May 14, 2005
MIDDLEBURY, Vt. - The Endicott Gulls (15-4) season came to an end today with a 15-12 NCAA loss to perennial powerhouse Middlebury. The Panthers pulled away in the final minutes of the game scoring the last three goals and breaking a 12-12 tie (with six minutes on the clock) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In a game that was closer than many expected, the Gulls hung tough, never trailing throughout the first half.
Endicott came out strong, taking a 3-1 lead after a goal from Parker Sowles at the 6:27 mark. Jonathan Sisto answered for Middlebury late in the first quarter to cut the lead to 3-2 after one quarter of play. Jeff Pello tied the game for Middlebury early in the second quarter, before the teams each went on two-goal runs to make it a 5-5 game at the halftime break.
Middlebury opened the third quarter on a tear, scoring three goals in 4:22. Burt Fahy scored a man-up goal for Endicott at 9:29 with a nice fake high before scoring with a low shot. Aaron Herter gave Middlebury a 9-6 lead as he scored from the outside with a nice crossing pass from Jamie Duke. Elliot Diesenhaus answered for the Gulls as he scooped up a groundball and fired a low shot into the net. Coviello scored the final goal of the quarter at the 3:04 mark to give Middlebury a 10-7 lead after three quarters.
Mark Foster gave the Panthers a little breathing room with a man-up goal early in the fourth quarter to make it an 11-7 game. The breathing room disappeared quickly as Endicott went on a 4-0 run to tie the game at 11. Dan Ryan backed in for the first goal, Fahy circled the net to score, while Sam Chidester scored the next two, including a great over-the-shoulder shot to tie the game with 6:47 remaining. Coviello answered for Middlebury just 17 seconds later, before Chidester scored eight second later, picking up the ground ball on the face-off before driving to the goal. That would be the Gulls final goal, as Middlebury closed the game on a 3-0 run.
Chidester paced Endicott with four goals, Fahy added three, while Sowles netted two. Ryan Walsh made 17 saves in net.
Portions of story courtesy of Middlebury Sports Information Office
