MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury College men’s hockey team knocked off the Nos. 2 and 3 teams in NCAA Division III this past weekend, rivals Norwich and Plattsburgh, respectively, and improved to 6-6-2 in the process.
The Panthers will look to build on the momentum when they return to NESCAC play this weekend: They host Bowdoin at 7 p.m. on Friday and Colby at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
On this past Saturday, the Panthers blanked visiting Norwich, 3-0. The No. 2-ranked Cadets dropped to 14-2-2.
Middlebury took the lead 1:08 into the game when George Ordway connected from the left circle on a feed from Mike Najjar. The Panthers made it 2-0 at 14:44 when Brendan McGovern picked up a puck in the slot and snapped it home. The Panthers outshot the Cadets, 11-5, in the first period.
The Cadets outshot Middlebury, 8-5, in the second, but the Panthers padded their lead when Zach Haggerty forced a turnover and set up Greg Conrad for a redirect.
Panther netminder Stephen Klein earned his first career shutout with stellar play and 25 saves, and the Cadets’ Braeden Ostepchuk stopped 17 shots.
On Friday, the visiting Panthers upset No. 3 Plattsburgh, 3-1. At 8:49 mark of the opening period, Middlebury took a 1-0 on a power play. Ronald Fishman tapped in a cross-ice pass from Max Greenwald. 
In the second, the Panthers added to their lead at 5:12 when Cameron Romoff scored from the right circle on a feed from Evan Neugold.
Plattsburgh answered eleven seconds later, when Matt Quilty jammed home a rebound.
Middlebury made it 3-1 at 11:11 of the third period when Ordway scored a shorthanded goal.
Klein backstopped the win with 19 saves, a total matched by Cardinal goalie Brady Rouleau. The Cardinals also lost to Williams, 6-3, on Saturday and are 12-4-1.