The Middlebury men's ice hockey team dropped a 3-0 decision on the road against Amherst on Friday evening.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Mammoths applied pressure 38 seconds into the matchup. Vincent Velocci secured the puck in the left faceoff circle and thumped a bid off the right pad of Panther goalie Andrew Heinze.
• Jacob Pohl attempted a shot from a similar angle with 15:53 showing, sending a riser from the dot that Heinze knocked down with his blocker.
• Tyler Wishart had a chance on the doorstep at the 5:47 mark, skating to a loose puck and firing a one-timer that caromed off the leg of Amherst netminder Andrew Palena.
• The hosts moved in front with 8:35 to play in the opening session. Velocci cut off a Panther pass at the blue line and moved down center ice before faking left and nudging the puck over the line for a 1-0 edge.
• Christian Wood looked to knot the bout with 17:51 expired, plucking the puck from the boards and delivering a bid toward the left post. Palena kicked out his right pad to send the puck away.
• Cristobal Tola manufactured a second Mammoth marker less than two minutes into the second period, interrupting a pass in Middlebury's defensive zone for a one-on-one chance against Heinze. His shot found the right side of the net, doubling the margin.
• Amherst capitalized with an extra skater at the 4:43 mark. A slapshot from Josh Burke hit the glass and bounced back into the crease, where Oliver Flynn waited for a tap-in to make the score 3-0.
• Reece Brednich dialed up consecutive bids between the circles with 6:33 elapsed, but Palena got his right pad on each opportunity to keep the navy and white off the board.
• At the 14:17 mark, Revy Mack reached back and fired a crisp look that Palena stonewalled with his pads.
• Dante Palombo nearly logged the visitors' first tally, parking between the circles and launching a one-timer that Palena gathered to preserve the three-goal advantage through 40 minutes.
• Heinze kept the battle within reach, tallying six saves across the first eight minutes of the final period. Reece Brednich looked to sneak a shot past Palena with 10:56 to go, but the goaltender pinched his pads together for the save.
• The Panthers landed 10 shots on target down the stretch that Palena answered with stops to seal the 3-0 decision.

NOTES

• Heinze logged 28 saves in the bout, marking the 17th time in 20 games that he has logged 20 or more saves.
• The programs met for the 99th matchup of the all-time series.

The Panthers conclude the regular season on the road against #2 Hamilton on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.