Over the weekend, the Tufts ice hockey team battled for the eighth and final spot in the upcoming NESCAC Championship tournament, facing Bowdoin on Friday evening and Colby the following afternoon. In a game that they could not lose if they were to sneak into the postseason, the Jumbos defeated the Polar Bears 4–2 at home, moving past the visitors in the conference standings. Despite Tufts' efforts to carry its winning energy into Saturday, the team fell to Colby in a 3–0 shutout. Nonetheless, Tufts still advanced to the NESCAC tournament, due to Bowdoin’s 7–3 loss to Conn. College on Saturday.
Both Tufts and Colby brought high energy into Saturday’s game, with the latter undefeated in its previous three games and Tufts coming off a major win the previous night. The first period was an aggressive one, with five penalties and 29 total shots between the two sides.However, the scoreboard remained blank until the Mules began to dominate at the end of the frame.Just under 15 minutes in, Colby junior forward Nick O’Connor scored the first goal of the game, with an assist from senior forward and co-captain Phil Klitirinos on a two-on-one break.Less than two minutes later, junior defenseman Thomas Stahlhuth put another one in the back of the net for the Mules, giving them a 2–0 lead going into the second period.
The game slowed in the middle frame, with no scoring for either side. Tufts first-year forward Mason Babbidge hit the post with two minutes left in the period, almost putting the hosts on the board.With Colby still leading 2–0 going into the third, Tufts felt the pressure, but could not come up with a goal.The Mules secured the shutout victory with a strike by senior forward Mario Benicky at the 10:51 mark, off an another assist from Klitirinos.
"We were disappointed about the loss, but it didn’t affect our positioning at all," Tufts senior forward Brian Brown said. "We just kind of want to erase that and take the momentum we had from Friday’s win into the playoffs."
Senior goalie Sean Lawrence made 30 saves for the Mules in his third shutout of the season and the fourth of his career. Tufts senior goalie and co-captain Nik Nugnes made 26 saves before swapping places with senior goalie Ryan McConnell late in the third period — a Senior Day recognition for the latter.McConnell registered four stops in 4:06 of ice time.Brown blocked four shots for Tufts, while sophomore forward Tyler Scroggins gave his team an edge in face-offs, winning 13 individually and contributing to Tufts’ 36–32 advantage at the dot.
The previous night, the Jumbos brought the heat against the visiting Polar Bears, knowing they would not advance to the NESCAC tournament without a win.Babbidge scored a huge goal only 1:05 into the first period, with an assist from first-year forward Brendan Ryan. Despite coming out strong, Tufts receded for the remainder of the first frame, as Bowdoin took control. The Polar Bears fired back with a goal from senior forward and co-captain Matthew Lison at the 15:11 mark off an assist from senior forward Jason Nawrocki. Two minutes later, the visitors put the Jumbos in a 2–1 hole with a goal from sophomore forward Ronnie Lestan, assisted by senior forward Camil Blanchet and junior forward Cody Todesco.
The second period was a fast-paced, back-and-forth struggle, with the teams recording 27 total shots on goal (17 by Tufts). Brown tied it up for the Jumbos with his ninth goal of the year at 14:02, with an assist from senior defenseman and co-captain Dan Kelly.
With the score deadlocked at two going into the third period, the weight of the potentially season-ending game settled in. Just over 15 minutes into the period, the Jumbos took the lead through first-year forward Charley Borek on a goal that was assisted by Scroggins and Brown. Down a goal, Bowdoin pulled first-year goalie Alex Zafonte with 1:31 remaining.Soon after, Tufts sophomore defenseman Cory Gottfried scored his first goal of the season on an open net to secure the clutch 4–2 victory.
"It was a good win," Brown said. "Our playoffs were on the line, and we felt that pressure. It was a playoff atmosphere at our rink, and everyone just went for it."
The game against Bowdoin was Brown’s 100th appearance for the Jumbos, which the senior commemorated with a goal and an assist. Scroggins won 18 of his 30 face-offs, and sophomore defenseman Jordan Haney blocked three shots.
With the win, the Jumbos secured a spot in this weekend's NESCAC tournament.In its first-round game on Saturday, Tufts will visit top-seeded Trinity (17–5–2, 14–3–1 NESCAC), which is ranked eighth in the country. The two teams have met in the conference tournament in each of the last three years, with the Bantams holding a 2–1 edge — including a 4–1 victory last year.
"We know every year we’re going to run into Trinity at some point," Brown said. "So we might as well play them in the first round and knock them out again."
