Box Score MALDEN - Junior goalie Stephen Klein made 41 saves for his seventh career shutout as the Middlebury College men's hockey team took a 1-0 NESCAC victory at Tufts University on Saturday afternoon at Valley Forum.
Junior Mark McLellan scored the game's lone goal 4:30 into the second period and the Panthers made it stand despite being out-shot 41-30 in the game. Junior goaltender Nick Nugnes played well in the Jumbo end finishing with 29 saves.
After going winless in their first 15 games, a young Middlebury team has now won twice in their last three starts. The Panthers improved to 2-14-2 overall and 2-10 in NESCAC. Tufts' struggles continued as they lost their fourth straight dropping to 7-8-3 overall and 5-6-1 in the league.
Klein back-stopped Middlebury's first shutout of the season and finished the game strong with 21 saves in the final period. The shutout came almost exactly a year to the date of the last one by the team on January 29, 2016 when Klein made 24 stops in a 1-0 overtime win against Connecticut College.
In a scoreless first period today, with the Jumbos down a man following a tripping penalty, Middlebury's Trevor Turnbull had the game's first good scoring chance during the power play. He tried to stick his shot into the top right corner, but Nugnes made a nice glove save to keep the game scoreless. With under three minutes left in the period, Panther junior Vincent Gisonti broke in on Nugnes and tried to maneurver right for some open space, but Nugnes flashed his pad for the save. Middlebury would out-shoot Tufts 15-6 in the first, but Nugnes stopped every Panther shot.
Middlebury got on the scoreboard early in the second when freshman Danny Jacobs was behind the net and pushed a pass into a crowd in front of the Tufts goal. McLellan was able to beat Nugnes to the right side from close in for a 1-0 advantage.
A pair of shots by Jumbo senior Matt Pugh nearly tied the score later in the period, as he was set up by junior Brian Brown. Klein made perhaps his best save of the afternoon on an open look by Pugh from the left side.
A heavy-hitting third period saw the Jumbos dominate possession out-shooting Middlebury 21-4. However, the hosts weren't able to create any great scoring chances. Tufts pulled Nugnes for the final 1:51, but to no avail.
The Jumbos won 44 of 69 face-offs in the game, including 12 wins against seven losses by freshman Ross Delabruere. Senior Conal Lynch won nine out of 12 at the dot. Jacobs led the visitors with nine face-off wins. Junior Braeden Quast, freshman Brett Dineen and junior David Belluche all blocked three shots for Middlebury.
Tufts is home again next Friday night for NESCAC action versus Connecticut College at 7 pm. The Panthers are also home that night against Wesleyan at 7 pm.
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