Middlebury’s Owen Powers scored with 2:45 left in the third period, lifting the Panthers past Johnson & Wales 3-2 in the opening round of the Middlebury Holiday Classic on Saturday. Middlebury (5-3-1) faces #15 Hobart in the championship at 4:00 p.m., while the Wildcats (3-8-2) skate in the consolation game at 1:00 p.m. Hobart advanced with a 4-2 win over #11 University of New England.
The hosts had the early edge in shots and nearly broke through for the game’s initial goal in the midway stages of the opening period. Cole Joslin swept a shot on goal from the slot
