Middlebury scored seven straight goals in the first half to build a seven goal advantage and cruised past visiting Tufts 12-4 at Alumni Stadium today in a mid-week match-up of NESCAC foes. Middlebury's next game is at Bowdoin this Saturday while Tufts also heads to Maine on Saturday to play Colby.

Middlebury got on the board first as Mike Stone scored at the 10:33 mark in the first quarter. Tufts netted the equalizer with 5:44 to go in the first as Casey D'Onnolfo's hard shot got past Middlebury's goalie Alex Palmisano. Middlebury then rung up the next seven goals of the game. Nick Bastis scored three including a man-down goal while Jim Cabrera found the touch tacking on two more during the scoring run. At the half, Middlebury led Tufts 9-2.

In the third quarter both teams twice alternated scores as Middlebury kept their seven goal advantage, 11-4. Stone book-ended the scoring as he notched the final goal of the game at the 6:14 mark in the fourth quarter.

Bastis and Cabrera led the Panthers with three goals as Aaron Herter and Stone added two goals each. Four different Jumbos accounted for their scoring as Mike O'Brien scored one and assisted on another.

SCORE BY PERIOD 1 2 3 4 Tot

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Tufts................................ 1 1 2 0 - 4

Middlebury.................... 3 6 2 1 - 12

Tufts SCORING:

GOALS: Mike O'Brien 1; Michael Hughes 1; Clem McNally 1; Casey D'Annolfo 1.

ASSISTS: Chris Connelly 1; Rory Doucette 1; Mike O'Brien 1.

Middlebury SCORING:

GOALS: Jim Cabrera 3; Nick Bastis 3; Aaron Herter 2; Mike Stone 2; J.P. Coviello 1; Jeff Pello 1.

ASSISTS: Henry Sheehan 2; Jim Cabrera 1; Aaron Herter 1; Travis Meyer 1; Ben Raymond 1; Will Simpson 1.

SHOTS - TUF 27; MID 40.

PENALTIES - TUF 7/6:00; MID 5/2:30.

MAN-UP OPPORTUNITIES - TUF 0-4; MID 1-7.

FACEOFFS - TUF 8-19; MID 11-19.

CLEARS - TUF 14-19; MID 19-27.

GOALIES -

TUF: Matt Harrigan (60:00 minutes,16 saves, 12 GA);

MID: Pete Britt (05:48,2, 0) , Alex Palmisano (54:12,9, 4).