Courtesy Colby Sports Information

Box Score

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. - The Colby College White Mules (15-7-3) played near perfect hockey for sixty minutes, but when playing the Middlebury College Panthers (23-1-1), the #1 team in the country, any mistake can kill you at any time. A late Colby penalty gave Middlebury a man advantage in the last three minutes and the Panthers were able to score with :53 seconds remaining to top the Mules. The Mules played an unbelievable game, controlling the puck for the majority of the game versus the home team Panthers, but came up just short in the end. Chris Ries '05 (Pittsburgh, Pa.) was exceptional for Colby saving 29 of 32 shots in a losing effort while First Team All-NESCAC goaltender Christian Carlsson '02 (Linkoping, Sweden) saved 14 of 16 shots for the win. Middlebury plays the winner of Bowdoin/Trinity tomorrow for the NESCAC Championship.

The Mules seemed to open the period with more intensity than the home Panthers and were able to control the puck in their offensive zone early on. Five minutes into the period the Panthers made their move, assaulting Ries with a slew of shots in a thirty second span, but the young Colby goaltender showed he was ready early on. The Mules would then strike first blood, when Nate Stanglein '04 (Northhampton, Pa.) fired the rebound of a Paul Nahigian '02 (Belmont, Mass.) blast on net for an early 1-0 Colby edge. The Mules lead would soon be tested, when a scrum in front of the Colby net led to a 5-4 Middlebury power-play advantage. The Panthers were able to threaten, putting the puck on net numerous times, but Ries made every key save and the Colby defenders were able to clean up in front of the Colby net. Ries would be helpless though when Mike Kennedy '04 (Darien, Conn.) received a past behind the Colby defense from Ryan Constantine '02 (Morrisonville, N.Y.) for a break-away and fired a wrist shot in the top left corner of the net past Ries to tie the score at 1-1. The first twenty minutes of hard fought, physical action ended with the score tied 1-1.

The Mules would go on the power play for the first time of the game :23 seconds into the second when Matt Dunn '02 (Kent, Conn.) was whistled for cross-checking. The best scoring opportunity of the power-play came when James LaLiberty '02 (Waterville, Maine) one-timed a pass from behind the net, but Carlsson snatched LaLiberty's shot out of the air. The Panthers were able to weather another White Mules power-play minutes later, with Nick Bayley '05 (Cambridge, Ont.) one-timing a pass from the center of the left circle at Carlsson, but the Panther goaltender made another key save. The next power-play the Panthers wouldn't be so lucky, as the Mules scored on the power-play when Mike Dalton '02 (Lynnfield, Mass.) was in position in front of the Middlebury net to shoot the rebound of a Bayley shot past Carlsson for a 2-1 Colby lead. The Panthers would go on the power-play on a LaLiberty penalty minutes later, and looked as if they were going to tie the score, but Ries somehow tied up a loose puck between his legs in the middle of a fray of Middlebury skaters. Middlebury would have a 4 on 3 man advantage in the last minutes of the period and Kevin Cooper '04 (Mississauga, Ont.) was all alone coming down the left side and tried to beat Ries five-hole, but the Colby netminder was able to trap the puck in between his legs to preserve the Colby lead. The Mules would head into the second intermission knowing that they were twenty minutes away from upsetting the #1team in the country.

The Mules would be short-handed again to start the period, again :23 seconds into the period when Bayley was called for roughing. Ries would continue his hot goaltending, stringing together three saves in a row before finally covering up the puck to end the Panther man advantage. The Panthers would finally be able to sneak one past Ries from the side of the net when Andrew Helming's '04 (Sharon, Conn.) shot deflected off a skate into the net to tie the score at 2. The rest of the period proved to be extremely physical, as both teams used some devastating checking to try and create scoring opportunities. The Panthers went on the power play when Jared Gordon '05 (Bangor, Maine) was called for a penalty for absolutely destroying a Middlebury player at center ice with 2:52 remaining in the game. The Panthers were able to score with :01 second remaining on the power-play when a Middlebury player laced a pass from the blue-line to Cooper in front of the net with :53 seconds to go for a 3-2 Middlebury lead. An empty-netter by Robert Chisholm '03 (Antigonish, N.S.) would bring the final score to 4-2.