Men's Hockey - Tufts falls to UMass in offensive blow-out

The Jumbos fell to 8-9 last night following a hard-fought game against the UMass Corsairs that included nine third-period goals. UMass shot the one that mattered late in the game, propelling the Corsairs to a 9-8 victory.

Goals by freshman John Murphy and senior tri-captain Pat Byrne brought the Jumbos back from an 8-6 deficit in the third period to tie the game 8-8, only to have UMass senior Shawn Sheehan score with 1:05 left on the clock.

"Last night was a tough loss," coach Brian Murphy said. "To score eight goals and lose a game is unacceptable."

The Corsairs soared to a 3-0 lead early in the first period, forcing the Jumbos to play catch-up for the rest of the game. Sophomore Rick Baker was the first Jumbo to find the back of the net with about a minute remaining before the first buzzer.

During the second period, Tufts was able to tie up the score 4-4 thanks to goals by freshman Brian Bailey, junior tri-captain Shawn Sullivan, and sophomore Pat Walsh. Sullivan had a particularly impressive showing, scoring one goal and assisting on another.

"Shawn [Sullivan] really stepped up physically," Murphy said. "He is a great example for the guys on the team. He just knows how to carry the play."

The tied score launched the two teams into what would be an action-packed third period. Over the final 20 minutes, both the Jumbos and the Corsairs would be offensive minded, scoring a total of nine goals between them.

UMass shot out early to take a 6-4 lead, not even three minutes into the third frame. Junior Gino Rotundi retaliated with a goal of his own, but the Corsairs' Jim Foley put his squad up by two again 40 seconds later.

Sophomore Matt McCarthy and Mike Aiello of UMass traded shots, leaving the score at 8-6 with 12 minutes left in regulation. It was back to back goals by freshman John Murphy and senior tri-captain Pat Byrne that put a victory within the Jumbos' reach. However, despite a respectable offensive effort on the part of the Jumbos, a last-minute goal by the Corsairs decided the game.

Coach Murphy attributes the defeat to the team's lack of mental toughness.

"Really, we just need to be mentally tougher, and that's my job as a coach," the coach said. "We need to realize that once we score a goal, the next few moments are crucial. We need to refocus immediately. I'm going to make an effort to do a better job on preparing the guys mentally."

Despite this weak point, the Jumbos also have their strengths. The team can boast one of the most aggressive offenses in the NESCAC, exemplified by the fact that they have scored four goals or more in each game played this season.

"This is my sixth season coaching at Tufts, and this is the most talent we've ever had," Murphy said. "We have key players in every class."

The Jumbos have also corrected some of the problems that they encountered early on in the season. In the first two games alone, the team had 25 penalties, a number that has been reduced to nine for the last two games. Murphy also feels that the players have the right attitude to win.

"No one wants to win more than the players," Murphy said. "They work hard, and more than that, they just get along really well."

However, talent does not always translate into victory, particularly if one area of a team's game is lacking, as the defense seems to be for this squad.

"Just because we have more talent doesn't mean we'll win more games," Murphy said. "We need to be better prepared mentally, and this will improve our defense and focus our play."