Ice hockey opens season with doubleheader against Trinity, Wesleyan

The Jumbos took to the road for their season opener on Nov. 17 against their rivals, the Trinity Bantams, before travelling to take on Wesleyan on Saturday. The Jumbos fell 5–1 to the Bantams, but they did not allow the loss to affect their play versus the Cardinals. Tufts tied Wesleyan 3–3 in overtime, with two first-years scoring their first goals as collegiate athletes and first-year goaltender Drew Hotte debuting as a starter. The weekend proved to be very demanding for the Jumbos; however, they look forward to growing as a team and playing Trinity and Wesleyan at home later this season.

Coming off of a tough loss to Trinity the night before, Tufts rebounded well and put forth a solid effort against Wesleyan. Despite three penalties against Tufts and three power-play opportunities for Wesleyan, Tufts came out on top in the first period. The Jumbos dominated on faceoffs and played well defensively. Hotte saved all 19 shots on goal with help from sophomore defenseman Cooper Stahl, who consistently controlled the puck and assisted with transitions. First-year forward Charley Borek had his first college goal, assisted by first-year forward Edward Hannon and senior forward Brian Brown.

Wesleyan tied the game up in the first five minutes of the second period with a goal from senior forward Jordan Jancze. But two penalties on Wesleyan gifted Tufts a five-on-three situation and the team quickly responded with two back-to-back power play goals a minute apart. First-year defenseman Craig Uyeno scored first with no assist, another first career goal for a Tufts first-year. Sophomore forward Machlan Sawden followed with a goal of his own.

The Jumbos lost steam in the third period and were outscored 2–0 by the Cardinals. The game then went into overtime and although the Jumbos maintained control of the puck with three shots on goal to the Cardinals' two, neither team scored.

“It was a good game with a disappointing outcome considering the first half of the game,”sophomore defenseman Cory Gottfried said. “There were way too many penalties. We won a lot of battles but tied the war.”

Tufts recorded nine penalties throughout the game compared to Wesleyan's three. These penalties really challenged the Jumbos’ play; however, Hotte kept the Jumbos on their feet. Hotte recorded 32 saves out of 35 total shots, an impressive feat for his first time on the ice as a college player.

“It is great to have a senior role model like [goaltender] Nik Nugnes who can show me the ropes of college hockey on and off the ice,” Hotte said.

Tufts and Trinity have an ongoing rivalry, adding immense intensity to the season opener. Trinity was the runner up in the NCAA tournament last season, so Tufts expected tough competition.

“When it comes to the Trinity game, both teams really want to win,” Gottfried said. “We always play Trinity in big games, like the playoffs. Last year we beat them in the regular season, but lost to them in the first round of the playoffs. They then went on to almost win a national championship. We knew how good they were and the game was not going to be easy. Coach [Pat Norton] was really excited about the lineup and to see how we would play together with such a young team.”

Trinity earned a quick two-goal lead in the first period, with senior forward Tyler Whitney scoring first, followed by first-year forward Dylan Healey. Tufts recorded two minor penalties this period, but Tufts' defense stopped Trinity from scoring on the power plays.

The Jumbos began to pick up speed in the second period. After Trinity’s junior forward Mark Knowlton picked up a penalty for hooking, Tufts took advantage of the power play and sophomore forward Anthony Farinacci scored the first goal of the season, assisted by classmate forward Tyler Scroggins. This marked the highlight of the game for Tufts. However, the Bantams quickly responded with their own power play goal from senior forward Anthony Sabitsky, assisted by sophomore defenseman Liam Feeney and first-year defenseman James Callahan.

Both teams held out until late in the third period when Trinity put two more quick goals in the back of the net after 15 minutes of play. Trinity’s first-year forward Eric Benshadle scored the first, assisted by Sabitsky and Feeney. Less than two minutes later, junior forward Ryan Pfeffer scored another, assisted by Callahan and senior defenseman Connor Hegarty.

Although the Jumbos were outscored 5–1 in this first game, Nugnes performed well, saving 32 of the 36 shots on goal throughout the game.

“We just have to keep moving forward,” Gottfried said. “It was only our first game and we will be seeing them again later in the season.”

Tufts has a very young team with great potential, as 21 of the 28 players on the roster are first-years or sophomores. First-year defenseman Michael Gordon described his first experience playing college hockey.

“I was nervous at first," Gordon said. "But after a few shifts, I felt really comfortable. It is definitely exciting to be a college hockey player at Tufts.”

Although Tufts did not exactly have the weekend it hoped for with a loss and a tie, there is much to look forward to in the weeks to come.

“It was not the start we were exactly looking for,” Gottfried said. “But on the plus side we started to come together and it is very exciting to see how successful we are going to be throughout the rest of the season”

Tufts' next game is at home today against Babson, its first out-of-conference game. Following the Babson contest, Tufts will travel to the Rutland Herald Invitational in Rutland, Vt. for a game against Brockport on Friday and another game against an opponent to be determined on Saturday.

“We’re all very excited to have Babson coming to Tufts for the first time ever,” sophomore defenseman Cooper Stahl said. “They’re [an] old out of conference program with a strong team and it will be a good test for us. After Babson, we’re looking to excel in the Rutland Herald Invitational over Thanksgiving.”