Middlebury at Tufts 7 PM 11/22/13

Middlebury Panthers (1-0-1) at Tufts Jumbos (0-2-0) 
7 PM 
Malden Valley Forum      Malden, MA
Video 

The Lowdown: Slowdown 
There is no greater disparity between two sets of travel partners in the 'Cac heading into week two than Middlebury/Williams and Conn College/Tufts. Middlebury came off an impressive opening weekend that put them squarely in the (very preliminary) conference front-runner discussions; 2013 NESCAC finalist Williams vanquished Bowdoin, their conquers in last year's conference title. Conn College and Tufts, on the other hand, finished out of the playoffs last year and sit in last place again after the first week of the season.

Middlebury and Tufts, from a historical perspective, couldn't be more different. Tufts did have old-time hockey in the 1940s and 50s but the varsity team disbanded before the start of the NESCAC and only returned in the late 80s. Middlebury, on the other hand, has a continuous hockey history dating back to 1922. Since the conference lifted the post-season ban in the early 90s, the Panthers have won eight national titles. Since the NESCAC started having its own post-season tournament in 2000, the Panthers have won eight conference crowns, while the Jumbos have only made the playoffs six times. Middlebury has the largest capacity rink in the NESCAC, while Tufts is the only NESCAC school without an on-campus rink.


But that is history. Tonight the Jumbos look to slowdown the Panthers in Tufts home opener after Middlebury put up a seven spot against Colby last Sunday. The Jumbos can't out-skate the Panthers, but the best hope for an upset comes away from the Olympic-size, friendly confines of Kenyon Arena, where Bill Beaney's team can work the giant corners.  If Tufts wants the upset, they'll need to muddle the play and win in an old-school, (just outside) Boston brawl.

The Jumbos will also need good goaltending, considering the Panthers will likely put considerable pressure on whoever is in net. Freshman Ryan Kellenberger (G, '17) and senior Brian Phillips (G, 14) spilt starts last weekend, but Kellenberger had to replace Phillips five minutes into Saturday's game after an undisclosed lower body injury knocked Phillips out of the game.

Tufts hockey has a fan-bus from campus to the game and will be raising money for two charities: Movember and Adopt-a-Family. To learn more, click here. The Jumbos also have a new webcast service, Pack Network, which certainly can't be worse than their old setup. It is unclear if they will have an announcer for tonight's webcast, but they plan on having one going forward.

Players to watch 
Louis Belisle (D, '17) The senior from Repentigny, Quebec lit up the Jumbos for eight points (5-3-8) in two games last season, including the only four goal game of his college career. Belisle had two points opening weekend.

Stewart Bell (F, '16) The sophomore from Alpharetta, Georgia, whom D3Hockey.com predicted as the breakout player of the year in the 'Cac, had four points (2-2-4) against Middlebury last season. In the Malden matchup, he had his only two goal game of his career so far. Bell had one goal (1-0-1) last weekend.

Tufts looks to dip into the ocean of NESCAC relevancy. A win against Middlebury would certainly do that. Here's the Boston-based Pixies with "Another Toe in the Ocean".