Men’s Hockey Faces Tough Loss but Overcome with Big Win

The Panthers finish the week with split results; Friday’s game against Colby brought a tough 4-3 loss, while hard work on Saturday culminated in an important 6-3 win over Bowdoin.

Middlebury’s future held much uncertainty as the Panthers began the weekend’s matchups. Both Colby and Bowdoin are significant in that they share the NESCAC conference with the Panthers as well as similar records heading into the games. 

“The league has been very tight all year long, so every point in the standings matters. Making sure that we play a consistent and steady game will certainly be key in beating some of our biggest league rivals,” senior captain Jimmy McKee said.

Despite the final outcome, the team certainly held its own against Colby. Play was evenly back and forth throughout, until Colby’s final goal in the third period was enough to break the tie and edge out Middlebury for an unfortunate defeat. Saturday, however, the Panthers came back out onto the ice hungry. Although they put up a good fight, the Polar Bears ultimately struggled to match the Panthers and crumbled in the third period, letting up three goals.

After a midweek game against Norwich, the Panthers will travel this weekend to Connecticut College and then Tufts to try their luck against two more NESCAC teams on the road.