A six goal first quarter propelled Middlebury past visiting Springfield 11-7 on Wednesday. The game was played on Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium, it was the first time the Panthers played at Alumni Stadium since 2007. The field was under construction last season, as the playing surface was converted to synthetic Fieldturf. Middlebury has won 10 of the last 12 games against the Pride (2-3) and hold a 26-10 lead in the series. The Panthers (2-1) return to NESCAC play this Saturday as the 10th ranked Panthers host Conn. College, while Springfield's next game is against Pilgrim League foe Wheaton on March 28th.
During the first 7:15 of the first quarter Springfield didn't attempt a shot as the Panthers built a 3-0 lead. Middlebury added another goal for a 4-0 advantage. The run started with with a hard shot by Chris Teves that snuck inside the far post at the 13:38 mark. Panther face-off specialist Dave Campbell won each face-off setting up the first three Middlebury goals. Mike Stone capped the run, ripping a 15 yarder past Springfield netminder Tom Albano with 10:42 left.
The Pride got on the board when Kyle Louder bounced one past Panther goalie Pete Britt at the 7:04 mark of the first. Campbell answered almost immediately, winning another face-off and driving to Albano's doorstep for a in-close goal and a 5-1 lead. Teves capped the first quarter with his second goal of the day, giving Middlebury a 6-1 lead after one quarter.
Middlebury's lead grew to 8-2 in the second as Tom Petty scored a man-up tally at the 7:01 mark. Springfield rallied, scoring the next three, including the first goal of the third quarter when Kyle Gable scooped up an errant shot in front of Britt, for an in-close tally, cutting the Panther lead to 8-5 with 9:53 remaining. Both teams exchanged goals later in the third, setting the score at 9-6 at the end of three quarters of action.
Pat Cavanaugh cut the lead to 9-7 to start the fourth for the Pride as he drove in right in front of Britt for a score with 11:03 left on the clock. With 5:50 left, Stone gave Middlebury some breathing room, scoring a man-up goal with a left-handed shot. Matt Virtue added an insurance goal giving the Panthers a 11-7 lead with 3:24 remaining, thwarting any Pride comeback.
Stone, Teves and Campbell led a balanced Middlebury attack, scoring two goals apiece, as Pete Smith added three assists for the Panthers. Joe Macchi scored a pair for Springfield as Mike Delia scored one and assisted on another. Britt earned the win for Middlebury, stopping nine shots and making seven saves. Albano suffered the loss in net for the Pride, stopping 11 shots while allowing 11 goals.
SCORE BY PERIOD 1 2 3 4 Tot
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Springfield......... 1 3 2 1 - 7
Middlebury.......... 6 2 1 2 - 11
Springfield SCORING:
GOALS: Joe Macchi 2; Mike Delia 1; Kyle Louer 1; Jake Jones 1; Kyle Gable 1; Pat Cavanaugh 1.
ASSISTS: Mike Delia 1.
Middlebury SCORING:
GOALS: Mike Stone 2; Chris Teves 2; Dave Campbell 2; Tom Petty 1; Skyler Hopkins 1; Matt Ferrer 1; Matt Virtue 1; Bart Witmer 1.
ASSISTS: Pete Smith 3; David Hild 1; Tom Petty 1.
SHOTS - SPR 24; MIDMLAX 44.
PENALTIES - SPR 6/6:00; MIDMLAX 1/1:00.
MAN-UP OPPORTUNITIES - SPR 1-1; MIDMLAX 2-3.
FACEOFFS - SPR 10-22; MIDMLAX 12-22.
CLEARS - SPR 17-17; MIDMLAX 15-17.
GOALIES -
SPR: Tom Albano (60:00 minutes, 11 saves, 11 GA)
MIDMLAX: Peter Britt (60:00 minutes, 9 saves, 7 GA)
