To finish off what has been an up−and−down and at times disappointing regular season, the ice hockey team went on a road trip to Vermont, where it faced conference foes St. Michael's and Norwich. Much like the rest of its season, Tufts' results were mixed: a 6−3 defeat to Norwich on Feb. 19 and a 5−3 victory over St. Michael's on Feb. 18, which left the team's final season record at 6−16−1.
The game against Norwich on Saturday was expected to be tough, as the Cadets were on an eight−game winning streak and had just clinched their 13th consecutive ECAC title. But Tufts battled from the outset and jumped out to an early 1−0 lead after a goal from senior forward Mike Vitale. Norwich managed to take a 2−1 lead, but Tufts fought its way back into the game, tying the score with freshman forward Kyle Gallegos' 15th goal of the season.
"We were on a power play, and [senior forward Tom] Derosa got pressured in the neutral zone, so he just threw the puck to me at the blue line," Gallegos said. "There were two defenders in front of me, but I managed to slip through them and put the puck in between the goalie's arm and his body for the goal."
In the second period, however, Norwich controlled the game and acted like true conference heavyweights. Freshman defenseman Francois Gatien put the Cadets in front for good with a power−play goal at the 11:50 mark of the second period, and sophomore forward Pier−Olivier Cotnoir completed his hat trick as Norwich stormed ahead to a 5−2 lead that it never relinquished.
"Norwich has just incredible depth and plays the game at such a high speed," senior quad−captain forward Dylan Cooper said. "It's so hard to play against them because they can attack at any moment."
Saturday's matchup was the final game for the seven seniors on the roster, including three quad−captains — Cooper, senior defenseman Andy Davis and Derosa. The seniors will be remembered fondly for their careers, highlights of which included NESCAC tournament appearances in 2009 and 2010.
"It's everything to have those guys around you, supporting us and leading us throughout the season," Gallegos said. "They've been incredible, and it's been amazing having them around."
The loss to Norwich was made less painful by the fact that Tufts managed to capture its sixth win of the season on the previous day, a 5−3 victory over St. Michael's. The game followed a similar offensive pattern for Tufts: Vitale poked home the first goal, while Gallegos blasted home the second. The difference was at the other end of the ice, though. The Jumbos managed to keep the Purple Knights off the score sheet at critical moments and never relinquished their lead in the game.
"Kyle is an incredible offensive weapon, and he can create a scoring chance out of nothing," Cooper said. "It doesn't matter who's playing with him on a line — he is always going to find a way to create opportunities. That goal he scored against Norwich was one of the best I've seen the whole season, and he played well against St. Michael's too."
Gallegos has unquestionably been one of the few very bright spots during the season and has emerged as one of the star forwards on the team. Gallegos led the Jumbos with 15 goals in only 20 games played, which represents a remarkable 22.7 percent of Tufts' 66 goals scored on the season.
"This season motivates me even more for next year because I know I can be successful here," Gallegos said. "I just want to continue that progress into next season and beyond."
