Courtesy Colby Sports Information

Box Score

WATERVILLE, Maine - The Trinity College men's hockey team is headed to the NCAA Tournament after winning the program's second NESCAC Men's Ice Hockey Championship with a 3-2 double overtime victory over Middlebury College on Sunday at Colby College's Alfond Rink. The Bantams (15-10-2) came into the conference tournament as the sixth seed and beat seeds one, two, and three to claim their first title since 2003.

Trinity started the tourney with a win over third-seeded Bowdoin and then knocked off top-seeded Colby by a 2-1 score on Saturday. Middlebury (18-7-2) came into the tourney as the second seed.

Joshua Rich (Palmyra, Pa.) scored 7:07 into the second overtime off assists from Matthew Crum (Clearwater, Fla.) and Riley Hicks (Calgary, Alberta). Rich came around the net and his shot was able to sneak past Middlebury goalie Ross Cherry (Basking Ridge, N.J.) to set off a wild Trinity celebration.

Trinity first-year goalie Wesley Vesprini (Lexington, Mass.), who came up big time and time again in the Colby semifinal win, was up to the task for a second straight day with 33 saves. He made a number of key stops, including two dandy glove saves in the final two minutes of regulation.

Middlebury led twice in the game and took a 1-0 lead at 7:35 of the first period when Scott Bartlett ripped a blast by Vesprini after taking a pass while streaking hard up the center of the ice.

Rich got his first goal of the game at 11:56 of the opening period for Trinity. His shot from a bad angle on the right side trickled past Cherry, who had appeared to lose his stick on the play, and went over the goal line.

The Panthers went up 2-1 after the first period when Mason Graddock tallied at 13:16.

Vesprini kept Middlebury off the scoreboard from that point and the Bantams tied the game at 11:20 of the second period when Christopher Powers (Lynnfield, Mass.), who had an assist on the first Trinity goal, tallied unassisted.

Cherry also was strong in the nets with 37 saves for Middlebury, which will await a possible at-large bid to the NCAA tourney.

The Panthers were going after their fifth straight NESCAC title and eighth in nine years, but Trinity's roll in the playoffs continued. The Bantams took a 4-2 victory at Middlebury in the 2003 title game when they entered as the second seed.

2008 NESCAC MEN’S ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
Quarterfinals - Saturday, March 1 at Higher Seeds
at No. 1 Colby 4, No. 8 Wesleyan 1
at No. 2 Middlebury 6, No. 7 Williams 0
No. 6 Trinity 5, at No. 3 Bowdoin 2
at No. 4 Amherst 3, No. 5 Connecticut College 2 - OT

Semifinals - Saturday, March 8 at No. 1 Colby
No. 6 Trinity 2, at No. 1 Colby 1
No. 2 Middlebury 2, vs. No. 4 Amherst 1

Championship - Sunday, March 9
No. 6 Trinity 3, No. 2 Middlebury 2 - 2OT