Kreitzberg Arena Northfield, VT
7:00 PM Video Audio
Tonight marks one of the most storied rivalries in NCAA hockey as Green Mountain rivals Norwich and Middlebury square off for the 147th time. Middlebury comes into the game after losing to third ranked Plattsburgh last night, while Norwich had an easier test in the leadup to the rivalry game, easily discarding lowly St. Michael's less than 24 hours ago as well. The rest of the preview is taken from Benet Pols comprehensive OOC guide.
Located about 60 miles apart and an hour and half’s drive through the Middlebury gap, Middlebury and Norwich have been meeting since 1926 when Middlebury took the opener, 2-1, in a year that saw the Panthers win their first Vermont State Championship. Since then they’ve met another 145 times with the most recent being a barn burner that ended in a 1-1 tie with Middlebury advancing by virtue of a shootout victory.
The Panthers hold an 80-58-8 series advantage but, including November’s game, the Cadets have had their way recently going 5-0-2 in the last seven meetings. In March when games against regionally ranked opponents will be all the talk, the Primelink game will be seen as a tie, but for now it counts as a win for NESCAC.
The Panthers hold an 80-58-8 series advantage but, including November’s game, the Cadets have had their way recently going 5-0-2 in the last seven meetings. In March when games against regionally ranked opponents will be all the talk, the Primelink game will be seen as a tie, but for now it counts as a win for NESCAC.
Adding an interesting wrinkle to the Norwich Middlebury rivalry is the distinct culture of the two schools. While many of NESCAC’s traditional rivalries seem like sibling rivalries---after all, Bowdoin
and Colby are cut from nearly the same cloth and legend has it that a disgruntled Williams employee founded Amherst---Norwich and Middlebury are much different.
On the west side of the Middlebury gap you have Middlebury College, the epitome of the eastern elites, its founders descended from the founders of Yale University, but on the other side of the gap in Northfield, Norwich’s progenitors are the closely shorn drill sergeants of a military school.
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| What Norwich students think happens at Middlebury. |
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| What Middlebury students think happens at Norwich. |
On the west side of the Middlebury gap you have Middlebury College, the epitome of the eastern elites, its founders descended from the founders of Yale University, but on the other side of the gap in Northfield, Norwich’s progenitors are the closely shorn drill sergeants of a military school.
Middlebury has won eight---yes 8---national championships. From 1995 to 1999 and again from 2004 to 2006 the Panthers took home all the hardware. The Panthers most recent NCAA appearance was in 2010; the Panthers, seeded second in NESCAC, took the tournament championship and the NCAA automatic qualifier at Bowdoin with a 3-2 win. Middlebury was eliminated in the first round by Plattsburgh (3-2, OT).
Norwich has three NCAA championships with wins in 2000, 2003 and most recently in 2010. Since winning it all in 2010, the Cadets have made Final Four appearances in each of the last three seasons before bowing out in the semi-final match each time.
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| Hockey has been played at Norwich for a long time. This team predates the Cadets first game against Middlebury, a 2-1 Panther win in 1926. |
“Legendary” gets tossed around the D-III hockey reaches a lot when talking about coaches, but in the cases of these two coaches it is deserved. In addition to their 11 NCAA Championships both Norwich’s Mike McShane and Middlebury’s Bill Beaney are members of the “500 club.” McShane’s record comes in at 640-322-60 while Beaney’s is 584-240-55. In addition, McShane has DI head coaching experience with time at St. Lawrence and a long stretch at Providence in his background.
Plattsburgh Cardinals (13-1-2) at Williams Ephs (9-2-2)
Chapman Rink Williamstown, MA
7:00 PM Video
With Hobart struggling at the time, 5/7th ranked Williams was supposed to beat the Statesman in the opening round of the Buck Supply tournament to setup a final between the Ephs and first ranked Plattsburgh, two of only three unbeaten teams in the nation. But Hobart had other plans and the Statesman knocked off Williams in the opening round and Plattsburgh in the finals to leave Adrian as the only undefeated team in D-III men's ice hockey.
The Ephs can't shake Plattsburgh as they have a scheduled game tonight against the now third ranked Cardinals. The last time these two met was in Plattsburgh in January of last year. Williams led 4-1 after two, but gave up three third period goals and an OT tally to lose 5-4.
It will be interesting to see how the Ephs matchup against Plattsburgh. While the Ephs are undefeated in the more important NESAC standings, there's still the outside shot Williams could qualify for a Pool C bid to the NCAA tournament should they not win the NESCAC tournament. Plus, the Ephs will want to play their best against top-flight competition. The feeling is mutual, as Plattsburgh will be fighting for Pool C status tonight as well as bragging rights against an Ephs team that Cardinals coach Bob Emery has called one of the best in the NESCAC.
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