BRUNSWICK, Maine — The Middlebury College men’s hockey team split a pair of NESCAC games in Maine this past weekend and stands at 4-11, 2-7 in league play, heading into a pair of NESCAC home games this weekend. Connecticut visits on Friday at 7 p.m., and Tufts is set to show up on Saturday at 4 p.m.
On this past Saturday host Bowdoin (6-11, 4-8 NESCAC) scored twice in a span of 3:36 during the second period in a 2-1 victory over the Panthers. The Panthers outshot Bowdoin 13-10 in the first period but couldn’t take the lead. Their best chance came with five minutes left, when Danny Tighe rang a shot off the crossbar.
The Polar Bears’ Cody Todesco opened the scoring on a power play at 5:06 of the second period. Todesco found the net from between the circles. Ronnie Lestan made it 2-0 by converting a Todesco pass. 
Middlebury’s Owen Peters made it 2-1 with a shorthanded goal at 7:48 of the third, assisted by Mitchell Allen.
Panther goalie Stephen Klein finished with 32 saves, while Erik Wurman made 33 stops for the hosts. 
On Friday the Panthers edged host Colby, 3-2, as Klein stopped 39 shots and Frank Cosolito scored the tie-breaking goal, his first of the season, with 1:52 left in the game.
Colby took the lead on a Justin Grillo goal at 7:34 of the opening period. Panther Michael Fahie made it 1-1 later in the period, skating down the right side and putting a wrister past Colby netminder Sean Lawrence (20 saves). The Mules put nine shots on goal in the period’s final five minutes, but Klein stopped them all.
Middlebury’s Kamil Tkaczuk netted a Fahie rebound on a three-on-two rush to make it 2-1 early in the second period. 
Colby’s Spencer Hewson’s power-play shot from the right point made it 2-2 at 8:01 of the third period. The Mules earned a penalty shot at 10:27, but Klein kicked away Kienan Scott’s bid. Klein also sprawled to deny a Scott breakaway with a little more than six minutes remaining.
Finally, Cosolito ripped a low shot from the right dot that went through Lawrence’s legs at 1:52 for the game-winner and his second career goal. Middlebury’s win avenged a season-opening 9-1 loss to the Mules.