Ice hockey falls to 2 NESCAC opponents on home ice

Tufts hockey took a double hit this past weekend in NESCAC play on home ice at the Valley Forum, first losing to Hamilton 4–1 on Friday and then falling to Amherst 5–2 on Saturday. The Jumbos drop to an overall 4–10 record, 2–6 in conference play. 

"We obviously aren't getting the results we want right now," senior forward Ross Delabruere said. "We know the guys we have in the locker room are the right group to go on a run to finish out the season. We're excited about what is in front of us."

The Jumbos struck first on Saturday afternoon’s game against the Mammoths. Sophomore forward Calvin LeClair found junior forward Mason Babbidge during a change, who fired a shot past Amherst’s first-year goalkeeper Dan Dachille to give Tufts a 1–0 lead eight minutes into the first period. The goal was Babbidge’s second of the season.

The Mammoths tied it up six minutes later with a two-on-one play by sophomore forward Mitchell Shults. Shults received a pass from first-year forward Connor Merrill and sent the puck past junior goalkeeper Drew Hotte to score the equalizer. Despite Amherst outshooting Tufts 15–9 in the first period, the score remained tied 1–1 going into the second. 

The Mammoths came out aggressively in the second period, taking the lead seven minutes in. Hotte saved a shot from senior forward and co-captain PJ Conlon, but the rebound found junior forward Nick Bondra who passed it to junior defenseman Pieter von Steinbergs. Von Steinbergs’ shot sailed past Hotte as the Mammoths claimed the 2–1 advantage. 

Conlon found the back of the net exactly seven minutes later with a shot to the top left of the goal, strengthening the Mammoths lead to 3–1 at the 13:36 mark. Less than one minute later, the Mammoths added even more insurance with a second goal from von Steinbergs to make the score 4–1 at the end of the second. 

Tufts attempted a comeback in the third, with a quick shot from Delabruere finding the back of the net just 32 seconds into the period. The goal was Delabruere’s first of the season. Despite an increase in momentum from the Tufts bench, Amherst scored a fifth time three minutes later for Conlon's second goal of the game. Neither team scored for the remainder of the game. 

"We have a lot of hockey left in the season," senior forward Blake McIntyre said. "It's important for us to keep our heads up and continue forward in the right direction."

Tufts took on Hamilton the previous night, taking a 4–1 loss. Junior forward Jon Beniers scored the first goal of the game off a rebounded shot about three minutes into play, giving the Continentals an early lead. With three Jumbos penalties in the first period, the Continentals had plenty of opportunities to further their lead in power play action. First-year forward Nick Hawkins scored the second goal of the game for Hamilton in the latter end of the first with a man advantage. 

Sophomore forward Brendan Skarda built some momentum for the Jumbos with his third goal of the season late in the second to make the score 2–1. Despite continual effort by the Jumbos, they were unable to tie the score in the second. 

With just over six minutes left in regulation, Beniers scored his second goal of the game to further the Continentals' lead by two goals at 3–1. Junior forward Charley Borek was sent to the penalty box for the Jumbos shortly after the goal, offering the Continentals a power play opportunity. Hamilton capitalized on the opportunity with a goal from sophomore forward Jodi Jefferson to finish the game off at 4–1. 

The Jumbos outshot the Continentals 30–23 in regulation play, but were unable to come up with more than one goal. The Jumbos are looking to turn their three-game losing streak around this weekend when they will host the Wesleyan Cardinals on Friday at 7 p.m. and the Trinity Bantams on Saturday at 4 p.m.

"We took steps in the right direction this past weekend," Babbidge said. "We can't wait to start playing our best hockey down the home stretch."