Tomorrow, the fourth-seeded Jumbos will host their first-ever home NESCAC tournament game, welcoming the fifth-seeded Williams Ephs into Malden Forum in the conference quarterfinals. In the regular season, Tufts split its two-game series with Williams, first falling 4-1 at home before redeeming the loss with a 3-2 overtime victory in Williamstown on Jan. 27.
Last season, the Jumbos missed out on the tournament altogether, but now they are putting in the preparation needed to come out firing on all cylinders.
"Obviously we go game-by-game," junior tri-captain defenseman Nick Metcalfe said. "We have reports on other teams and we practice things during the week, but just knowing that we've played [Williams] before and using the video to pick out plays that we can repeat, we have confidence that we can play our game."
The season has been full of ups and downs for the Jumbos, who finished 9-8-1 in conference play. At times they looked strong, grabbing big NESCAC wins and narrow overtime victories in both conference and out-of-conference play. Other outings were more nightmarish, though, including a 7-1 loss to No. 1 Amherst and a 5-1 defeat at the hands of No. 2 Bowdoin early in the schedule.
"Obviously we had tough games, but every season is like a roller coaster ride," Metcalfe said. "You learn what not to do, and what to do, for upcoming games, and we're going to use what we learned there to approach the game this weekend."
After a six-game unbeaten streak that extended from late January into early February, the Jumbos have struggled of late. Tufts dropped three of its last four games in ugly fashion, suffering each defeat by six goals or more and getting outscored 23-2 by Amherst, Hamilton and Bowdoin. Tufts' inability to win toward the end of the season allowed Middlebury to clinch the No. 3 seed.
"[Amherst, Hamilton, and Bowdoin] are all great teams, but I think the biggest problem we had over those three games was we got ourselves into penalty trouble so we were shorthanded a lot," senior tri-captain Matt Amico said. "When you give teams like Bowdoin and Amherst opportunities on the power play, they're going to cash in very frequently."
While their opponents capitalized on power plays, the Jumbos struggled to take advantage of mistakes.
"We also just got into a little bit of a funk where we were getting opportunities but we couldn't put the puck in the net, and you get to that point where you start gripping a little bit tighter on the stick and everybody gets a little bit frustrated," Amico said.
Despite the late-season slip, coach Brian Murphy's Jumbos went out on a strong note in their last outing, earning a 3-2 victory over Colby to clinch home ice for this weekend's contest. While the Jumbos are just 5-5 at the Malden Forum this winter, they doubled their win percentage in the conference from last season's dismal 5-14 mark and achieved their highest-ever finish in the NESCAC standings.
"We've really just tried to calm everybody down and relax and work on finishing opportunities," Amico said. "We're making sure that we put everything in the back of the net when we have the chance. Going forward that's going to be a big key for us."
The Jumbos are led by a strong corps of freshmen, including forward Tyler Voigt and defensemen Shawn Power and Blake Edwards — all of whom rank among the team's top six scorers — and sophomore Kyle Gallegos, who is the Jumbos' leading scorer with 16 goals and nine assists.
"The freshmen have really been an accomplished class. They've done more than most classes I can remember coming in," Amico said. "But I think the biggest thing that I see in the difference this season is the attitude. From the goaltender on out, the freshmen to the seniors, everybody made the commitment that we were going to make the sacrifices on and off the ice to accomplish our goals, and we were able to take a big step forward with the program."
Senior tri-captain goalie Scott Barchard, who returned after an ankle injury last season, has been sensational, posting 770 saves for a .922 percentage. Although Murphy pulled Barchard in Tufts' penultimate regular season contest — a 9-2 home loss to Bowdoin during which Murphy utilized all three of his eligible keepers — the defense will rely on him to make big stops in the most important game they've played in a long time.
"Having Scotty in between the net is always a great thing for our team because it gives guys the confidence that they can take an extra chance here and there," Amico said. "You know what you're going to get from him every single day, and he comes to play and compete. He's able to do some pretty special things between the pipes."
The Ephs enter their rubber match with the Jumbos after an 8-8-2 season in the NESCAC. Their conference record includes just one win and one tie against the four teams seeded higher than they are. Williams ranks fourth in both offensive and defensive scoring but has been less impressive in power play and penalty kill situations, where they rank seventh and sixth in the conference, respectively.
Like the Jumbos, the Ephs have gone cold lately, losing six of their last eight contests and tying a seventh to a weak Conn. College team. With the advantage of home ice, the Jumbos appear to have the edge going into their third bout with the Ephs.
"The beauty of the NESCAC is that it is so competitive, but we competed with almost every team in the league this season," Amico said. "We're confident going into the playoffs that we can compete with anybody left in the tournament, so it's a really exciting time."
The Jumbos are most successful when holding opponents to two scores or fewer. If Tufts allows Williams to go on a goal-scoring run, the likes of which Bowdoin, Hamilton, and Amherst recently had at the Jumbos' expense, the hosts may find themselves on thin ice.
In what will be a culmination of a season's-worth of hard work, the Jumbos are ready to seize the moment.
"From day one in practice we set the goal that we wanted to have a home playoff game, and that was what we were really shooting for all season," Amico said. "We're going into every day not trying to change too much up. We want to keep the same rhythm that we've been in all season, and especially for us seniors we're trying to enjoy the ride and the time we have left. We have a special opportunity that not a lot of Tufts teams have had in the past, so we're really trying to take full advantage and extend the season while we have the opportunity."
