The seventh-seeded Middlebury men's ice hockey team knotted the contest 2-2 in the middle period, but #4/top-seeded Trinity tallied three unanswered goals, including an empty netter, for the 5-2 victory. The Panthers advanced to the NESCAC Semifinals for the first time since 2016 after upsetting second-seeded Bowdoin 5-1 in quarterfinal action last weekend. 
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The Bantams had a pair of great chances to score early in the opening period. The first came with 5:13 expired. Spencer Korona dumped the puck behind the goal and Nicholas Siffringer skated around the right pipe to fire a close-range shot, but goalie Jake Horoho denied the attempt. Trinity continued applying pressure, but a sprawling Hororo turned away back-to-back bids from James Barber and Ned Blanchard during the 13th minute.
• The Bantams broke through with just over five minutes left in the stanza. Theodore Griffin sent a pass from deep in the left pocket to Gerad Marretta who was waiting in the high slot. Marretta faked to his left, and as Horoho went to make a split save, Marretta pulled the puck back across his body and shoved it through the five-hole for the 1-0 edge.
• Trinity increased its lead with 52 ticks remaining in the period during a power play. An initial shot by Blanchard was blocked, but Korona grabbed the rebound and rifled his attempt into the upper left corner for the 2-0 advantage.
• The Panthers nearly scored midway through the second-period. Michael Fairfax sent a cross-ice pass to Andrej Hromic as the pair barreled into the offensive zone after killing off a penalty. Hromic wristed a shot from the left circle, but Bantam netminder Devon Bobak snared the attempt.
• Middlebury broke through, cutting the deficit in half (2-1) just under three minutes later. Matt Myers' initial bid from just inside the blue line was blocked, but Paddy Bogart was there to backhand the rebound into the goal.
• The Panthers did not let up, knotting the contest with just under five minutes left in the stanza. A blueliner chipped the puck from the defensive zone that went over the heads of several players and floated into the offensive area. A pair of Trinity defenders tried to corral it, but Bogart took advantage of the loose puck, getting his stick to it and slipping his shot past Bobak to make it 2-2.
• The Bantams had a pair of power-plays early in the third stanza, with their best opportunity coming with 3:02 elapsed, but Griffin's blast from the top of the left faceoff circle was denied by Horoho.
• Trinity made it 3-2 at the 8:55 mark when a wrister by Kyle Tomaso from the high slot floated into the goal. 
• Middlebury had a pair of back-to-back power-plays, but the Bantams' tough defense stymied any quality chances.
• With 14:27 expired, Trinity secured the game. Connor Sedlak wrapped around the goal from left to right and fed a one-timer to Marretta who scored to make it 4-2.
• The Panthers pulled Horoho in the final minutes, but the Bantams tacked on an empty-net marker for the 5-2 final.

NOTES

• Middlebury made its 15th appearance in the conference semifinals.
• The programs met for the third time this season and the 51st overall.
• The squads faced off for the sixth time in the NESCAC Tournament and the first time since 2010, as the Bantams leveled the series at 3-3. 
• This was just the second time that the programs have met in the conference semifinals, with Middlebury winning the 2010 contest 4-2. 

The Panthers await their NCAA Tournament fate when the field is announced on Monday.