NORTHFIELD, Vt.- The Norwich Men's Ice Hockey team closed out non-conference play on Tuesday night with the 162nd all-time meeting—and second matchup this season—against intrastate rival Middlebury College, as the Panthers claimed this chapter of the historic rivalry at Kreitzberg Arena.

The opening minutes were marked by physical play and special teams, as Middlebury went to its first power play just over a minute into the contest. Norwich successfully killed the early advantage, highlighted by multiple shot blocks from Devon Thibodeau (Pelham, Ont.) and Frank D'Ancona (Fort Myers, Fla.), but the opportunity gave the Panthers early momentum. Middlebury controlled play through the first several minutes, holding the Cadets without a goal while goaltender Sami Molu (Toronto, Ont.) made several key stops to keep the game scoreless.

Norwich began to find its footing midway through the period, earning back-to-back power plays and generating sustained offensive zone time. The pressure paid off as the Cadets broke through on the man advantage. With Ben van Waterschoot (Whitby, Ont.) tied up on a faceoff, Nick Cordeiro (Mississauga, Ont.) moved the puck to Nick Foster (Amherst, Mass.) at the point. Foster's shot found its way through traffic and past Middlebury goaltender Conor Sullivan, giving Norwich a 1–0 lead.

The Cadets continued to push the pace and earned two more power-play opportunities before the end of the period, but Sullivan stood tall to keep the deficit at one. Norwich carried play for much of the opening 20 minutes and held a 17–7 edge in shots heading into the first intermission.

The parade to the penalty box continued in the second period. As a carryover Middlebury penalty expired, Norwich was sent to the box, and the Panthers capitalized. Luc Malkhassian jammed home a loose puck at the top of the crease to even the score early in the frame.

At even strength, Norwich continued to control possession and generate chances, but Sullivan repeatedly turned the Cadets aside. Just over seven minutes into the period, Norwich returned to the penalty kill, which quickly escalated into a two-man disadvantage. Middlebury took advantage, as Edward Moskowitz unloaded a one-timer from the right faceoff dot to give the Panthers their first lead of the night.

Moments later, Norwich found itself defending another 5-on-3 situation. The Cadets successfully weathered that storm, but Middlebury struck again shortly thereafter. A turnover in the Norwich zone led to a goal by Jake Stevens, extending the Panther lead to 3–1.

Norwich responded late in the period with a critical power-play goal to swing momentum back its way. With five minutes remaining, Boyd Stahlbaum (Peterborough, Ont.) took a feed from D'Ancona. He fired a wrist shot that deflected off Colin Elliott (Peterborough, Ont.) and into the net, pulling the Cadets within one heading into the second
intermission.

The third period featured continued special-teams play and strong goaltending at both ends. Sullivan and Molu traded saves as both teams created chances with the man advantage, but neither side could convert. Late four-on-four action opened the ice, and Norwich made a final push by pulling Molu for the extra attacker in the closing minutes.
Middlebury's defensive structure held firm down the stretch, limiting clean looks and keeping the puck away from Sullivan to preserve the one-goal victory.

"I don't think we handled adversity well tonight, which is not what we have done all year," said Head Coach Dominick Dawes '04. "We are going to have some big weekends down the stretch and need to be more disciplined."

With the loss, Norwich concluded its nine-game homestand with a 6-2-1 record, closing a busy stretch at Kreitzberg Arena on a strong note despite the setback. The Cadets will now head back on the road for the first time since late November, traveling to New England College on Friday, Jan. 23 at 7:00 p.m. to resume Little East Conference (LEC) play.