Courtesy St. Michael’s Sports Information
MIDDLEBURY — First-year Matt Schreiner (Falmouth, Mass./Walpole Express) scored 1:15 into the overtime period to lift the Saint Michael’s College men’s ice hockey team over Middlebury College, 4-3, in the Middlebury Holiday Classic on Friday at Kenyon Arena. The Purple Knights earned the first win in the modern era of the program over the Panthers, who are receiving votes toward the U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) Division III national poll.
RECORDS
· Saint Michael’s (7-3-1), Middlebury (6-3)
SAINT MICHAEL’S LEADERS
· Junior Noah Muller (Amsterdam, The Netherlands/Düsseldorfer EG), 2 goals
· First-year Matt Schreiner (Falmouth, Mass./Walpole Express), 1 goal, 1 assist, 7-for-14 faceoffs
· First-year Jeremy Routh (Hamden, Conn./New Hampshire Junior Monarchs), 2 assists
· Junior Ethan Hendrickson (Budd Lake, N.J./New Jersey Rockets), 1 goal
· Junior Tyler Dorval (Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool), 1 assist
· Sophomore Matt Egan (Hingham, Mass./Kimball Union Academy), 1 assist
· Sophomore Colin O’Connor (North Haven, Conn./Connecticut RoughRiders), 1 assist
· Senior Tim Decker (Liverpool, N.Y./Canterbury School), 26 saves
OPPONENT LEADERS
· Senior Mitchell Allen, 1 goal
· Senior Brendan Dawson, 1 goal
· First-year Billy Dobensky, 1 goal
· Senior Brian Ketchabaw, 5 saves in 24:17
· Sophomore Adam Wisco, 20 saves in 36:51 of relief
GAME FACTS
· This was the first win for Saint Michael’s over Middlebury in the modern era of the program, which started in the 1982-83 season.
· This was the third time the Purple Knights have competed in the Middlebury Holiday Classic and their first time advancing to the championship game.
· The Purple and Gold’s power-play goal in the second period was just the fourth goal allowed by the Panthers penalty killers all season.
· Coming into the contest, the Panthers were seventh in Division II/III penalty killing, allowing only three goals in 35 opportunities.
· Decker ties Chris Johnson ’19 for eighth in program history in career wins (20).
· After being outshot 13-2 in the first period, the Purple Knights outshot the Panthers 27-16 the rest of the way.
THE ACTION
· With 5:52 down in the first period, senior Owen Powers came into the Purple Knight zone on a break, but Decker stood tall and pushed the shot away to keep the game even.
· The Panthers took the lead with 12:15 gone when junior Matt Danner passed to the front of the net for a one-timer goal for Allen after the two came down on a two-on-one.
· The Purple Knights tied the game with 4:16 gone in the second period on a power play when Egan won the faceoff in the Panther zone back to Dorval, who passed to Muller for a shot at the point that squeezed past Ketchabaw.
· Hendrickson put Saint Michael’s up a goal with 8:19 gone when Routh left the puck for Schreiner, whose shot was saved, but Hendrickson was there to put the puck in.
· Dobensky scored the equalizer for the Panthers 11:21 into the period on a one-time shot off a pass by senior Danny Tighe.
· The Purple Knights took the lead with 11:11 gone in the third period when a shot by Muller made a nice move in neutral ice before gaining the zone and slipping the puck into the bottom left corner past Wisco.
· The Panther came back to tie the game up at 16:17 on a goal by Dawson that was assisted by Powers and junior Michael Fahie.
· Schreiner scored the game-winner for the Purple Knights 1:15 into overtime when he hit home a rebound off a shot by Routh at the point, which slipped through traffic onto Wisco.
NEXT SAINT MICHAEL’S GAME
· Saturday vs. Babson College at Middlebury, 5 p.m.
· The Purple Knights face Babson in the championship game of the Middlebury Holiday Classic.
· The Beavers are receiving votes toward the latest USCHO Division III national poll.