flick the light switch, would force both fingers to do the job rather than one.

Perhaps the tape-job was a reminder: Middlebury has won one, but there is still a second tournament to pursue.