Cherry '08 on top Panthers whip Bowdoin, cream Colby Goalie improves record to 4-0 vs. the Polar Bears

Author: Jeff Patterson

2007 was an odd year.

Back-to-back losses to Colby and Bowdoin kept the Middlebury men's hockey team from keeping the NESCAC tournament site at home, where it had been six of the past seven years. In that year's regular season, the Panthers had been giving up too many odd-man rushes and the odds that they would be able to keep their season alive up in Brunswick, Maine, were against them.

In 2008 - just recently, on the evenings of Jan. 18 and 19 - the Panthers got even, first beating Bowdoin and then Colby.

Even though they were down 3-1 in the second period to a better Bowdoin team than last year's, the Panther skaters kept an even keel and kept battling until they were able to right the ship.

"When we were down 3-1, I, in my head, got worried that this could turn out really badly," said forward Jamie McKenna '09, "but we all stuck together, we all battled back and we scored on our chances."

An even-strength goal by the even-tempered Trevor Dodds '11 only 1:06 into the second period, in which he beat Polar Bear goalie Chris Rossi up high to the glove side, put the men within one. From there, an eventful final 10:40 of the game's second frame - which saw four Middlebury goals go in on only five shots - framed an eventual 9-4 romp.

"I think we had an air of that we couldn't miss," said Casey Ftorek '08, who scored the go-ahead goal for his second tally of the game, and second in as many periods. "We were just firing on all cylinders and when had the opportunity, and looked up and saw our spot, we just hit it. Once we got goals two, three and four, we knew that there was no way we were going to lose the game."

Ftorek's frame of reference - and frame of mind - was shared by many of his teammates, including those with smaller frames. "We knew that the goalie was a little shaky," said Ken Suchoski '11, "so we just decided to throw pucks at the net. It worked out for us. We got nine goals on 17 shots."

In fact, it was something that the coaches noticed in warm-ups, that allowed the players to warm up the goal light filaments. "The coaches told us beforehand that [Rossi] likes to come way out - and that if we could get him to come out, we could just walk around him every time," said McKenna, who scored two goals and assisted on three others.

Ross Cherry '08, like Rossi, was jittery at the start - giving up three goals in the game's first 20:29, but the senior Middlebury goaltender soon became less tenderhearted, only allowing one more goal the rest of the game at a point when the outcome had already been decided.

The more than 2,100 fans, who came out to Kenyon Arena, saw Cherry win his fourth consecutive game against Bowdoin, a team that he has never lost to. His previous three wins against the Polar Bears had come in NESCAC title games - a 3-2 win in '05, a 3-1 win in '06 and a 4-2 win in '07 - but even though Friday night's game was played in January, it had a similar playoff-like feel to it.

Saturday's contest with Colby was just as important, though. The Mules, too, had beaten the Polar Bears earlier in the season.

Tied 1-1 after one, the one-player-on-the-team-you-do-not-want-to-get-checked-by, Bryan Curran '11 deposited a Jack Kinder '09 rebound into Cody McKinny's net. It was Curran's third goal of the year and his second game-winner.

Charlie Townsend '10 and Gilchrist put the game out of the Mules' reach with goals that both came via the generous stick of co-captain Tom Maldonado '08.

In all, Gilchrist scored three goals and dished out three assists over the two games - this after he scored the game-clincher on the road against Williams with 2:23 left.

On Monday, Jan. 21 he was named conference Player of the Week for his dazzling play.

"This is our third year together now," said McKenna, who assisted on all three of Gilchrist's goals against the Maine teams. "If you get Mickey the puck he's going to put it in nine out of 10 times. It's just a matter of getting him the puck."

Middlebury's sweep, combined with Amherst's tie with Southern Maine and loss to Salem State on the same dates, puts the Panthers atop the NESCAC standings and in control of their own destiny, as to whether or not they will host the conference tournament.

Ten games remain, though, so the team is still realtively far from securing home ice. Technically Hamilton, which sits in last place, could still come back and seize the top spot.

The prime goal for the team in the coming weeks will be to beat archrival Nowich on Feb. 9. The Cadets beat the Pathers 5-2 earlier this season on Nov. 23 at The PrimeLink Great Northern Shootout.

With a steady dose of spirited practices, the Panthers should be primed for the sure-to-be-sold-out-game. However, in order to beat Nowich - which has beaten Middlebury the last three times it has played - the team will certainly need to maintain it's composite attack.