Middlebury, VT, 2/19/91
 
Union College Skating Dutchmen   1 1 1 - 3
Middlebury College Panthers      2 2 0 - 4
 
1st Period:
1) M, Craig (from Cochran and Humphreys) 2:03 (pp)
2) U, Dalton Menhall (from Geraghty and Campbell) 3:12
3) M, Alcindor (from Parr) 7:04
2nd Period:
4) U, Craig Ferrero (from Menhall and Burchill) 5:06
5) M, Humphreys (from Currier and Cochran) 10:32
6) M, Humphreys (from Parr and McKenna) 16:45
3rd Period:
7) U, Terry Campbell (from Whitney and Burchill) 8:32
 
Shots on goal- Union, 4-7-7--18; Middlebury 15-11-13--39.
 
Goaltending- Union, Jim Helkie, L, (9-3-2 record, 39 shots, 35 saves)
             Middlebury, Brett Truchon (18 shots, 15 saves)
 
Summary-
	It was everything you would expect from a matchup between 2 nationally
ranked teams looking for some momentum as they start the playoff run. 7th
ranked Middlebury held on to a 1 goal lead for the final 11 minutes to hold off
9th ranked Union for a 4-3 win.
	I can't say much about what happened in the 1st, as the Union radio
broadcast didn't start until the 2nd period. I can say for sure that Terry
Campbell got an assist on Dalton Menhall's goal at 3:12 to give him sole
possesion of the all-time Union scoring list with 168 points. Union only had 4
shots on goal in the period. Middlebury had 15.
	Craig Ferrero tied the game for Union at 5:06 of the 2nd. But then Tom
Humphreys took over, scoring 2 goals before the end of the period to give the
Panthers all the scoring they would need.
	Middlebury came out playing a very defensive game in the 3rd period.
That all changed when Terry Campbell scored his 16th goal of the year at 8:32.
That forced Middlebury back into an offensive style of play. The Dutchmen had
several good opportunities, as did the Panthers. Neither team could score, and
the game ended 4-3. Middlebury's 39-18 shots on goal advantage was easily the
widest margin anyone has outshot the Dutchmen all season.
	The loss was Union's first in 6 games, and their first of the season on
the road against league opponents. Union remains in 4th place in the ECAC West
with a 16-4-3 league record, 17-5-3 overall. The Panthers remain in first place
in the ECAC East with an 18-2-1 league record, 18-3-1 overall.
 
 
	Playoff pairings will be announced Sunday, with playoffs beginning on
Tuesday, 2/26. The top 5 in the ECAC West will most likely be Elmira, Geneseo,
Mercyhurst, Union and RIT. I believe Plattsburgh is 6th. This would suggest
that RIT will play at Union and Plattsburgh at Mercyhurst. However, the ECAC
takes strength of schedule and geography into consideration also. This may
make the pairings RIT at Mercyhurst and Plattsburgh at Union. It would make for
much shorter bus rides for both RIT and Plattsburgh, especially considering
these will be Tuesday night games.
 
	The Middlebury loss will probably mean that the Dutchmen will have to
win the ECAC West tournament, or at least advance to the championship game to
be considered for the NCAAs. Union is 0-2-1 against teams currently in the top
10. They lost to #1 Elmira 6-5 in the season opener, tied Geneseo 4-4, before
the Middlebury loss. There is more going against Union's chances at an NCAA
bid. The selection committee always picks 4 Eastern (ECAC East-West) and 4
Western schools. From the ECAC, they try to take 2 from the ECAC East and 2
from the ECAC West. The SUNYAC tournament winner also receives an automatic
bid. This usually takes care of one ECAC West spot. No matter what happens in
the SUNYACs or the ECAC West tournament, Elmira and Geneseo should both be
invited. If Geneseo does not get the automatic bid, that would be 3 ECAC West
teams already. Salem State from the ECAC East will most likely be invited. The
best hope for Union is to have Geneseo win the SUNYACs to get the automatic
bid, and hope for a shot at Elmira in the playoffs, and have the selection
committee take only Salem State from the ECAC East. A matchup against Elmira
would probably come in the 2nd round of the ECAC West tournament if both teams
win in the first round.
 
	It is often said that one thing needed for a team to go far into the
playoffs is a large senior class. These players know there is no next year for
them, while underclassmen can always come back and try again next season.
Union has only 3 seniors, but this season is the last chance that most of
the players will have at any league or tournament championships. It will be a
few years before the Dutchmen will be able to contend for the ECAC Div 1 league
title. Most of this season's players will have graduated by the time Union can
have a good chance at going far in the playoffs again.