MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Hamilton College's
Max Bulawka '26 scored two goals and the Continentals cruised to a 5-1 NESCAC win against the Middlebury College Panthers inside Middlebury's Kenyon Arena on Friday, Dec. 8.
Season Update
- Hamilton (6-1, 3-1 NESCAC) has given up more than one goal just twice in its first seven games.
- The Panthers (1-4-2, 1-3-1) dropped their second straight game.
How It Happened
- The Continentals jumped on top just 91 seconds into the first period. Ben Zimmerman '26 faked a shot and sent a pass from the right faceoff circle across the slot to the left faceoff circle where Luke Tchor '27 hammered a one-timer into the open net.
- Justin Biraben '27 made it 2-0 with 8:19 left in the first. Devon de Vries '27 put a backhand shot on net from the slot that was stopped and Biraben poked in the rebound from the right post.
- Zimmerman gave Hamilton a three-goal cushion on a short-handed goal with 2:02 remaining in the period. He passed to himself off the left-side boards in the neutral zone and a 2-on-1 breakaway formed. Zimmerman kept the puck and scored on a wrist shot from the right side of the dot in the left faceoff circle.
- Middlebury tallied its only goal three seconds after the Panthers' power-play chance expired with 1:13 to go in the first.
- Bulawka had the only goals during the last 40 minutes. Early in the second period he carried the puck from his defensive zone into the attacking zone and passed to a teammate in the left faceoff circle. Bulawka crashed the net and tipped in a shot 4:00 into the second.
- The Continentals clinched the victory with 4:01 left in the third period. Biraben caused a turnover in Middlebury's defensive zone and passed to de Vries, who sent a backhand pass from the bottom of the right faceoff circle to Bulawka in the low slot. Bulawka's one-timer found the back of the net for the 5-1 final result.
Notes
- Bulawka, who added seven faceoff wins and two blocked shots, leads the team with five goals and nine points. The multi-goal game is his first at Hamilton.
- Biraben scored his first collegiate goal and recorded his team-leading fifth assist.
- Zimmerman boasted a goal and an assist after recording points in each of the first four games this season.
- Tchor has at least one point in six straight games.
- The multi-point game for de Vries, who had two assists, was his second.
- Charlie Archer '25 made 10 of his 21 saves in the third period. Archer has a 1.00 goals against average and .964 save percentage in five starts.
- Jake Horoho turned away 35 shots for the Panthers.
- The Continentals were 0-for-5 on the power play but scored the short-handed goal. Middlebury was 0-for-2 on its power play.
- Hamilton is unbeaten in its last three games against the Panthers.
Next Game
The Continentals are at Williams College (1-6, 1-4) for another conference contest on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 3 p.m.