The frustrations of an inconsistent semester continued on Tuesday for the men's ice hockey team with a 5-2 loss to UMass-Boston. The team that entered winter break with an unblemished record of 7-0, outscoring opponents 51-13, is only 4-4 in the new year. Though certainly the semester has had its thrilling moments - a triumphant 6-5 win against then-undefeated Johnson and Wales in overtime and a 5-2 thumping of Lebanon Valley in front of a raucous home crowd last Friday - but there have also been plenty of disappointing losses. In fact, for every stellar effort showcasing the talented squad, there has been an equally unconvincing response.
The reason: "I'm not really sure," said head coach Brian Murphy. "Obviously if I or the coaching staff knew, the problem would be fixed. It does seem to me that we think we have a switch we can just turn on and off whenever we choose, and that is clearly not the case."
Forward and tri-captain Natan Obed shed further light. "We're entering a time where we play an incredibly dense schedule," he said. "During the first semester we would play a game and have a week off. Now I think we have eight games in the next 16 days. We need to understand, and we don't yet, that desire must come every game. We're going through the motions. We need a change of mentality, we can't take games off."
While everyone agreed Umass-Boston was more talented than its sub-.500 record, the sloppiness of the Jumbos' play was surprising.
"They are a well-coached, hard-working team," Obed said. "They are no pushover, don't get me wrong, but we should have done better. We at least should have been in the game."
Murphy echoed his captain's sentiments. "We did not come ready to play. From the drop of the puck our guys were standing around. Guys weren't playing the system. Our success revolves around aggression and intensity, and both of those things were absent last night."
Although the Jumbos showed no life from the beginning, the second period began with the score knotted at two. Pat Byrne and Jason Boudrow, the team's most productive goal scorers, netted the first period goals. Things fell apart in the second when a plethora of Jumbo-sized errors resulted in three UMass-Boston goals. The Jumbos awoke from their slumber in the third but were unable to convert several scoring opportunities.
"We actually came out alright in the third, but their goalie made some big saves and we blew some other opportunities," Obed lamented.
Luckily for Tufts, the schedule does not allow for a long sulking period. The Jumbos return to action tonight against a Curry team that has yet to win a game. Murphy is nonetheless cautious about the game.
"We expect a better effort against Curry. We'll lose if we don't get one. Curry's lack of success is tricky. This is not a team that has been blown out a lot this season. They've been in a lot of tight, nip and tuck games. You have to remember, we are a good team, and for a team like Curry, a win against us makes its entire season. We have to be careful and bring intensity."
"These games always seem to give us trouble," Obed said. "I just hope we respond."
The Jumbos have a talented squad; nobody has any doubt about that. Perhaps this lull will prove educational, allowing the Jumbos to realize they can beat anyone while clicking on all cylinders, but without intensity they can just as easily be disposed of. Although concerned, the coaching staff, led by Murphy, is not overly concerned.
"Nobody's hitting the panic button yet," Murphy said. "We'll be fine, I just hope we've taken something away from these losses."
