Men’s hockey proves advantage is at home

The Middlebury men’s hockey team showed an impressive response to its disappointing performances on Jan. 23 and 24, emerging victorious in games against NESCAC powerhouses Colby and Bowdoin on Jan. 29 and 30, respectively. The Panthers followed those wins up by topping fifth-ranked Plattsburgh, 5-3, the following Tuesday. This avenged an earlier loss to the Cardinals in the December PrimeLink Tournament. Later in the week, the men fell to the unbeaten Norwich Cadets. The Panthers finished their February break games with a tidy win over St. Michaels.

Hoping to continue their winning streak after earning four important wins on the weekend against NESCAC rivals, the Panthers came out strong against Plattsburgh last Tuesday evening, seeing three of their first four shots elude the glove and stick of Cardinal goalie Ryan Williams.

These goals, netted by Charlie Townsend ’10, Trevor Pollock ’13 and Ken Suchowski ’11, respectively, put the Panthers up 3-0. They kept their lead, holding Plattsburgh to just eight shots for over half of the game. More important than their quick start, however, was their response to Plattsburg’s comeback late in the second and early in the third periods.

Earlier in the season Middlebury had seen its squad seemingly fold under third-period pressure, unable to hold late surges by Southern Maine and University of New England. However, the men showed new grit against Plattsburgh, and a beautiful breakaway backhand goal by Martin Drolet ’12 put the Panthers up 4-2 and allowed the squad to rally. Despite two Cardinal power-play opportunities, strong defensive play ensued and the Cardinals did not score. About six minutes later, a Nick Resor ’12 goal solidified the Middlebury victory. John Yanchek ’12 played impressively in goal, shutting down a few key Cardinal scoring opportunities that allowed Middlebury to keep its momentum.

“During the Plattsburgh game, the team really came together and played as one against an impressive opponent who we lost 3-1 to earlier in the year,” said Chris Steele ’13, who has seen significant time on the ice this year. “The team has matured since the first month of the season when we lost, and it has really shown in the past week,” he continued.

The coaches and team have been pleased with the response to their disappointing losses and hope that they were the nadir of the season.
The Panther squad knew that they had to continue practicing hard for the following three days as they faced a formidable opponent in second-ranked, undefeated Norwich on Friday, Feb. 5. Though they didn’t come out with a win, there were plenty of positive things to take from the game.

“The Norwich game was another step in the right direction. We did put together a 60 minute game,” Steele continued. “Although the end result wasn’t what we may have wanted, we definitely made progress.”

The team contested the match in front of a massive hometown faithful of 2,480 fans. After an entire season in which the Panthers seemed to outshoot their opponents almost two to one, Norwich held the shot advantage that night. Townsend scored his fifth goal on the year with a wrister that found the back of the net.

The intensity never flagged during the second period, but Middlebury could not increase its lead, and Norwich found the back of the goal with 30 seconds left in the period to tie it up. The Cadets then rallied to score during a 4 v. 4 situation, taking a one-goal lead. Middlebury tried without success to rally, backed by stellar goaltending by Yanchek, who tallied eleven of his 24 saves in the third period. It was only after coach Bill Beaney pulled Yanchek during a power-play opportunity late in the third that Norwich was able to go up by two, scoring on an empty net. The Panthers were disappointed by their failure to perform during power plays; they were unsuccessful in that department, going 0 for 7 on the night.

The team returned the next day to beat St. Michaels, 7-3. The team notably improved its power play performances, tallying three of its seven goals during power plays and out-shooting the Purple Knights almost two to one. Performances were strong all over the ice and the Panthers saw even more depth from their bench, with Michael Hilgendorf ’13 scoring his first career-goal and Tom Clayton ’13 notching three assists on the night. First-year standout Mathieu Dubuc ’13 also scored his ninth goal of the season.

The Panthers contest their biggest NESCAC rival, Williams, on the road this Tuesday. Williams is ranked first in NESCAC standings. The day after Norwich defeated Middlebury, the Cadets traveled to Williams. The Ephs pulled out an impressive 2-1 victory, holding on to the win despite being outshot 43-16.

Dubuc said that practice this week has been productive.

“We really took a step back on Monday’s practice and looked at everything we’ve done right and wrong in our past few games,” he said. “If everyone does what they’re supposed to do and we work on the details of our game, that’s the way we can beat them.”

Tuesday’s game will certainly be a test. It will be imperative in determining Middlebury’s spot in the NESCAC rankings, which are becoming more important as February passes and the team moves into the postseason.