Middlebury, VT – A pivotal and final regular-season game was sure to impress as the Williams College Ephs (9-6, 6-4) headed to #18 Middlebury College (8-7, 6-4). An absolutely wild game from start to finish, it began quite tame as the teams entered the second half at a score of 3-2. After a crazy eight-goal fourth quarter, the game was tied and headed to three overtimes before a winner was crowned.
Pearse Glavin slid a ball to
Calvin Caputo who walked off the game with a decisive finish in a 10-9 Ephs victory.
Middlebury would control much of the first half as they outshot the Ephs and controlled possession on 6 of the 8 faceoffs. The first frame was a quiet one with both teams understanding the importance of this game and the opening goal. Each goalie would make four saves in the period and the defenses held strong for much of the fifteen minutes. The Panthers struck first as they took the lead with thirty seconds remaining. They soon doubled the lead as their buzzer-beater made it 2-0 Middlebury at the end of the first quarter.
The Ephs finally cracked the Panthers' defense in the opening few minutes of the second quarter as
Bjorn Davidson set up
Will Doran for the score. Middlebury quickly added one back as they capitalized just forty seconds later. Doran went from goalscorer to provider as his assist set up
Calvin Caputo to make it 3-2. Both teams settled in at this score and the half would end 3-2 in favor of the Panthers.
Middlebury wasted no time in re-staking their claim on the game as they scored just forty seconds into the third quarter. The Ephs stormed back in the following minutes as
Pearse Glavin would answer before setting up
Harrison Cross for another goal to level the game at 4-4. Williams were not done there, however, as
Calvin Caputo fired home his 42nd of the year to give the Ephs their first lead of the game. Finlay Macknight extended the lead to two just minutes later as the Ephs completed their four-goal, comeback run.
A turn-over filled opening to the fourth quarter was finally controlled by Middlebury as they brought the game back to 6-5. At the nine-minute mark, the Panthers finally equalized after a series of chances to make it 6-6. The home side retook the lead as the time ticked down in the game, pulling ahead 7-6 with five minutes left. After a nifty back-door pass from
Gavin Timoney,
Will Doran kept his composure and finished to tie the game at 7-7. On the ensuing possession, however, the Panthers scored on a fast-break to re-take an 8-7 lead. The roller-coaster finish continued as
Pearse Glavin set up
Harrison Cross who rifled it home on the near-side. The Panthers immediately replicated that goal with a long shot that snuck home to make it 9-8 Panthers. Following a timeout with fifty seconds remaining in the game, the Ephs worked the ball around the zone.
Nick Bates faked a pass down to "X" which made the goalie bite, and the forward fired it into the empty net to tie the game at 9-9. The Ephs made a last second stand to see out the game to force overtime.
The overtime frame began with an Ephs' possession in which a massive Panthers' save kept Williams out of the net. A late Ephs' turnover gave Middlebury the ball with ten seconds remaining.
Matt Wetmore made a huge stop at the buzzer to send the game to a second overtime.
Once again, the Ephs began with the ball but another fantastic save from the Panthers' goalie would save the game for Middlebury. The game would not be finished in the second frame, so to the third overtime they went.
The third overtime was (finally) the deciding period. Following a Panthers' turnover in the Ephs' end, Williams churned up the field.
Pearse Glavin threw a dart to
Calvin Caputo in front of the goal and the senior buried with a behind the back shot to win the game 10-9 for the Ephs.
After the wild game, Eph head coach
George McCormack said, "That was one of the most exciting games I've ever been a part of. The defense played really stout all day and the offense was very opportunistic. We are excited to be in the playoffs and look forward to any scenario that unfolds."
The Ephs await other results to decide their first round matchup in the NESCAC Tournament.
