The Middlebury men's ice hockey team has secured the fourth seed for the upcoming NESCAC Tournament. The Panthers host fifth-seeded Wesleyan in quarterfinal action on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. from Chip Kenyon '85 Arena.

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• The Panthers are making their 23rd appearance in the NESCAC bracket.
• Middlebury sports a 33-14 mark in conference tournament action. Only Trinity has more triumphs with 35.
• The navy and white pursue their ninth league crown and their first since 2010.
• Middlebury has 16 semifinal appearances, with the last coming a season ago.

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• Middlebury touts a balanced attack with 18 players represented in the scoring column. Dante Palombo paces the squad with seven, including four game-winning goals.
• The underclassmen pairing of Luc Malkhassian and Jack Silverman has helped spearhead the Panther attack. Malkhassian is tied for the team lead with 17 points (six goals, 11 assists), while Silverman has six markers and 10 helpers.
• Jackson Morehouse and Revy Mack bolster the Middlebury offense. Morehouse has four goals and 11 assists, including the game-winner in overtime against #2 Hamilton on Saturday. Mack has enjoyed a solid all-around campaign with six goals and eight assists. The forward also shares the lead in plus/minus at +6.
• Headlining the Panther defense has been Jake Stevens. The rookie leads the program with 14 assists and shares the top spot with Malkhassian in points (17).
• Christian Wood, Dimitri Tzaferis and Bobby May are key contributors on the Middlebury backline. Wood leads the group with 32 blocked shots, while Tzaferis (30) and May (25) are right behind. 
• Andrew Heinze has been the Panthers' primary goalie this season. Appearing in 21 contests, the junior sports a .918 save percentage and a 2.47 goals-against average (GAA). The netminder has an 11-7-3 mark and four shutouts.

ABOUT WESLEYAN

• The Cardinals enter the weekend at 9-15-0 and 8-10-0 in NESCAC action.
• Wesleyan has made the conference bracket 15 times, sporting a 7-13 mark.
• Wesleyan is in search of its second NESCAC title after claiming the 2020 championship.
• The red and black make their first tournament appearance since 2023.

CARDINALS TO WATCH

• Ethan Davidson has been a top distributor on the Wesleyan offense. The forward leads the team with 15 assists and 17 points. Davidson has logged a point in each of the last five contests.
• Andrew Haxton (6G, 6A) and Danny Markham (5G, 7A) sit second on the squad with 12 points apiece.
• The duo of Daniel Lurie and Troy Maldonado has stepped in front of 53 combined shots and has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists).
• Patrick McDevitt has stood on his head in goal for the Cardinals. The netminder leads the conference with 665 saves and 31.67 stops per contest. He has a 3.07 GAA and an 8-13-0 mark this season.

SERIES HISTORY

• Middlebury and Wesleyan battle for the 65th time. The Panthers have a 43-16-5 advantage in the all-time series.
• The sides split their regular-season matchups. The Cardinals grabbed a 4-2 win on January 10, with the navy and white returning the favor in a 5-2 decision on February 7.
• The teams have met four times in the NESCAC Championship and have split the matchups down the middle. 
• All four meetings have come in the quarterfinals, with Wesleyan claiming the most recent (4-2) in 2020.

CHAMPIONSHIP  INFORMATION

• SCHEDULE
  • 2026 NESCAC MEN'S ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
    Quarterfinals – Saturday, February 28 (at Higher Seeds)
    • No. 8 Conn. College at No. 1 Hamilton – 3:00 p.m.
    • No. 7 Amherst at No. 2 Bowdoin – 4:00 p.m.
    • No. 6 Williams at No. 3 Tufts – 4:00 p.m.
    • No. 5 Wesleyan at No. 4 Middlebury – 1:00 p.m.
  • Semifinals – Saturday, March 7 (at Highest Remaining Seed)
    1:00 p.m. | 4:30 p.m.
    • Highest Remaining Seed vs. Lowest Remaining Seed
    • Remaining Quarterfinal Winners
  • Championship – Sunday, March 8
    2:00 p.m.
    • Semifinal Winners
• Championship Central
• NESCAC Seeding Announcement