Middlebury advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the 13th straight year with a 9-0 win over Fredonia. The Panthers will host Mass.-Dartmouth on Saturday, March 10th at 7:00 p.m., with the winner advancing to the final four. Fredonia ends its season at 15-10-4, while Middlebury moves to 32-5-2 all-time in NCAA Tournament play.
Middlebury wasted little time as John Sullivan scored just 47 seconds in, tipping in a shot from the point by Evgeny Saidachev. Darwin Hunt made it a 2-0 game at the 6:46 mark as he skated in from the right side, paused, and then quickly snapped a shot over the right shoulder of Kevin Amborski. Middlebury’s Doug Raeder kept it a 2-0 game just 15 seconds later as he made a big glove save on Kraig Kuzma.
The Panthers took a 3-0 lead at 13:11 as Jed McDonald scored his first goal of the season, scoring with a shot from the slot after a rebound. Sam Driver almost made it a 4-0 game just 15 seconds later, but his shot deflected off the post. Scott Bartlett ripped a shot off the pipe later in the period, before Amborski denied John Sales with a nice glove save in the waning moments of the period.
Middlebury went up 4-0 just 2:04 into the second period with a power play goal. Sam Driver took a feed from Jamie McKenna in the slot, quickly fired a shot that was saved, before putting in his own rebound. Fredonia had a chance at the 4:38 mark, but was unable to muster up any offense on a power play. Middlebury added to its total at 9:35 as Brett Shirreffs hit an open net after Pat Street, playing in relief of Amborski, gave up a rebound following a shot from Bartlett.
Fredonia had a failed power play at 2:24 before the Panthers ran off three in 1:34, including a pair just 17 seconds apart. Tom Maldonado scored the first with a hard snapper from the left side, before Gilchrist wristed a shot into the top left corner from the slot. Ian Drummond scored his first of the season at 6:37 to end the run, as he snapped in a shot from the left side for a shorthanded goal. Drummond struck again with a five-on-three tally 11:52 into the third to wrap up the scoring. Fredonia’s best chance to score came shorthanded at 8:54 as Pat Capella’s shot hit the pipe.
Eight different players scored for Middlebury on the night, with 16 of 18 earning at least one point. Drummond scored his first two goals of the season, while Saidachev, LaFreniere and Bartlett had two assists apiece.
Raeder was forced to make only six saves in goal to earn his first shutout of the season. Amborski made 16 saves and allowed five goals in 29:35, while Street made 21 saves and allowed four goals in 30:25. Middlebury ended the night with more goals (9) than Fredonia had shots (6).
