Men’s Hockey Meets #9 Bowdoin in NESCAC Semifinals

The fourth-seeded Middlebury men's ice hockey team heads to Clinton, New York this weekend for a NESCAC semifinal clash with #9/second-seeded Bowdoin. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, with the first semifinal beginning at 1:00 p.m.

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• The Panthers reached the semifinal round with a thrilling 3-2 double-overtime triumph over fifth-seeded Wesleyan in the conference quarterfinals.

• The squad pursues its ninth league title, with its most recent crown coming in 2010. Its eight championships are the most in the NESCAC.

• Middlebury makes its third consecutive appearance and 17th overall in the conference semifinals.

• The Panthers look to secure a spot in the championship bout for the 13th time in program history.

• Middlebury was one of the teams receiving votes in the latest United States Hockey Coaches Organization (USCHO) national poll.

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• The Panthers tout a balanced approach with 18 players represented in the scoring column.

Dante Palombo and Luc Malkhassian pace the squad with seven goals apiece, while Palombo has etched four game-winning tallies. Malkhassian shares the team lead with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists).

• The trio of

Tyler Wishart, Jack Silverman and Jake Stevens has helped spearhead the Middlebury attack. Wishart is tied for the squad high with 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) and tallied the game-winner against Wesleyan, while Silverman has six markers and 11 helpers and Stevens has scored three times with a team-best 14 assists.

Jackson Morehouse and Revy Mack bolster the navy and white 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 nine assists. The forward leads the team in plus/minus at +8.

• Headlining the Panther defense are

Christian Wood, Dimitri Tzaferis and Bobby May. Wood paces the group with 34 blocked shots, while Tzaferis (33) and May (25) are close behind.

Andrew Heinze has been Middlebury's primary goalie this season. Appearing in 22 contests, the junior sports a .919 save percentage and a 2.40 goals against average (GAA). The netminder has a 12-7-3 mark and four shutouts.

ABOUT BOWDOIN

• Bowdoin enters the weekend 18-6-1 overall and is ranked ninth in the latest USCHO national poll.

• The Polar Bears scored 1:08 into their quarterfinal contest en route to a 3-1 triumph over Amherst.

• Bowdoin has reached the semifinal round 11 times with eight league championship appearances. The squad has secured four NESCAC titles, most recently earning hardware in 2023.

• The program has tallied 24 wins in conference tournament history.

• The Polar Bears rank near the top of the NESCAC in many categories, including power-play percentage (first - .270), goals scored (second - 86) and fewest goals allowed per contest (second - 1.88).

POLAR BEARS TO WATCH

• Bowdoin has 11 players who have tallied double-digit points. Will Rice leads the pack with 19 points on eight goals and 11 assists. Bryce Bollman (8G, 10A), Jayson Alegria (8G, 8A), Aidan Lyons (6G, 10A) and Isaac Abbott (4G, 12A) also fuel the output.

• Justin Wright also resides in double figures with 10 helpers alongside five markers, while Louie Marcinello has found the back of the net three times with the extra skater.

• Bowdoin's defense is spearheaded by William Neault, who has stepped in front of 30 shots while contributing a goal and six assists. Michael Dinges has accumulated 21 blocked shots with eight goals and three assists, while Rice, Ricky Volpe and Hunter Fetterolf each have 20.

• In the crease, Jacob Osborne paces his conference peers with a .941 save percentage and 1.65 GAA over 1,382 minutes of action. His four shutouts are among the league leaders.

ABOUT HAMILTON

• Hamilton makes its 23rd overall appearance in the NESCAC Tournament and 11th in the semifinals.

• The top-seeded Continentals scored 4:45 into overtime, edging eighth-seeded Connecticut College 5-4 during the quarterfinals.

• Hamilton is ranked #3 in the latest USCHO national poll.

• The Continentals hunt the program's second straight conference championship and third appearance in the final.

• Devon de Vries and Luke Tchor have guided the Hamilton offense with 29 and 28 points. Two of de Vries' 23 helpers were handed out in the quarterfinal win, including the primary assist on the game-tying tally. Tchor sits second in the conference with 15 goals, highlighted by four of the game-winning variety.

• John Wojciechowski has blocked a squad-high 38 shots along with five goals and 15 helpers from the blueline.

• Aksel Reid has logged nearly 1,332 minutes in front of the goal, amassing a 16-4-2 record with a league-leading five shutouts and a 1.76 GAA.

ABOUT WILLIAMS

• Williams appears in the NESCAC Tournament for the 24th time and the 11th showing in the conference semifinals.

• The sixth-seeded Ephs upended third-seeded Tufts 3-1, tallying the game's final three goals to advance to the championship weekend.

• Williams looks for its fifth appearance in the ultimate game and its first NESCAC title. The team last contested the 2015 conference championship.

• Jackson Krill (11G, 14A) and Jake McManus (8G, 17A) lead the offensive charge with 25 points apiece, as Krill posted the game-winning goal in the quarterfinal triumph. Brady Welsch (10G, 9A) is right behind with 19.

• The goalie duo of Harrison Fogel (6-6-1, 2.93 GAA, 377 saves) and Kael DePape (4-7-1, 334 saves) have split time in the crease for Williams. Fogel logged every second in the win over Tufts, stopping 31 of the 32 shots he faced.

SERIES HISTORY VS. MIDDLEBURY

• The Panthers and Polar Bears play for the third time this season and the 101st overall, with Bowdoin holding a narrow 45-44-11 advantage.

• The squads split their matchups this winter. The Polar Bears claimed a 4-0 victory in Maine on November 14, while the Panthers returned the favor with a 3-2 triumph on January 23.

• Saturday marks the eighth all-time NESCAC Tournament meeting between the two programs. Middlebury and Bowdoin have met twice in the semifinal round.

• If the teams meet in the title tilt, it would be the 10th matchup in the league bracket and the initial meeting in the championship game between the Panthers and Continentals. The programs have met 144 times in the series, with Middlebury holding a 93-43-8 advantage.

• If the Panthers and Ephs met in the championship, it would be the fifth time in NESCAC Tournament play and the second in the title tilt. The first clash came in 2000, a 3-2 overtime triumph by Middlebury. The navy and white have claimed each of the previous four meetings, including a 4-1 decision in the 2009 semifinals.

• The Panthers hold an 83-51-12 lead in the series against Williams. The teams split during the regular-season slate, with each side winning on the other's home ice. Middlebury was victorious 4-2 on January 17, while the Ephs won 2-1 nearly a month later.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

Championship Central

• Ticket updates will be provided at NESCAC.com later this week.

• A webcast of all games will be available online at NESCAC.com and on Roku, AppleTV, and Amazon Fire TV (search NESCAC Network).

The winners of each semifinal matchup will face off for the conference title and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 8 at 2:00 p.m.