Panthers Finding Form After Beaney Notches 500th Win

The Middlebury men’s hockey team glided past the midway point of their season at 6-4-2 (4-3-1 in NESCAC).  December closed with two disappointing NESCAC losses to Amherst and Hamilton, but 2014 began with two victories over St. Michaels and Neumann, as Middlebury seized the Holiday Classic tournament on home ice. The Panthers stomached a frustrating loss to Trinity on Friday, Jan. 10, but rallied behind Nick BonDurant ’14 to shut out Wesleyan the next night as Bill Beaney eclipsed his 500th career win in front of alumni from the championship-winning ’04 team who returned to cheer on the current squad.

In 27 seasons as Middlebury’s head coach, Beaney has a 501-165-47 record. To put this achievement in perspective, only ten NHL coaches (who coach 82 game seasons) have more career wins.

“I really owe it to the tremendous players, assistant coaches, and trainers I have worked with,” Beaney said. “I think back to all of the friends I have made along the way.”

Almost every former player from the ’04 team returned this weekend to skate with and playfully roughhouse some of the current Panthers. Beaney described the scene like a proud parent.

“They are all so successful now, and it was great to see them interact with all the current guys and pick up right where they left off,” he said.

Assistant coach Jamie McKenna ’09, who contributed to wins on both sides of the bench, was impressed by the turnout of the championship team.

“I think it’s a clear testament to the kind of coaching job Beaney does,” McKenna said. “He cares about helping players grow as players and also as people.”

McKenna operates as the team power-play guru and has coached the man-advantage to a NESCAC-best 20 goals this season on 70 penalty opportunities. Shooter Louis Belisle ’14 has six strikes, coming mostly from one-time slappers or strong wrist shots from the perimeter. Against Neumann in the Holiday classic final, Belisle dragged and cranked in the game winner after passing from first-year players Andrew Neary ’17 and Mike Najjar ’17 opened up the shooting lane.  Derek Pimentel ’15, Michael Longo ’14 and Cameron Romoff ’17 are also familiar forces on the man advantage, with two goals each.

“There is still more we can be doing,” McKenna said. “Some of the goals we’ve scored on the power play haven’t been great goals, but guys are working at it. I think the players realize that when we convert on the power play, we win games.”

The 20 goals account for half of the team’s total scoring on the season.

In the regular run of play, Middlebury can speed away with its legs and crisp  passing, but just as quickly lapse and give away sudden heart-snatching goals. The up-and-down results this season reflect these consistency troubles, but the players and coaches continue to express confidence in the talent and tools of the group.

Longo asserted the importance of preparation, citing the two most recent games as evidence.

“They show that on any given night, we can skate with any team in the country,” Longo said. “But if we don’t come prepared, we canalso lose to anybody. It’s really in our hands. Against Wesleyan, we committed to playing better team defense and didn’t give up the type of odd man rushes that killed us against Trinity.”

Beaney drew from his vast experience coaching the team sport to articulate his own concerns.

“This team can skate as well as any that I have coached,” Beaney said. “What we need to develop are some of the intangibles. There is a certain depth of awareness, a love for the journey that separates the truly great teams. If we can find that, I believe we can do anything.”

The recent stretch of four games has given reasons to be optimistic on both ends of the rink. Through four games in 2014 Middlebury has averaged 4.25 goals per game, as opposed to just 1.5 goals per game in the four preceding contests.  The return of second-year scorer Jake Charles ’16, who has five goals, and key defenseman Terrance Goguen ‘16 can only help the fortify this trend.

With his 25-save shutout victory over Wesleyan, BonDurant stuck a foot in the revolving door at the goaltender position. Liam Moorfield-Yee ’16, Drew Michals ’17, and Michael Peters ’15 have all made starts this year, but the team would like to see BonDurant keep the rubber-stopping duty with more stellar play.

This weekend Middlebury will measure up against third-ranked Plattsburgh State, who defeated the Panthers earlier this year, at Kenyon arena on Friday, Jan. 17, before traveling to face fifth-ranked Norwich the next night.