Box Score
MIDDLEBURY, VT - A goal by Mike Brofft '13 with less than five minutes remaining in regulation earned the Williams College men's hockey team (11-6-3) a tie against NESCAC foe Middlebury College (9-6-5).
Brofft's goal came after two consecutive scores from the Panthers, who battled back from a 2-1 deficit in the second period to take a 3-2 lead late in the game.
By coming away with a draw, Williams now moves into a three-way tie for second place in the NESCAC standings with Middlebury and Hamilton. The NESCAC playoff picture will prove to be an exciting one, as the top six teams in the conference are separated by only three points.
Indicative of their similar records, the Ephs and the Panthers were very evenly matched in the first period. The game would remain scoreless until the last minute of the period, when both teams took penalties to go into a 4-on-4 situation. With 30 seconds left on the clock, Chris Steele put Middlebury up 1-0 when he scored on a rebound attempt from the left side.
Halfway into the second period, Eric Rubino '13 evened the score at 1-1 with a shorthanded goal. Rubino was set up by Ben Contini '11, who broke free into the offensive zone and dropped the puck back to the slot, where Rubino was waiting to fire a shot past the goalie for his ninth goal of the year.
Williams scored again five minutes later when Stephen Maier '12 found co-captain Matt Masucci '11, who put the puck in from the right face-off circle to give the Ephs the 2-1 advantage. The score would remain this way heading into the final period.
Things got interesting in the final twenty minutes, as a Williams penalty at the 9:24 mark gave Middlebury a man-advantage and a chance to tie the game. After taking a timeout, the Panthers capitalized when Charles Nerbak scored from the left side to even the score at 2-2.
Less than three minutes later, Middlebury got another big goal to take a 3-2 lead with only 6:30 remaining. Goaltender Ryan Purdy '12 made a great save to stop an attempt by Ben Wiggins off a crossing pass, but Louis Belisle was there to put in the rebound and give the Panthers the lead.
With time running out and Williams in need of some offense, the Ephs caught a break after a Panther penalty put them on the power play with five minutes remaining. After a shot was blocked in front of the net, the puck found its way to Brofft at the blue line, and Brofft unleashed a strong shot that beat goaltender John Yanchek to tie the score at 3-3.
This would end up being the final score, as neither team could produce a game-winner in the last five minutes or in overtime.
Purdy was once again essential to the Ephs' effort Tuesday night, as he stopped 38 of 41 shots from the Panthers in 65 minutes of play. Purdy is having a standout junior year and leads the NESCAC in save percentage (.926) and minutes played (1181:18). His counterpart, Middlebury goalie John Yanchek, made 15 saves on 18 shots in 65 minutes of play.
Despite taking 10 penalties on the night and being outshot 41-18, the Ephs came away with the tie, and Head Coach Bill Kangas was pleased with this result: "We were really resilient tonight; we faced a lot of challenges but dealt with them well. This was a solid game for us, and hopefully it is a good setup for this weekend."
The Ephs will finally find themselves back in Williamstown this weekend, ending the regular season with a four-game homestand. First up on Friday night are the Babson College Beavers (9-9-3), who fell 6-1 to Williams earlier in the season but have played very good hockey as of late, including a 4-4 tie with nationally-ranked Norwich and a 9-4 victory over St. Michaels. Game time is 7 PM at Lansing Chapman Rink.
