Panther Jin Lee tallied the lone goal at the 5:20 mark of the second period to lead the Middlebury men's ice hockey team to a 1-0 upset over #14/second-seeded Trinity on Saturday evening.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Trinity looked to get on the board with 9:35 expired in the first period, as James Barbour wristed a shot from the right point through traffic. Heinze saw the puck and smothered the chance to keep the contest scoreless.
• With 6:20 remaining, Ryan Pineault fired a riser from the blue line. Goalie Devon Bobak blocked the chance with his chest to keep the Panthers off the board.
• Barbour had a breakaway chance at the 14:46 mark, but Heinze snagged the shot with his glove as the teams skated into the locker room deadlocked at 0-0
• Middlebury found the golden goal with 14:40 remaining in the second period. Pineault sent a pass from the blue line to Lee, who was shaded to the right. After collecting the puck, Lee slid it past an outstretched Bobak inside the left pipe to take a 1-0 edge.
• The Panthers nearly tallied another goal at the 14:04 mark, but Wyatt Pastor's bid from the left dot bounced off Babok's right pad.
• Trinity kept the pressure up and almost knotted the game late in the second period. Connor Sedlak settled a bouncing puck and sent a shot that rose towards the crossbar. Heinze saw the attempt the whole way, snaring it with his glove with two seconds left. 
• The Bantams manufactured back-to-back chances off the stick of Korona and Theodore Griffin with just over nine minutes gone by in the third, but Heinze stepped up with two key stops.
• Lee collected a bouncing puck deep inside the Trinity defensive zone and sent a backhand bid that bounced off Babok's right pad at the 13:45 mark.
• The Bantams pulled Babok for an extra skater with 1:18 left and had a quality chance to tie the game less than 30 seconds later. Jacob Karpa sent an attempt that bounced off Pineault's midsection and close to the crease. A scrum ensued, but the Panthers cleared the puck away and nearly tallied two empty net goals in the last 55 seconds to seal the 1-0 triumph.

NOTES

• Lee has tallied a goal in back-to-back contests, while Pineault has a trio of points (1G, 2A) in the last three contests.
• The Panthers blocked 18 total shots and held the second-best power play unit in the conference to 0-3 on the evening.
• Middlebury claimed its 21st victory in the series in the 54th all-time meeting.

The Panthers move on to the NESCAC Semifinals where they play #11/top-seeded Hamilton on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.