Middlebury's Jack Sheehan scored with 1:29 left in Saturday's second overtime, leading the second-seeded/#5 Panther men's lacrosse team to a 14-13 victory over seventh-seeded Hamilton. Middlebury advances to the NESCAC Semifinals where it will play third-seeded Williams, while fourth-seeded Amherst takes on top-seeded and host Tufts in the other matchup. Game times are yet to be determined.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The Panthers struck 2:04 into the first quarter when Tom Conley scored on a shot from just outside the crease.
• Hamilton knotted the contest at 1-1 as Charlie Ratner fired a shot into the lower-left corner just over three minutes later.
• Middlebury rattled off four-straight goals over a 4:01 span in the late stages of the opening stanza. Logan White capped the run with a quick-stick score on a nice pass from behind by Billy Curtis for a 5-1 advantage. 
• A goal by Thomas Healy with 26 seconds left brought the visitors to within three (5-2) after one quarter.
• In a low-scoring second frame, Will Zink scored twice in a span of 13 seconds. Zink tallied the first from the left wing on a pass from Curtis and connected with White on a give-and-go for a 7-2 lead.
• Hamilton pulled to within three (7-4) when Torben Wunderle fired a shot into the upper-right corner with 4:05 and 48 seconds later on a rising shot for a three-goal difference at the half.
• Russell Thorndike pushed the Panther lead to four (8-4) nearly five minutes into the third quarter. Following a caused turnover in the midfield by Luke Simpson, Thorndike was the recipient of a nifty pass from Curtis for the four-goal edge.
• The Continentals scored three of the next four tallies, cutting the deficit to two (9-7) on a goal by Healy with 2:49 left.
• With the third-quarter clock winding down, Thorndike tallied his second goal of the quarter when he laced a shot through traffic with four ticks left for a 10-7 advantage.
• Hamilton slowly chipped away at the deficit, tying the contest at 11-11 with 6:50 showing on the clock.
• William Munroe won the ensuing faceoff for the hosts, racing down the field before dishing to Thorndike to complete his hat trick six seconds later. Thorndike scored 1:18 later on a rip from the right side for a 13-11 edge.
• The Continentals moved to within 13-12 when Rowan Brumbaugh scored with 4:07 left, while Tim Sommer scored while a player-up with 12.6 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.
• In the first extra period, both teams had quality chances to score but Hamilton goalie Jack Fried and Middlebury netminder Hayden Kern each came up with key saves. The Panthers had their best opportunity with 17 seconds left but Thorndike's close-range bid was saved by Fried to send the game to another overtime.
• The Continentals won the opening faceoff in the second overtime, but the Panther defense forced them to turn it over on a possession-clock violation.
• After a successful clear, Patrick Jamin found space before dishing to Sheehan, who ripped a left-handed shot from a sharp angle into the upper-right corner for the game-winning goal with 1:29 on the clock for the final 14-13 score. 

NOTES

• Curtis tied his career high with five assists, while his seven points were a season best.
• Kern ended the contest with 13 saves, including 11 in the second half and overtime. The double-digit save total marks the third time in the last four games and the seventh time this season.
• The game was the first overtime contest for the team since May 4, 2019.
• Middlebury remains unbeaten this season at Alumni Stadium with a perfect 8-0 record.
• The Panthers improved to 15-1 with the win, marking the most victories since 2009.
• Middlebury and Hamilton met for the 32nd time with the Panthers holding a decisive 26-5 mark in the series. The contest was the first time that the two programs played in NESCAC Tournament play.