Hockey loses both games in NESCAC double-header on road

The Jumbos took a double hit on the road this past weekend in NESCAC play, first versus the Hamilton Continentals in a 5–2 defeat on Friday and then against the Amherst Mammoths in a 4–2 loss the following afternoon. Despite the difficult outcome of the weekend, the Jumbos feel that they have many positive takeaways from both games.

“This past weekend we didn’t get the results we wanted,” senior defenseman and captain Cooper Stahl said. “But there are still a lot of positives to pull out of the weekend, we just need to keep working on the little details.” 

Coming off of a tough battle Friday night, the Jumbos went back and forth with Amherst in a competitive matchup on Saturday. The Mammoths were first on the scoreboard with a goal from senior forward Patrick Daly off an assist from junior forward Nick Bondra and senior forward and co-captain P.J. Conlon. The Jumbos quickly responded to the deficit with a goal from senior forward and assistant captain Ross Delabrueure, assisted by junior forward Mason Babbidge. But Conlon scored again for the Mammoths before the end of the period, which ended 2–1.

Tufts had a strong scoring opportunity halfway through the second period off a power play. Sophomore forward Angus Scott dished to senior forward and assistant captain Anthony Farinacci who took the shot for the Jumbos, but senior goalkeeper Giancarlo Ventre was able to make the save. 

Ten minutes into the second period, Babbdige scored the equalizer while Tufts was down a man during a power play opportunity for Amherst. The Mammoths turned the puck over and Babbidge drove in off a short-handed breakaway, firing a shot from the top of the slot past Ventre.

The Jumbos held the Mammoths at bay in the following five minutes through the Mammoths' two consecutive power play opportunities. Amherst’s junior forward Matteo Mangiardi was able to regain the advantage at the 13:11 mark for Amherst, one-timing a pass from senior forward and co-captain Joey Lupo. Amherst had another power play at the end of the second period, but Tufts was able to maintain the one-goal deficit. 

The Jumbos had three power play opportunities in the third period, but the team was unable to find the back of the net. A shot by Lupo in the opening minute of the period finalized Amherst’s 4–2 victory. 

Despite the close loss, Stahl commented on how the team has been focusing on areas of improvement and that the hard work has been paying off. 

“Our special teams, that is power-play and penalty kill, have really started to click in the past few games,” Stahl said. “That is something we have been spending a lot of time on in practice lately.” 

The previous night, the Jumbos took on the Continentals in Hamilton, N.Y. The first period moved back and forth with neither team able to put one in the back of the net. Tufts had one close attempt at the end of the period; sophomore forward Justin Brandt took a shot that rebounded and was claimed by Farinacci, who followed with a slap shot from the top of the slot, but sophomore goalkeeper Sean Storr made a quick save for Hamilton. 

The second period began with a five-on-three scenario after a double penalty on Tufts at the end of the first. Hamilton capitalized on the opportunity, first scoring at 1:45 with a goal from sophomore defenseman and co-captain Nick Rutigliano, assisted by senior forward and co-captain Nick Ursitti and senior defenseman Bennett Morrison. Just 17 seconds later, the Continentals scored a second time off a goal from senior forward Cameron Radziwon, assisted by first-year forward Fred Allaire. 

Tufts had its own power play opportunity halfway through the second period, lessening the deficit to 2–1 off a goal from Babbidge, who one-timed a pass from Stahl. The goal was Babbdige's fifth of the season. Senior defenseman Cory Gottfried scored the equalizer for the Jumbos at 12:37; sophomore forward Cal LeClair fired a shot, caught his own rebound and dished it to Gottfried who scored his fourth goal of the season. 

The Continentals scored early in the third to take a 3–2 lead. The remainder of the game rapidly switched possession between the two teams without any scoring. The Jumbos pulled sophomore goalkeeper Josh Sarlo in the final minutes of regulation, but Tufts was unable to find the back of the net. The Continentals responded with two empty-netters to make the final score 5–2. 

Tufts fellto 7–14–1 overall and 5–10–1 in the NESCAC, which puts the team in ninth place. The Jumbos need to get to at least eighth place in the tight conference to play in the NESCAC playoffs. 

The Jumbos have back-to-back home games at the Valley Forum this weekend, first competing against Colby on Friday and then against Bowdoin on Saturday afternoon. The Jumbos’ matchup against Bowdoin will honor the seniors on the team in their last home game in regular season competition. 

Gottfried commented on the team’s expectations for the weekend after previously beating both NESCAC competitors earlier in the season.

“The NESCAC is such a competitive league that previous results are in no way indicative of what could happen in the future,” Gottfried said. “Obviously it helps with our confidence, but we are approaching these games the same way we did earlier in the year.”