MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury Union High School boys’ hockey team clinched a Division I home quarterfinal on Wednesday, the final day of the regular season, by upsetting first-place Essex, 2-1, at the Memorial Sports Center.
The 9-8-3 Tigers earned the No. 4 seed in D-I and will host No. 5 South Burlington (8-11-1) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. A win over the Wolves would almost certainly mean a rematch with No. 1 Essex (15-3-2). The date and time of that semifinal has yet to be determined.
The Tigers split a pair of games vs. South Burlington during the regular season, winning at home, 4-2, and losing on the road, 2-1.
In this past Wednesday’s game vs. Essex, the Tigers took the lead on Bode Rubright’s first-period goal, assisted by Abel Anderson and Hale Hescock. Kolby Farnsworth’s unassisted strike 45 seconds into the second period proved to be the game-winner.
Hornet Jonah Jamari made it 2-1 later in the second period, but that was the only puck that got past Tiger goalie Jeffrey Stearns (27 saves). Essex goalie Sam Foster made 22 saves.