SOUTH BURLINGTON — The Middlebury Union High School boys’ hockey team last week split a pair of Division I road games. The Tigers are 6-2 heading into two 7 p.m. home games this week, vs. South Burlington on Wednesday and St. Albans on Saturday.
On Wednesday host Rice improved to 4-1-1 by hanging on for a 3-2 victory over the Tigers. The Green Knights scored three times in the first 3:00 of the second period to take the lead, with two of the goals scored by Kieran Connolly.
The Tigers got on the board with a Cooper O’Brien goal with 2:27 left in regulation, assisted by Aaron Larocque and Tucker Stearns, and Bode Rubright’s first varsity goal, assisted by Devon Kearns in the final minute, made it a one-goal game.
Both goalies, the Tigers’ Zeke Hooper and Rice’s Cale Layman, made 24 saves.
On Saturday the Tigers scored five times in the second period, three times in the first 4:16, in a 7-1 victory over host Rutland. Seven Tigers found the net. O’Brien gave the Tigers the lead in the first period; Hale Hescock, Larocque, Kearns, Kolby Farnsworth and Rubright scored in the second; and Ryan Nadeau tacked on a third-period goal. Farnsworth, and Robbie Bicknell recorded two assists apiece. Ben Simpson scored for the 2-5 Raiders.
Tiger goalie Jeffrey Stearns stopped 19 shots, and two Raider goalies combined for 34 saves.