BRUNSWICK, Maine - The Bowdoin College men's ice hockey team beat Middlebury for the first time since 2007 in a 5-0 blanking of the Panthers on Saturday afternoon at Watson Arena.

The surging Polar Bears improve to 10-4-2 (8-2-2 NESCAC) and are 5-0-1 in their last six games and 7-0-1 in their last eight NESCAC contests. The Panthers fall to 7-6-2 (6-4-0 NESCAC) and have been shut out twice in their last three outings.

First-year John McGinnis scored twice for Bowdoin while Steve Messina made 21 saves between the pipes. Dan Fullam stopped 27 shots for the Panthers in the loss.

Bowdoin wasted little time getting on the board as Erik Olson's shot from the point went under the outstretched glove of Fullman at 2:08. Bowdoin doubled its lead shortly before intermission when Harry Matheson's ninth goal of the season came on the power play with 1:08 left in the frame.

McGinnis' first goal of the night came 4:42 into the second stanza after a nice centering feed from Ryan Carney. Connor Quinn scored the fourth goal of the afternoon on a breakaway at 14:01, knocking home a rebound after Fullam's initial save. McGinnis gathered a Middlebury turnover and quickly snapped a shot past Fullam at 4:36 of the third period to round out the scoring.

Bowdoin held a 32-21 edge in shots and went 1-5 on the power play. Middlebury went scoreless in five chances with the extra man. The victory snaps a six-game losing streak by Bowdoin to Middlebury dating back to January of 2007 and including a pair of NESCAC title game losses. The Polar Bears held Middlebury scoreless for the first time in the rivalry since a 0-0 tie in February of 1998.