Overtime playoff hockey is about as exciting as sports can get, and No. 5 seeded Tufts continued to prove that with their 2–1 win over No. 4 seeded Bowdoin in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC tournament on Saturday.
The Jumbos had to play like their season was on the line — because it was — and the Polar Bears were fighting just as hard to move on to keep their season alive. The energy that comes with playoffs is unmatched and brings teams together. With a NESCAC semifinal and a potential NESCAC championship game coming up, that competitive mentality is only going to increase.
“When we are at our best, we’re playing as a team, we’re playing for the guy next to you,” senior forward Tyler Sedlak said. “There’s not really anybody playing for themselves. I think the past two weeks, we’ve really known that we’ve come together as a team. … All we want to do is win. Nobody cares if they score; we just want to be the one that comes out on top.”
Beyond wanting to just come out on top of the NESCAC tournament on Saturday, the Jumbos were playing so that they could continue their season, which was especially important for the team’s seniors.
“Being so close with the senior class and [with] the whole team, all you want is another week with the guys,” junior forward Max Resnick said. “So my whole thought process was just to do anything [I] can to help those guys win because I know the [seniors] just want more time being a hockey player.”
The Jumbos brought all of this energy right away. They started off strong, taking four shots on goal within the first three minutes of the game.
“I think that the amount of O-zone time that we had, and our ability to send pucks towards their goalie and force him to make saves was extremely important, especially in the first few minutes of the game,” Sedlak explained.
All of this offensive pressure paid off for junior forward Harrison Bazianos, who scored four minutes into the game with the help of Sedlak and Resnick.
The Polar Bears followed with a goal later in the first period to bring the score to a tie that would hold for the rest of regulation. The Jumbos’ defense and goaltending were essential for them through the next two periods. Junior goalie Gus Bylin made 39 saves out of 40 attempts throughout the game.
The second and third periods saw contentious back-and-forth play but no goals from either side. As the third period came to a close, the Jumbos picked up their shooting pace, but they couldn’t do anything to keep the game from going into overtime.
“You’re definitely a little nervous on the bench going into the overtime period, but for us, in our locker room, we had a little swagger,” Resnick said. “I feel like we knew deep inside someone was going to get one and we were going to win this game and I feel like we deserved to win it.”
“It’s definitely stressful and you don’t want to make a mistake … but at the same time, I think it’s the funnest thing in the world,” sophomore forward Trace Norwell said. “I don’t think anything else can compare to the pressure and the plays and having to do them all well, knowing your season could be on the line.”
The overtime period started with the same back-and-forth play that characterized most of the second and third periods. When Tufts got possession after a tough forecheck, sophomore forward Jon Horn made a pass to Norwell, who fired the puck into the corner of the net and scored to send Tufts to the NESCAC semifinals at Colby this weekend.
“It’s always nice to score the goal, but one of the biggest things leading up to the game was that we’re just trying to play for one more week at a time,” Norwell said. “To be able to give the guys, especially the seniors, one more week to be with us meant a lot to me.”
Tufts has had a tough time against Colby this season, including an overtime loss near the end of their regular season.
“We owe them one,” Resnick said. “[Colby] swept us this year, and I thought we outplayed them in both games, but they also pushed back. I think it’s going to be a tough fight, but I’m excited for Saturday. If we stay on our structure and limit our mistakes, I think we’ll come out on top.”
Tufts has never won a NESCAC Championship — they were the NESCAC runner-ups last season after losing to Trinity in the championship game. The Jumbos will play the Mules in the NESCAC semifinals at Hamilton College on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. If they win, Tufts will go on to play either No. 1 seeded Hamilton or No. 7 seeded Middlebury.
“It’s a stressful weekend coming up, but at the same time, it’s so exciting just to be in this place,” Sedlak said. “To have the opportunity to win the NESCAC is extremely important and cool for us. That’s your goal at the beginning of the year, and we’re two games away from that.”
