The Middlebury men's ice hockey team fell to Tufts by a score of 4-0 on Friday night at the Malden Valley Forum. The Panthers (2-9-2) will host Connecticut College on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. in a game postponed from Saturday, while Tufts (3-10-1) will return to action on Monday with a home matchup against Williams.
 
The first stanza showcased balanced play by both teams. Middlebury started quickly by pressing the Jumbo defense and getting a shot off in the first 20 seconds. The Panthers would take six of the first seven shots of the game, but Tufts found the back of the net first as Fisher Shea put the hosts up 1-0 just under eight minutes into the game. Tufts forward Justin Brandt flicked a quick pass to Shea who took the puck to the top of the near circle and shot it past the left shoulder of Middlebury netminder Jake Horoho. The Panthers continued to press, earning two quality chances late in the period by Jake Oblak and Billy Dobensky that were both turned away.
 
Tufts was awarded the first power play of the game just over three minutes into the second period. Strong defense allowed the Panthers to rattle off multiple clears and keep the Jumbos off-balance during their man-up opportunity. Middlebury responded with a 5-on-4 chance of its own and was able to earn quality opportunities on several set plays, but the teams traded power play kills. With under 11 minutes remaining, the Panthers earned several opportunities, including a shot by Antoine Belisle to the inside edge at 10:15 that forced Tufts goaltender Josh Sarlo to make a back-handed glove save. The Jumbos were able to bounce back and keep pressure on the Middlebury defense. With just under six minutes remaining in the period Tufts earned the rebound from a Brandt shot, recentered the puck, and scored on a Jacob Iida shot to enter the intermission with a 2-0 lead over the Panthers.
 
Tufts pressured the Middlebury defense early in the third stanza. After trading offensive opportunities, the Jumbos tallied a surprising goal when what appeared to be a clearly wide shot by Jack Hughes from just past the blue line hit an edge on its way and bounced into the goal. The Jumbos added to their lead when Tyler Sedlak scored on a power play after Middlebury was whistled for tripping. The Panthers sent Adam Wisco to the goal with 9:06 remaining to relieve Horoho.
 
Horoho finished with 26 saves for the Panthers, while Sarlo stopped 33. Dobensky led Middlebury skaters with eight shots while Tyler Capello contributed 16 successful faceoffs. The Panthers had the slight edge in faceoffs, winning 35 of 69 on the night.