Tufts surpasses last season's win total with win over break

Tufts kicked off the new year with non-conference losses against the 10-2-2 Oswego St. Lakers and the 8-6-1 St. Scholastica Saints. On Saturday, however, the Jumbos notched their fifth win of the season, defeating the Suffolk Rams 7-4.

After winning just four games in its last season, the hockey program has righted the ship, boasting a 5-6-1 record entering the most important portion of its schedule.

Saturday’s victory over Suffolk began with Tufts sophomore defenseman Sean Kavanagh scoring an unassisted goal after beating junior goalie Brandon Smolarek.

Kavanagh and senior forward Tyler Voigt starred for the Jumbos, with the former finishing with two goals and two assists and the latter scoring once in each period for a hat trick.

Voigt beat Smolarek in the waning minutes of the first period, with Suffolk playing a man down following a boarding penalty committed in the 17th minute.

The Jumbos outshot their opponents 15-7 in the first, and sophomore goalie Mason Pulde continued to shut out the Rams until the fourth minute of the second period, when junior forward Zack Capozza finally got around Pulde and the Jumbos' defense.

“Goaltending [has] definitely [been a positive]. With three younger guys in net this year, it's been really impressive the way they have come in and performed. Our team is confident and excited to play in front of them every night. Our focus right now is on learning to win those close games,” junior tri-captain forward Stewart Bell told the Daily in an email.

Clinging to a dubious 2-1 lead, Voigt, picking up right where he'd left off, beat Smolarek for a second time on yet another powerplay to give the Jumbos a 3-1 lead entering the final period.

Suffolk first-year forward Luke Miller guided the puck past Pulde early in the third to cut the deficit to one, but Tufts’ electric offense quickly eliminated any opportunity for a Suffolk comeback.

Senior tri-captain forward Andrew White scored the Jumbos’ third powerplay goal of the game, and Kavanagh and Voigt both followed suit with their second and third goals of the game, respectively. First-year forward Brian Brown tacked on the game's final goal in the last minute of play on an assist from senior defenseman Shawn Power.

While Suffolk added two late goals, Tufts still won handily courtesy of its seven-goal explosion.

“I think part of the sudden rise in our offensive output has come from just more game experience. It takes time for guys to build chemistry and learn to play together, and with so many new players in our lineup, I think some time was needed to adjust to one another,” senior forward William Sellers told the Daily in an email.

On Jan. 3, Tufts fell to St. Scholastica 9-2 in the PathFinder Bank Oswego Classic. Tufts’ first-year goalies Ross Bendetson and Ryan McConnell were unable to stymie the potent Saints attack led by sophomore forward Derek Sutliffe, first-year forward Luke Simpson and junior forward Dylan Nowakowski.

The game began as a defensive battle with both teams struggling to get shots off, but eventually St. Scholastica senior forward Dave Williams was able to score his fourth goal of the season to break the 0-0 tie. The teams took a combined eight shots in the period as the Saints clung to a 1-0 lead.

St. Scholastica’s offense started to click early in the second period when the team scored three goals in a five-minute span. While Tufts’ offense took 11 shots in the second, St. Scholastica fired 19 and forced the Jumbos into a deep 4-0 hole entering the third period.

The Saints continued their blitzkrieg and would take an 8-0 lead before the Jumbos' first-year forward Scott Majkowski tickled the twine twice with only a few minutes remaining in the game.

Although Tufts fell to St. Scholastica 9-2, it had played much better against Oswego St. the night before. Entering the game, the Lakers were 8-1-2 and had one of the better offenses that the Jumbos have seen thus far. However, for the first 30 minutes of the match, Tufts kept pace, as its defense, anchored by Pulde, thwarted numerous assaults.

At the end of the first, the score was tied at one, but Oswego St. netted the game’s next three goals, givingTufts little chance to come back. The Jumbos received their two goals from Bell and White in the team’s 4-2 loss.

After facing non-conference opponents in six of its last eight games, Tufts will now face only NESCAC teams from here on out. The Jumbos will travel to upstate New York on Friday to face 3-5-4 Hamilton, followed by a Saturday afternoon bout with 9-2-2 Amherst.