Box Score Middlebury finished in a 2-2 tie for the second-consecutive game, as the Panthers (0-1-2, 0-1-2) and Tufts could not find a winner in 65 minutes of hockey. Middlebury returns to the ice tomorrow when it hosts Connecticut College at 4:00 p.m., while the Jumbos (0-2-1, 0-2-1) visit Williams with a 3:00 p.m. face-off.
Tufts had the best chance to score early, but Tyler Voight was denied on a short-handed breakaway by a nice save from Middlebury goalie Liam Moorfield-Yee.
The Panthers got on the board first at the 13:50 mark with a power play goal. Mike Najjar scored with a wrister from the left side after a feed from George Ordway. The lead nearly doubled a minute later, but Najjar was stopped driving to the net.
In the second period, Tufts' Brian Brown had a good look from the high slot, but Moorfield-Yee was equal to the task.
Middlebury had nearly four-straight minutes of power play time at 6:50, but was unable to score.
Tufts got on the board with a five-on-three power play goal at the 14:57 mark. Brown scored with a one-timer from the left after some nice passing from Brian Ouelette and Blake Edwards.
Middlebury answered with 2:59 remaining in the second with a goal from Vincent Gisonti. Brendan McGovern chipped the puck ahead on the right side where Ronald Fishman received the pass and drove toward the goal. He made a quick crossing pass to Gisonti for his second of the year.
The Jumbos tied the game with 5:43 remaining on Brown's second of the game. Matt Pugh set up Brown for a tough-angle goal near the end line to knot the game at 2-2.
Tufts threatened again at the 17:40 mark, but Brown's quick turn-and-shoot bid for a hat-trick from point-blank range was denied by Moorfield-Yee.
Tufts spent the final 1:48 of overtime on a power play, but the Jumbos were unable to find the back of the net for the game-winner.
Middlebury finished with a 41-25 shots advantage in the game. Moorfield-Yee ended the night with 23 saves, while Mason Pulde made 39 stops for the Jumbos.