MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury Union High School boys’ hockey last week finished strong in its first winter back in Division I, winning twice to finish at 11-7-2.
That record is the best among the four D-II teams that moved up to D-I this past offseason and will apparently earn the Tigers the No. 6 seed.
The Vermont Principals’ Association was set to release playoff pairings on Monday morning. It looks like MUHS will host No. 10 Rutland (6-14) in a first-round game on either Tuesday or Wednesday. MUHS defeated the Raiders, 5-2, at home this winter. If the Tigers advance, they will travel to meet either Essex or Champlain Valley on Friday or Saturday.
In a 6-4 victory this past Wednesday, the Tigers scored five straight goals after visiting Rice took an early lead.
Rice (5-14-1) scored twice in the first 11:07, but Andrew Gleason answered at 12:20 and 13:22 to make it 2-2 after one period. Kolby Farnsworth, Tyler Giorgio, Ziven McCarty and Jake Peluso assisted the scores.
The Tigers added three unanswered goals in the second period: Henry Hodde from Gleason, Devon Kearns from Farnsworth, and Kearns from Brian Kiernan.
Rice’s Dominic Derderian scored his second goal to cut the lead to 5-3 in the third, but Peluso, from Hodde, answered 48 seconds later. Rice added a score in the final minute. MUHS goalie Doug DeLorenzo made 22 saves, while Cole Layman stopped 16 shots for Rice.
On Saturday, the Tigers nailed down the No. 6 seed by edging defending D-II champion U-32, 3-2. The 11-8-1 Raiders could have leapfrogged the Tigers in the standings with a win.
Brett Viens, Giorgio and Peluso scored the Tiger goals, all in the second period, while DeLorenzo made 22 saves.
Conor Barrett and Brady Hill scored for U-32, and goalie Roy Hynes stopped 19 shots.