Ice hockey shuts out Saint Anselm in first win after dropping opening three games

The Jumbos got off to a slow start in their 2018–19 campaign, losing their first three games to tough opponents. Tufts finally got into the win column in its fourth game of the season with a 3–0 victory over Saint Anselm that it hopes will kicks the season into gear and provide some momentum.

The Jumbos traveled to Goffstown, N.H. on Friday to take on the Hawks (6–5).Tufts was able to find the offense it had been lacking in its first few games, capitalizing on several chances to notch a comfortable 3–0 win against the Hawks. Tufts only narrowly edged Saint Anselm in shots on net, 25–21, but the hosts were unable to get the puck past Tufts sophomore goaltender Drew Hotte.

First-year defenseman Rune Kirby recorded the Jumbos' first goal of both the game and his young college career just over 12 minutes into the first period. Tufts padded its lead a little more than two minutes later when junior forward Anthony Farinacci potted his first goal of the season. First-year forward Nick Schultze put icing on the Jumbos' cake late in the second period, netting his first goal in a Tufts sweater to spot the visitors a 3–0 lead.

The win ended a three-game losing start to the season, which Schultze hopes will propel the team into the remainder of its schedule.

"We are definitely heading in the right direction," Schultze said. "I think as a team, we've just got to stay consistent and put in a solid 60 minutes every game — I think that is what we need to focus on from here on out."

The Jumbos traveled to Wellesley, Mass. to take on the then-No. 13 Babson Beavers (7–2–1) on Nov. 20. Tufts scored its first goal of the season when first-year forward Justin Brandt netted the first goal of his career to put the team up 1–0 early in the second period. From that point on, however, things turned decidedly in Babson’s favor. Less than a minute after Brandt’s goal, Babson first-year forward Matt Wiesner found the back of the net for his seventh goal of the season, tying the game at one apiece. Babson tacked on three more goals over the final two periods of play, with two coming on the power play, to hand Tufts a 4–1 loss.

Three days earlier, the Jumbos took on the Wesleyan Cardinals (2–2) in their second game of the year. Tufts' offensive struggles were again clear, as the team was ultimately unable to get the puck past Wesleyan junior goaltender Tim Sestak (19 saves). The Jumbos earned three power-play opportunities against the Cardinals but were unable to capitalize on any of them.

Nonetheless, Tufts' defense and goaltending looked strong against Wesleyan, as Hotte saved 28 of 29 shots. The Jumbos' penalty kill stifled the visitors' power-play unit on three separate occasions, but a second-period goal from junior forward Spencer Fox while the Cardinals were on the man-advantage was all they needed in a 1–0 victory.

Tufts opened the season on Nov. 16 against the No. 10 Trinity Bantams (4–0–1), a consistently powerful team that boasted the best regular season record in the NESCAC last year.The Jumbos struggled against a superior Bantams side, as they were outshot 40–20 and outscored 3–0.

Tufts found itself on the power play twice against Trinity but was again unable to find the back of the net on either occasion. Meanwhile, the Bantams opened the scoring with junior defenseman Andy Chugg's power-play goal just over five minutes into the first period. Despite being outshot 30–12 in the first two periods, Tufts held its own into the second frame, staying within one goal of the Bantams. The Bantams secured the victory with two goals in the first six minutes of the final period, however, with goals from junior defenseman Nick Fiorentino and junior forward Barclay Gammill that consigned the Jumbos to defeat in their opening game.

Despite its 11 power-play opportunities this season, Tufts remains the only NESCAC team without a goal on the man-advantage. The Jumbos' penalty kill has also struggled, as they have successfully killed nine of their opponents' 13 power plays, good for a 69.2 percent penalty kill rate — the second-lowest mark in the conference.

With the team's difficulties in man-up and man-down situations, it was obvious to coach Pat Norton what Tufts must improve on moving forward.

"I think the No. 1 goal for all of our games ... for us, [is] getting our power play to find some production and improve and tighten up on our penalty kill," Norton said. "I think if we do both of those things, I think 5-on-5 we'll find our opportunities."

The Jumbos will look to start a winning streak on Tuesday night when they face the St. Michael's Purple Knights (1–6–1) team at home.Tufts will then travel to Williamstown, Mass. on Friday to take on Williams (3–1).