The Middlebury men's hockey team (2-12-3, 1-11-2) led 2-0 early, but a strong 14th-ranked Colby (13-4-1, 10-3-1) squad came back to edge the Panthers 3-2 on Tuesday evening in Maine. Middlebury travels to Williams on Saturday for a 4:00 p.m. puck drop. 
 
The Panthers wasted little time out of the gates, scoring 1:48 into the opening stanza. The puck bounced off the back boards and into the slot, before Paddy Bogart one-timed it into the goal for the early 1-0 lead. 
 
Middlebury doubled its advantage just 1:18 into the second period. EMack Bentley carried the puck around the net before sending a pass to Wyatt Pastor in the slot. Pastor's one-timer was denied by Colby goaltender Andy Beran, but Bentley tucked the puck inside the right pipe to put the Panthers up 2-0. The Mules answered 19 seconds later to cut the deficit in half. Brian Sanzone stole the puck from a Middlebury defender, carried the puck around the goal and slipped it past Panther goalie Jake Horoho on the far side. Colby continued its offensive pressure, knotting the game 2-2 with 2:20 expired when Austen Halpin's slap shot from just inside the blue line made it through traffic and into the goal. Middlebury had three great chances to score in the 18th minute during a power play, but a strong Mule defense held up to keep the game tied. 
 
Colby took the lead at the 7:22 mark of the final period when John McElaney wristed a bid into the goal from the doorstep. The Panthers had a final chance for the game-tying goal with 10 seconds left when Jin Lee sent a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle, but Beran smothered the puck as the Mules hung on for the 3-2 win.
 
Horoho made 22 stops in goal for Middlebury, while Beran had 29 saves to earn the victory for Colby.