Plattsburgh Edges Middlebury 3-2 in OT Thriller
Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 9:59 PM 
2010.03.13 Plattsburgh Faces Middlebury in NCAA Quarterfinal MatchupThere was no doubt tonight's NCAA quarterfinal matchup between Middlebury and Plattsburgh State was going to be intense.
On paper, this would presumably be a dead heat. Both teams had nearly identical overall season records heading into tonight's game (Middlebury was 19-4-4 and Plattsburgh was 18-5-4). In their respective conferences, Middlebury defeated Bowdoin for the NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) Championship while Plattsburgh wound up second best in the SUNYAC (State University of New York Athletic Conference) after succumbing to a grueling Oswego assault.
Both teams started off the night with excellent offensive and defensive coverage - with goaltenders Josh Leis (Plattsburgh) and John Yanchek (Middlebury) holding the fort down in net. After some great scoring opportunities, Plattsburgh was the first to light up the scoreboard with a goal by Kyle Kudroch (assisted by Kyle Taylor) at 10:52. Middlebury closed out the remainder of the first period with some great scoring chances; however Leis and company worked hard to block, deflect, and reject any attempts from the Panthers to get on the board. Plattsburgh would take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
Middlebury was eager to send the equalizer into the net; however, the second period started off a bit rough. Plattsburgh was all over the Middlebury defensive zone throughout the first portion of the period. This forced a Panther timeout at 3:29. Plattsburgh, meanwhile, had difficulties of their own. Despite controlling the puck the Cardinals just could not find their way into the net...at least, not until Dylan Clarke fired in a great unassisted goal at 10:09. After the Cardinals pulled out to a strong two goal lead, tensions began to escalate on the ice. Middlebury's Tom Clayton would be assessed a roughing penalty at 14:14; and less than a minute later Plattsburgh's Eric Satim would visit the penalty box for a hooking penalty at 15:04. This set the stage for some incredible four on four hockey; with Middlebury cutting the Plattsburgh lead in half at 16:06 courtesy of a goal from Ken Suchoski (assisted by Charlie Strauss).
Momentum was high for both squads. Plattsburgh had a golden opportunity for their special teams when Middlebury drew two penalties (Chris Steele for cross checking at 16:36 and Mathieu Castonguay for hooking at 17:06). Plattsburgh was not only dangerous offensively, but they had a five-on-three advantage. Middlebury's penalty kill, though, brought their "A" game to the table and proved to be insurmountable. This was a huge momentum boost for the Panthers; leaving Plattsburgh with a slim 2-1 lead as they headed into the second intermission.
This momentum carried over into the third period. Middlebury needed to find one opportunity to capitalize on to tie things up. Entering the penalty box would be costly to either squad. Plattsburgh learned that lesson the hard way when Dylan Clarke was sent to the box at 11:47. This was the opening Middlebury had hoped for; and at 12:59 their power play unit would fire in the equalizer off the stick of Jak Knelman (assisted by Charlie Townsend).
With the Kenyon Arena fired up, both squads found themselves in a dead heat and headed for overtime. When the puck dropped, momentum swung in Middlebury's favor within the first minute or so of play. Plattsburgh ultimately settled in and found their groove though; and at 3:19 Jared Docking would send the puck past Yanchek to clinch the Cardinal victory.
Long story short? Tonight exemplified how exciting division III hockey can be when both teams are firing on all cylinders. I was pleased to see Plattsburgh play with the energy and enthusiasm they had. Likewise, Middlebury was impressive with their control, perseverance, and raw talent on the ice. These teams played their asses off, and deserve to be commended for the highly competitive and clean game that transpired. Lastly, I would like to send a special shout out and moment of thanks to @middblog as well as those who followed my updates on Twitter and/or read my recaps. Thank you.
Plattsburgh will continue their quest for a national championship on Friday, March 19th, 2010 when they meet rival Norwich in the NCAA Division III semifinal. Go Cards!!
2010.03.13 NCAA Division III Championship Bracket for Men's Ice Hockey