NESCAC Semifinal: #5 Middlebury vs #1 Bowdoin 4 PM 3/2/13

 Who: #5 Middlebury Panthers (13-10-2) vs. #1 Bowdoin Polar Bears (20-3-2)
Where: Sidney J. Watson Arena Brunswick, ME
When: 1 PM Saturday 3/2/13
Video / Audio: Video   Live Stats

Overall  (Conference Rank)             Conference Games (conf. rank)
Offense: 3.42 G/GM (3rd)                                      Offense: 3.89 G/GM (2nd)

Defense: 3.12 G/GM (6th)                                     Defense: 2.94 G/GM (6th)

Power Play: 29/108 -26.9% (2nd)                        Power Play: 25/85 -29.4% (1st) 

Penalty Kill: 80/99 - 80.8% (5th)                          Penalty Kill: 62/76 - 81.6% (4th)

Overall  (Conference Rank)             Conference Games (conf. rank)
Offense: 4.38 G/GM (1st)                                    Offense: 4.22 G/GM (1st)

Defense: 2.58 G/GM (4th)                                   Defense: 2.61 G/GM (4th)

Power Play: 29/107 - 27.1% (1st)                       Power Play: 21/78 -26.9% (2nd) 

Penalty Kill: 101/125 - 80.8% (6th)                    Penalty Kill: 74/93 - 79.6% (6th)

The Lowdown: This one's kind of important, too

 Middlebury beat fourth seed Amherst, 4-3, in the Quarterfinals, just a week after losing to the Lord Jeffs in the season finale, to send them to Brunswick. Bowdoin erased a 3-2 deficit in the quarters against eight seed Hamilton to vanquish the Continentals and earn the right to host the final weekend of NESCAC play.

Bowdoin and Middlebury last met on January 19th in Vermont. Bowdoin pulled off a 3-0 victory despite being outshot 38-25. Middlebury’s goal tending situation has changed twice since January. Neither of the two goalies Bowdoin has seen this season will be likely to play this Saturday. The squads met in November with Middlebury come back from a 4-2 deficit going into the third period to hold on for a 4-4 tie. The overtime period was a gruesome early season thing where both teams played to avoid the loss. Neither goalie faced a shot on goal during the five minutes of OT.

Since the teams last met Bowdoin is 5-2-1 while Middlebury is 7-2-0.

In NESCAC playoff history, Middlebury has been the Polar Bears' bugbear; the Panthers, winners of eight of the conference's 13 playoffs, have beaten Bowdoin in all five playoff matchups, four of those coming in championship games. Bowdoin's only NESCAC men's ice hockey championship (2011) was vacated voluntarily by the school, in a controversial decision after a hazing incident. (read more). Middlebury has a 30-5 record in the NESCAC playoffs while Bowdoin has a 15-12 mark. 

For analysis and a breakdown of the game, see our Round Table Preview with Owen Teach of The Middlebury Campus, Luke Lamar of The Bowdoin Orient and our Benet Pols. (Round Table Preview). 

Predictions

Tim Costello of USCHO predicts a 4-2 Bowdoin victory, saying "It’s close, and an empty-net goal seals the deal for the home team in this one, but not without a scare." (full article)

The Burlington Free Press also has Bowdoin, 4-2. (Full article)

The posters at the USCHO fan forums weekly "NESCAC Pick'em contest" (thread here) tell a different story. 6 of the 8 posters chose Middlebury to win. 

Players to watch  

Mike Peters (G, So.) Peters has been solid in his first four career starts, but how does the inexperienced netminder respond to the pressures of the final weekend of NESCAC play?

Ollie Koo (D/F, Jr.) Koo, who was selected to the second team All-NESCAC this week, switched back to forward in the third period of the Polar Bears 5-3 win over Hamilton after several games back on D. Where does Koo play today?

 For the final semifinal game of the day, we present an encore of the orchestra backed cello performance of glam metal band Europe's 80s hit "Final Countdown". When else will you see cello players in suits headbanging?