Box Score

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Leading 7-2, Middlebury held off a charge from visiting Skidmore en route to an 11-9 victory on Tuesday at Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium. With the win, the 17th ranked Panthers improve to 6-3, while the Thoroughbreds drop to 5-4.

Middlebury jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one quarter with goals from three different Panthers.

Skidmore cut the lead to 4-2 at 9:56 in the second before the Panthers pumped in the next three for a 7-2 lead with 4:33 left. Skidmore answered with two goals, 27 seconds apart as Matt Levesque scored the second of his game-high four goals on a man-up tally off a pass by Cory Barkoff at 3:42. After the faceoff, Barkoff added his second goal of the game at 3:15, cutting the Panther lead to 7-4 heading into halftime.

Scott Redmond opened the third quarter with a man-up score for Middlebury at 10:30 before Skidmore scored the next three, cutting Middlebury's lead to 8-7. Ryan Paradis ended the run with a dazzling low shot, falling to the ground in front of the crease with 2:23 on the clock. David Hild answered quickly for the Panthers with a physical drive for a top shelf tally 35 seconds later.

Middlebury took a 10-7 lead with a bounce shot from the left side at 14:00. The Skidmore tandem of Barkoff and Levesque added scores at 11:40 and 9:45 respectively, cutting the lead to 10-9. A slashing penalty on Skidmore with 6:09 remaining set up the final goal of the game, as Hild collected a Jack Balaban pass for a man-up goal at 5:53 for an 11-9 advantage. Panther goalie Ryan Deane was strong down the stretch, making three saves in the final minutes to preserve the win.

Levesque paced the Thoroughbreds with a game-high four goals and one assist, while Barkoff added three scores and a pair of assists. Flip Bongaerts stopped 15 shots in net for Skidmore, allowing 11 goals.