Sophomore Scott Barchard has been a stalwart in net for the ice hockey team ever since earning the starting job as a freshman last season. So even his record−setting weekend, which featured 52− and 63−save performances, should not have come as too much of a surprise to opposing teams.
Barchard helped the Jumbos dispatch New England College (NEC) 3−1 and Saint Anselm College 4−3 this weekend, stretching their current winning streak to four games in the process.
On Saturday, Tufts faced a tough conference opponent in Saint Anselm. In a wild game that featured seven goals, a hat trick and an overtime period, Barchard's program−record 63 saves played a big part in lifting the Jumbos to their fourth straight victory.
Tufts jumped out to a 3−0 lead, with Barchard a stone wall in net for much of the game. After making 58 saves, the sophomore was finally beaten when Coleman Noonan scored a shorthanded goal with just less than six minutes to play in the third, making the game 3−1. Sullivan Arena cheered as Noonan cashed in two more times to tie the game at 3−3 with 1:20 left to go.
Senior tri−captain Dave Antonelli gave the Hawks credit for their miraculous comeback but attributed some of the blame to defensive breakdowns and fatigued players. Antonelli felt that the puck was pinned in the Jumbos' end for too much of the game, as evidenced by Saint Anselm's 66 shots on goal compared to Tufts' 29 — including a 26−9 disparity in the third period.
While defensive lapses may have led to overtime, the Jumbos quickly put the game to rest. Two minutes into the extra stanza, junior Zach Diaco silenced the Hawks' comeback with a blazing slap shot from the blue line to secure Tufts the overtime victory. Assisting on the overtime winner was senior Cory Korchin.
"Four points is a great weekend, especially with two hard−fought games like that," Korchin said. "There are some things we need to work on, but overall you can't ask for more than two road wins."
Junior tri−captain Dylan Cooper started the scoring for Tufts just 33 seconds into the contest on a nice feed by fellow junior forward Mike Vitale. Less than three minutes later, senior forward Mike Fitoussi deflected first−year Nick Metcalfe's slap shot from the point to increase the Jumbos' lead to 2−0. Tufts chased Hawks junior goaltender Alex Wyse from between the pipes, forcing fellow junior Kevin Fairweather to play in relief. With only a couple of minutes left to play in the first stanza, freshman Dylan Plimmer added his second goal of the year to give the Jumbos a 3−0 lead going into the first intermission.
Despite Saint Anselm's late comeback, the Jumbos again nullified their opponent's man−advantage time, going seven for seven on the penalty kill on Saturday to bring their weekend numbers to a perfect 12 for 12 on the PK.
Friday's game at New England College saw more than half an hour of scoreless play before senior Doug Wilson broke the deadlock, beating Pilgrims junior goalie Aaron Harvey on the power play to take a 1−0 lead. After two periods of play, the Jumbos only managed to put 12 shots on net, whereas the Pilgrims had already taken 40 shots, 27 of those coming in the second period.
Six minutes into the third period, Cooper laced a pass to freshman Trevor John, setting the defenseman up for his third goal of the season and second point of the game. With the Jumbos' lead already at 2−0, Metcalfe potted his first of the season to put Tufts ahead 3−0 with half a period left to play.
Barchard's spotless performance was sullied by the Pilgrims' Geoff Shewmake, who slid a shot past the Jumbos' goaltender to end his shutout with 3:46 to play. However, despite allowing 53 shots on goal, Tufts was able to hold on for the 3−1 victory against conference foe NEC.
"Part of it is the way our system is, we're going give up a lot of shots," Antonelli noted. "When we play on the road, the shot numbers are going to be a little bit inflated though. Scottie has played great, and he definitely helped us out a lot this weekend."
The Jumbos' perfect five−for−five day on the penalty kill helped bring Tufts' current PK percentage up to a pristine 85.7. But Barchard's play was undoubtedly the story of the weekend, as he stopped 115 of the 119 shots he saw at NEC and Saint Anselm. Barchard's stellar .953 save percentage this season ties him for best in the NESCAC and for second overall in all of Div. III.
On the other side of the puck, Antonelli credits the Jumbos' offensive success to their depth.
"All the guys are chipping in and making big plays for us," Antonelli said.
The Jumbos will face their travel partner Conn. College on Saturday at the Valley Forum. But Tufts will be riding its four−game win streak as well as a five−game unbeaten streak in overtime games. And with the Camels at 1−5 overall, the Jumbos are primed to head into the winter break on the heels of a fifth straight victory.
