AMHERST, Mass. – Junior Bennett Chow notched a hat trick and Alex Giacobbe tallied two goals and an assist, but a strong fourth-quarter push lifted Middlebury College to a 10-8 win over Amherst College in the NESCAC Quarterfinals Saturday afternoon at Pratt Field at Lehrman Stadium.

In a hard-fought and tightly contested game, the Mammoths rallied from a two-goal halftime deficit to take a brief lead in the third quarter, but the Panthers outscored Amherst 3-1 in the final frame to seal the win and advance to the NESCAC semifinals.

Amherst came out strong in the opening quarter, striking first at 9:36 when Chow finished off a feed from Alex Vlacich to give the Mammoths a 1-0 advantage. Middlebury answered late in the frame, as Russell Thorndike ripped a long-range shot to tie the game 1-1 heading into the second.

Middlebury grabbed momentum in the second quarter, taking a 2-1 lead on Finn McCarthy's goal off a pass from Patrick Jamin. Amherst pulled even when Giacobbe finished a slick feed from Bob Gross with 5:39 left, but the Panthers responded quickly. Jamin scored unassisted just 33 seconds later, and James Farinacci added another goal late in the quarter to push Middlebury ahead 4-2 at halftime.

The Mammoths flipped the script in the third quarter, unleashing a surge of offense. Gross opened the half with an unassisted goal, followed by another from Chow to tie the game at 4-4. Giacobbe gave Amherst its first lead since the first quarter with a solo effort midway through the frame. However, Middlebury answered with back-to-back unassisted goals from John McCarthy and Billy Curtis to retake the lead, 6-5.

The wild quarter continued as Vlacich scored off a beautiful setup from Giacobbe to tie the game at 6-6, but Curtis found the net again to give the Panthers a 7-6 edge. Chow completed his hat trick in the final minute of the quarter, burying a pass from Willie Doyle to send the teams into the fourth tied 7-7.

Middlebury controlled the final frame, with Thorndike completing his hat trick on back-to-back goals — the first assisted by Curtis and the second by Logan White — to give the Panthers a 9-7 lead. Cooper DeMallie stretched the lead to three with 5:18 remaining. Amherst continued to fight, as Vlacich found the back of the net off a feed from Brendan Reilly with 50 seconds to play, but the Panthers held on for the 10-8 victory.

Amherst dropped to a record of 10-5 and will wait to see if they advance to the NCAA DIII Tournament. 

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

* Amherst opened the scoring when Chow took a feed from Vlacich and finished on the doorstep.

* After Middlebury tied it late in the first, the Panthers used a 3-1 second quarter to take a 4-2 lead at halftime.

* Amherst stormed back in the third quarter behind unassisted goals from Gross, Chow, and Giacobbe to briefly take a 5-4 lead.

* Middlebury answered with a critical two-goal swing before Chow's third tied it up again at 7-7 heading into the fourth.

* Thorndike's back-to-back goals early in the fourth proved to be the difference as the Panthers pulled away.

BY THE NUMBERS:

* Amherst outshot Middlebury 46-42 and won 11 of 22 faceoffs.

* Chow led the Mammoths with three goals, while Giacobbe posted two goals and one assist.

* Vlacich contributed two goals and one assist, and Gross added a goal and an assist.

* Defensively, Amherst forced 17 turnovers and picked up 30 ground balls.