Conference Roundup 2/9/14

Middlebury Panthers 8-10-2 (6-7-1 NESCAC)       1
Wesleyan Cardinals 10-8-2 (5-8-1 NESCAC)      2      

It was over when...: The Wesleyan defense held Middlebury to just one shot in 1:08 of empty net action to hold on for a huge weekend sweep of Williams/Middlebury that moves the Cardinals from the outside looking in of a playoff spot to eighth place, just  four points out from a home playoff game with four games to go. The Cardinals win also eliminates Tufts from playoff contention.

Middlebury, a team that many observers thought could finish in first place at the start of the season, sits in sixth place, two points behind Colby/Bowdoin for the fourth spot. The Panthers are two games under .500 at 8-10-2. Middlebury, the most decorated program in D-III hockey with eight national titles, has not had a losing season since 1988-89 when the Panthers went 11-12-1 in Bill Beaney's third year as head coach.

Sophomore Liam Moorfield-Yee (G, '16), making his fourth straight start in net for the Panthers, made 21 saves to fall to 1-4-0 on the season. Dawson Sprigings (G, '17) stopped 29 of 30 shots on the day (and 65 of 69 for the weekend) to improve to 7-7-2. Special teams was not a factor in the Sunday afternoon matinee as the teams went a combined 0/3 on the man advantage.

Wesleyan scored both their goals in the first and did so just 21 seconds apart. Terrence Durkin (F, '16), who setup four goals in the rout of Williams but did not light the lamp himself, led off the scoring with a shot from the slot on a Jaren Tanaka (F, '16) feed. James Kline (F, '17) then went in alone for an unassisted goal at the 10:28 mark of the first, less than a commercial's length after the first tally. After these messages, we'll be up by two.

The game then went scoreless for almost 45 minutes before Middlebury got on the board for their lone tallly at 14:53 of the third. Thoma Freyre (D, '14) alley ooped the puck from the Panthers blue line to Jake Charles (F, '16), who went in alone on Sprigings and beat the freshman netminder gloveside. Charles is third on the Panthers in scoring with 15 points (6-9-15), though he has played in only half of Middlebury's games this season.

Player of the game: Dawson Sprigings (G, '17) While the Toronto, Ontario native and Gunnery product is still looking for his first collegiate shutout, he put in a solid effort to help the Cards complete the impressive weekend sweep.

Box Score: Middlebury 1/Wesleyan 2       Middlebury Recap 


Williams Ephs 13-5-2 (9-3-2 NESCAC)             1
Trinity Bantams 16-4-0 (11-3-0 NESCAC)     2 

It was over when...: Concannon semifinalist Ben Coulthard (G, '4) made 14 big third period saves to hold on to a 2-1 lead and move Trinity in to a tie for first place with Amherst. The Lord Jeffs swept the season series with the Bantams and would win the tiebreaker should Trinity and Amherst end the season tied in points. Williams, who started the weekend in first and was swept in their trip to the nutmeg state, falls to third in the 'Cac.

In a battle of the reigning All-NESCAC goalies, Coulthard (First Team) bested fellow Concannon semifinalist Sean Dougherty (G, '15) (Second Team). The senior from South Windsor, CT made a season high 43 saves to move to 13-3-0 on the year, while Dougherty made 36 saves to fall to 12-5-2 on the sesason. Despite the loss, the junior netminder returned to form after a mis-step against Wesleyan on Saturday in which he gave up four goals in the first period and was pulled.

There was one goal scored in each period. Sean Orlando (F, '17) scored both goals for the Bantams, bookending the games scoring with goals in the first and third periods. The 2 goals put the freshman from Ivyland, PA into the team lead with 16 tallies and make him the fourth Bantam to reach the 30 point plateau this season (16-14-30), joining teammates Jackson Brewer (F, '15) (39 pts), Mike Hawrigg (F, '16) (37 pts) and Ryan Cole (F, '17) (35 pts). For the Ephs, their only goal came in the second period on James McNamara (D, '17)'s third marker of the season.

Players of the game: Ben Coulthard (G, '14) and Sean Orlando (F, '17) 

Box Score: Williams 1/Trinity 2             Williams Recap    Trinity Recap