MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury Union High School boys’ hockey team suffered a 4-1 loss against visiting Burr and Burton Academy on Friday night.
The Bulldogs improved to 12-3 in Division I, while the Tigers dropped to 8-6-1. The Tigers, who still are in sixth place and in position to host a first-round playoff game, will host last-place Rice Wednesday at 7 p.m. On Saturday they will travel to visit seventh-place Champlain Valley in a key late-season matchup.
On this past Friday the Bulldogs got on the board early. At 4:09 of the first period freshmen Hans Pederson and junior Jordan Eisenman got the puck to senior Alex Carpenter, who deked and slid the puck past Middlebury goalie Jeffrey Stearns.
Just two minutes later, Carpenter set up junior Egan Schmitt, who made it 2-0.
With three minutes remaining in the period, Middlebury junior Kolby Farnsworth ripped a shot under the bar to bring the deficit to one goal entering the second period.
The second period went in Burr and Burton’s favor. Schmitt tallied again on a two-on-one play that stemmed from a quick Bulldog transition, and the Tigers ended the period down by 3-1.
The Bulldogs were not satisfied with a two-goal lead. At 11:53 Schmitt got the puck to freshman G Russo who scored in transition to secure the victory.
The Tigers lost despite outshooting the Bulldogs: They got 14 saves from Stearns, while Bulldog junior Shailer Evans made 32 stops.