The Middlebury men’s hockey team has recently been busy as they begin a crucial stretch of their season.
This past weekend, the team lost to Trinity College 2–4 on Friday and beat Wesleyan University 5–4 on Saturday. The Panthers are now 6–6–0 with an impressive 5–1–0 record at home. Their Tuesday night game against Saint Michael’s College wrapped up their three game homestand.
Middlebury’s first tilt of the weekend was an unfortunate loss to #12 Trinity. Both teams struggled to find their footing, and between them, 21 penalties were called resulting in a choppy, odd game. Middlebury had two one-goal leads over the Bantams, including one with under 10 minutes to go. Dante Palombo ’27 scored a go-ahead power play goal with just over 12 minutes remaining, which evaporated minutes later when Trinity’s Chase McInnis tapped in a loose puck. With only 3:30 left in the game, James Barbour tucked a beautiful backhand shot past Andrew Heinze ’27, allowing Trinity to escape Vermont with a win.
After an emotional loss the night before, the Panthers responded Saturday afternoon with a critical NESCAC victory over Wesleyan. On Middlebury’s senior day, the Cardinals attempted to play spoiler and were well on their way with a 3–1 second period lead. Middlebury stayed the course though, and goals 14 seconds apart from Andrew Malatesta ’25 and Jack Silverman ’28 knotted the game at three. With 11:28 left in the game, Palumbo once again tallied a go-ahead goal for the Panthers. This time around, the lead stuck, as Reece Brednich ’28 roped home his first career goal to pad Middlebury’s lead and seal the win 5–4. Prior to Saturday’s game, Middlebury honored seniors Drew Malatesta, Sam Amato, Tucker Lamb, Jin Lee, Matt Myers, Jake Oblak, Wyatt Pastor, Ryan Pineault and Andrew Seaman. Captain Jin Lee ‘25 acknowledged the collective leadership displayed by his fellow classmates, speaking of how their commitment to the team has set a standard for the younger players.
Speaking of youth, Middlebury has had a plethora of underclassmen play critical roles so far this season. In fact, five of Middlebury’s top seven point leaders are either freshmen or sophomores. Revy Mack ’27 leads the pack, averaging a point per game with 12 points in five games. Furthermore, starting goalie Andrew Heinze ’27 has been a calming presence in net for the Panthers. He has a 6–4–0 record, and his .91 save percentage places him third best in the league for goalies with over eight starts. Despite this being his first year as the starter, Heinze has brought great stability for Middlebury at hockey’s most important position.
Middlebury is now 3–5–0 in NESCAC play, the record that matters most for postseason qualification. The Panthers’ record places them seventh out of ten teams in the NESCAC standings with the critical stretch of their season on the horizon as the top eight NESCAC teams make the playoffs. After a Friday non-conference match with Plattsburgh State, they will run the gauntlet with 10 consecutive NESCAC games to finish off the season — Lee and the Panthers are feeling confident heading into this stretch. They matched up well against perennial powerhouse Trinity, gutted out a tricky game with Wesleyan, have had success in non-conference games and have a growing internal confidence within their own locker room. They will also receive one of their more valuable defenseman, John Burdett ’26, back from an upper body injury in the very near future.
The Panthers continue their season this Friday with an away game against Plattsburgh State.
Editor’s Note: This article was written prior to Middlebury’s Tuesday 1/14 game against Saint Michael’s College.
