Top-seeded Middlebury needed three goals in the third period to overcome fourth-seeded Hamilton Friday night in the NESCAC semifinals.
The three goals gave the Panthers a 4-2 victory and sent them into Saturday night’s championship against Amherst.
The first two periods were frustrating for Middlebury, which outshot Hamilton 18-10 during those 40 minutes. But goals by Hamilton’s Scott Gordon and Victor Cizmarik offset the game’s first goal by Middlebury’s Ryan Constantine.
But the Panthers came alive in the third period and outshot the Continentals, 18-8. Middlebury tied the score on Scott Goldman’s power-play goal at 7:51 on assists from Matt Skoglund and Maxime LeBlanc. Then Matt Snyder scored the game-winning goal with 2:02 left in regulation, getting assists from Matt Dunn and Goldman.
Goldman then capped the scoring with an unassisted empty-net goal with one second left to play.
