The Middlebury men's ice hockey team netted two power-play goals in a 10-minute span of Friday's contest to secure a key NESCAC win over 12th-ranked Bowdoin from Chip Kenyon '85 Arena.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The visitors tested Panther goalie Andrew Heinze early. Gabe Shipper secured the puck after the opening faceoff and fired a bid to the lower-right portion that Heinze nudged away with his left pad five ticks into the tilt.
• Middlebury nearly pulled ahead with 5:03 expired. Cole Semeniuk split the Polar Bear backline and eyed the lower-right corner, but Bowdoin netminder Jacob Osborne raised his glove to make the save.
• With 13:34 left in the initial stanza, the hosts found their first tally. Jack Silverman flicked a backward feed from the left faceoff circle that Kevin Golden dished to Jake Stevens. The rookie sent a slapshot that deflected off a Polar Bear stick and caromed in off the left post for the early 1-0 advantage.
• Michael Fairfax met the puck between the faceoff circles for a one-on-one look with 13:43 elapsed, wristing a shot that Ricky Volpe blocked before it could test Osborne.
• Bowdoin knotted the bout at 1-1 with 5:13 left in the period. Bryce Bollman swiped the puck from a Panther and dashed to the faceoff circle before muscling a look across the crease into the right side of the net.
• Hunter Fetterolf posted consecutive chances with 19:13 played, but Heinze answered the call on each occasion to maintain the 1-1 deadlock through the opening session.
• A quiet start to the second frame was interrupted with 12:46 showing on the clock. After a blocked shot, PJ Neal gained possession behind the goal and wrapped around the post before flicking a quick look that Heinze snapped his blocker down to send away.
• The guests had another strong opportunity with an extra skater at the 10:55 mark. Shipper sent a pass from the blueline to Isaac Abbott in the right faceoff circle, who had his one-timer saved by Heinze off the right pad.
• Michael Dinges gathered the puck following a save 25 seconds later and forced an attempt between Heinze and the left post, pushing the Polar Bears ahead 2-1 on the power-play goal.
• With 6:16 remaining, Silverman collected a faceoff win that careened directly to the crease. Osborne snapped his pad out to quell the chance.
• A crisp build-up during an extra-skater opportunity led to the game-tying strike for the navy and white. Stevens delivered the puck to Jackson Morehouse, who tipped it back central for Dante Palombo to bury for the 2-2 deadlock at the second period's conclusion.
• Heinze made several key saves across the third period, the first of which came at the 15:10 mark when Will Killoran snuck a shot through traffic that the Panther stonewalled.
• The deciding blow came with 7:50 gone in the final frame. During the third Middlebury power play of the evening, Luc Malkhassian guided a pass across the crease to Edward Moskowitz for the tap-in on the right post to help the hosts storm ahead, 3-2.
• Bowdoin peppered the Panther goal with several chances in the late minutes, but Heinze tallied 10 saves in the closing minutes to wrap up the 3-2 upset.

NOTES

• Morehouse tied his career high with two helpers.
• Heinze made 35 saves in the win, recording 18 in the third period.
• The sides met for the 100th installment in the all-time series, with the Polar Bears owning a 45-44-11 edge. Middlebury and Bowdoin have split the last nine contests, 4-4-1.

The Panthers host Colby on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. The matchup will serve as the Skate With a Panther and MAHA Youth Hockey Game, while the program will honor its seniors prior to the contest.