Ephs End Regular Season With 14-8 Loss to #5 Middlebury

Williamstown, MA – A drizzly Wednesday night saw Williams College (9-6, 6-4) hosting #5 Middlebury College (14-1, 9-1) for the final regular season game of the year. The Panthers would show why they have only lost one game this year, scoring early and often to down the Ephs by a score of 14-8.

In what has become an automatic Ephs' tradition, Williams would open the scoring just over a minute into the game with Calvin Caputo drawing the goal. This seemed to upset the Panthers who stormed back with four unanswered goals of their own to take a 4-1 lead. Ryan Johnson would add a late goal for the Ephs, but another Middlebury goal would ensure a 5-2 lead heading into the second quarter. 

The Ephs would once again strike first in the quarter with Finlay MacKnight burying a chance early. Jesse Shapiro would find a goal on either side of Middlebury doubles as the Ephs trailed 9-4. Determined to enter the second half with some momentum, Williams found themselves with the ball down low, exiting a timeout with just seven seconds on the clock. A drawn-up play was executed to perfection as MacKnight would find Harrison Cross open in front to make the score 9-5 at the end of the second frame. 

Middlebury would be quick to silence any rally as they would extend their lead to 10-5. The Ephs would not back down, however, and fired back with three of their own; the goals were scored by Jesse Shapiro, Finlay MacKnight, and a man-up tally from Calvin Caputo. The Panthers would do well to separate themselves once again, adding two more goals to go up 12-8. 

Middlebury would continue their roll well into the final quarter as they would fire home two more goals early. Down 14-8, the Ephs looked to push for a response but the Panthers' defense remained solid. The clock would wind down with no more goals to be scored, ensuring a Middlebury victory on the final day of the regular season. 



After the game, Eph head coach George McCormack had this to say about the game and its implications for playoffs: "Middlebury is so tough because they play a really good defensive zone and that is great preparation for us. It was a learning experience that maybe we didn't want to have, but one that we needed for the playoffs."

Williams will head into the NESCAC playoffs as a top-4 home seed this weekend, good luck Ephs!