Tufts plays defending national champion Trinity in season opener

The Jumbos are at a crossroads. They have not posted a winning record since the 2011-12 season (12-11-2), yet last year's 9-15-2 regular season finish belies their postseason success. Tufts defeated eventual national champion Trinity 2-1 in the NESCAC quarterfinals before falling to future NCAA tournament semifinalist Amherst 3-2 in the NESCAC semifinals. For a team that had never before won a postseason game, these results were nothing to be scoffed at. The Jumbos hope to build on their performance in last year's postseason in order to legitimately contend for a NESCAC championship. While there is potential for the team to succeed, it could, however, remain mired in mediocrity and post another losing season.

An away game against Trinity on Nov. 20 marks the beginning of Tufts' new season and will provide an excellent measure for how the team is shaping up this season. Although losing six players to graduation — including former all-NESCAC second team defenseman and tri-captain Blake Edwards (LA '15) — significantly decreases the level of experience on the team, the six seniors hope to continue the program's momentum.

"We obviously had some important [players] graduate last year, [and] going into [the season with a game against] the defending national champion -- there’s not really a tougher test going in to start the season," senior co-captain forward Stewart Bell said. "It will be exciting to see where we are...and [to] hopefully get two big points on the road."

Assistant coach Matthew Keating expects the Jumbos to pick up from where they left off in the postseason last year.

"Every year is different," Keating said. "[Trinity has] a different team. We have a different team. Our mentality hasn’t changed. We beat them in the playoffs last year, so why can’t we do it again? Everybody is...picking Trinity again, and nobody is really giving us a shot, so I think that’s motivating us."

The Jumbos return 10 members of the sophomore class this season -- the largest class on the team. Sophomore forward Brian Brown led the team with 13 goals last season and tacked on 10 assists as well. His ability to build or maintain those numbers will be an indicator of how well the Jumbos are doing this year.

"I think we’ve got a good group of [first-years] coming in this year, and everyone who is coming back from last year is going to be expected to build their role up some more," Bell said. "So it will be interesting to see where everyone stands. I think we’ve got a lot of guys who are ready to step up and contribute."

New coach Pat Norton is meeting with players and attempting to build a rapport with them before the season opener. Norton's hiring is a boon for the program, and the players and coaching staff alike are excited.

"Coach Norton is great," senior co-captain defenseman Brian Ouellette said. "He got hired late, so he got thrown into a tough role right away. But he’s really stepped up. He’s been meeting with all of the guys. He tells it how it is, which is great. It’s what we are looking for. He runs good practice and knows the game well, so we are looking forward to seeing how he does in games. And hopefully [we will] get him some good wins."

Keating believes Norton wants the team to play with pace, win and lose with class and be a nuisance to play against.

"You get your coaching philosophies from who you played for and who you coach for, and what you do is you mold it together and become your own coach," Keating said. "[Coach Norton] is one of the only coaches I know who’s coached with the [now retired] Div. I national coach of the year...Bruce Crowder, at Northeastern and the Div. III national coach of the year at Norwich in Mike McShane, so he’s had a lot of people to learn from."

Perhaps the Jumbos' greatest asset is their depth at goalie. Junior Mason Pulde started last year and logged 75 percent of the Jumbos' minutes in goal. His .914 save percentage was eighth in the NESCAC last season.Sophomore Ryan McConnell guarded the net in six games, including in a 4-3 overtime victory over Bowdoin. Sophomore Nik Nugnes is new for the Jumbos in goal this season.

"We have three goalies, and they are all very good," Keating said. "They’re all battling right now, and they’re all competitive. And they are all supporting each other, but at the same time, they are beating each other out. The person who starts will earn it, but they will all get playing time throughout the year because they are all so close and competitive and good."

The Jumbos plan to take the season one game at a time, with the hope of winning a NESCAC championship in the forefront of their minds. Keating believes winning a NESCAC championship is even more difficult than winning a national championship because of the high level of competition in the NESCAC right now.

"Our focus is on winning this league," Ouellette said. "We’ve never done it, but last year really gave us a taste ... One hundred percent our focus right now is getting back to that championship weekend and winning those last two games."