Hockey team continues playoff push this weekend

Last Saturday, the men's hockey team picked up their first win since Jan. 17 as they escaped Malden Arena with a 4-3 triumph over Southern Maine. The Jumbos and their fans can only hope that such a win can be a stepping stone towards the consistency the team has lacked all season long. The Jumbos face the test of consistency as team travels to Babson College in Wellesley tonight for a 7 p.m. tilt and goes to UMass-Boston for a 3 p.m. game tomorrow.

Continuing with the season's ongoing theme, the squad is looking for redemption after losses to both these squads last season. On their way to a 6-17 record last season, the Jumbos lost 3-1 to Babson and 7-4 to UMass-Boston on consecutive days. In addition, Tufts scrimmaged Babson before this season, and there was apparently no joy in Jumboville after that game as well.

"[Babson] beat us pretty good in a scrimmage this year," sophomore forward John Hurd said. "Both teams played us very physically last year, so we have to be physical right back."

Tonight's game will be the tougher of the two weekend matchups as Babson enters with an 11-5-3 record. Looks can often be deceiving though, as the team has notched many of its wins against lesser opponents. Thus, they are currently fourth in the ECAC East with only a 5-5-3 conference record.

The Beaver's high powered offense presents the Jumbos largest threat. Led by junior Dustin Kim (31 points), the team will display four forwards who have notched over 20 points. The Beavers are second in their conference in scoring with an impressive 5.63 goals per game. In addition, they are the best team on the power play in the ECAC East, converting 30.3 percent of the time.

"We're going to have to clamp down in our defensive zone and limit shots better than we have been," sophomore forward and team scoring leader Shawn Sullivan said.

In addition to a potent scoring attack, the Beavers boast junior goalie Jason Hart who is third in his conference in goals against average and fourth in win percentage. As a team, the Beavers are third in ECAC East on defense, giving up only 3.47 goals per game.

The Jumbos are aware that a big task awaits them tonight.

"We have to play smarter and tougher than we have been playing," coach Brian Murphy said. "Those two factors will be the key to winning this game."

Regardless of Friday's outcome, there will be a short recovery period before a 3 p.m. faceoff at UMass-Boston. The Beacons go into the game at a miserable 0-16-1. They are last in ECAC East in every major statistical category. The lone somewhat bright spot has been freshman Luke Niemiec, who leads the team with 11 points. Needless to say though, 11 points in 17 games from a team's leading scorer is undesirable. Records aside, the Jumbos still need to show up and play their game.

"We're not good enough to take anyone lightly," Sullivan said. "They're still looking for their first win, and we sure don't want them to get it against us."

Coach Murphy agrees. "We can't look past anyone at this point. Each game is too important," he said.

While neither Babson or UMass-Boston is in the NESCAC, all games with ECAC East teams are still considered league games. They hold as much weight in the standings as the NESCAC games. From the Jumbos' perspective, they really have no other option than to win.

"We need to get four points this weekend to separate ourselves from the pack behind us and to close the gap on Williams and Hamilton," Murphy said.

Hurd echoed those sentiments. "Nothing is a sure bet, so we have to win now to give ourselves better positioning and a better chance to win once the NESCAC playoffs start," he said.

To "separate from the pack," the Jumbos will have to rely on a defense that has given up 4.6 goals per game, ninth in the NESCAC. In goal, the action this weekend will be divided between freshmen Matt Ninneman and Tim Kane, as junior Ben Crapser is still out with a leg injury.

Offensively, though, Tufts has proven solid. They have scored a steady 4.07 goals per game and they are third in the conference on the power play.

"We've been getting scoring from each line," Murphy said. "Our top three scorers [Sullivan, senior co-captain Mike Carceo, freshman Matt McCarthy] are all on different lines. So that's really encouraging."

With wins this weekend, the Jumbos would be adding a large boost to their playoff push. They know what they need to do.

"We are the only ones who can control our fate," Sullivan said. "We have to get it done."