Tufts looks to improve playoff position this weekend

With less than a month until the first round of the NESCAC playoffs commence and seven games remaining to unseat the Amherst Lord Jeffs from the final conference playoff spot, the hockey team is looking forward to its two games this weekend after coming off a huge 6-3 victory on Saturday at Salem State.

The Jumbos will face conference opponents UMass-Boston and Babson on Friday and Saturday respectively, finally getting a chance to play at the Malden Forum after a four consecutive away games.

The Jumbos notched a key victory over conference foe Salem State last weekend, a team that had previously beaten a strong Middlebury team ranked third nationally. The Tufts team currently sits at 5-10-1 overall and 2-9-1 in the NESCAC.

"The Salem State win was the biggest of the year so far," senior goalie Ben Crapser said. "They are an all around good team."

Junior tri-captain Shawn Sullivan and senior tri-captain Pat Byrne led the team in that game. Sullivan amassed two goals and senior Byrne tallied one goal and two assists.

In addition to the win at Salem State, the Jumbos saw improvement in their play, notably in the games against conference opponents Colby and Bowdoin, both ranked in the top four in the NESCAC.

"Our team's confidence level is quite high," Crapser said. Crapser, along with the rest of the Jumbos, is hoping to carry high spirits into Friday's contest against UMass-Boston, a team that the Jumbos handily defeated last year on the road 9-0. Tufts will be looking for Sullivan to step up after leading the Jumbos' attack last year against the Beacons with two goals and an assist.

"UMass Boston is one of the weakest teams in the league, but we can't take them lightly," Crapser said. "Even though they have not won a game all season they have been in close games with some good teams."

The second and tougher game of the weekend comes on Saturday evening when Tufts hosts Babson, a team against whom the Jumbos are seeking revenge after suffering an exhibition loss earlier in the season and a tough 5-2 loss last season. However, the Jumbos are a much different squad now than they were at the beginning of the season as they begin to hit their stride.

In addition, Crapser noted that Babson is a team much like the talented Salem State team that the Jumbos knocked off last weekend.

"[They] have talented forwards," he said. "We need to play like we did last weekend and continue to generate quality scoring opportunities while playing strong defense."

The ninth-ranked Jumbos will need both victories as they attempt to climb past Amherst (9-7-2, 4-7-1 NESCAC), a solid team currently holding the eighth and final NESCAC playoff spot. To do so, the Jumbos need to gain four points on Amherst in the conference standings with only six conference games remaining in the season.

But with one of those six games against Amherst and a few more against lower competition, coupled with Tufts' improving play, the Jumbos are still contenders for the playoffs.

"If we can continue to improve as a team, we can beat any of the teams we face," Crapser said confidently.

Both of this weekend's games can be seen at the Malden Forum at 7:30 p.m. Directions to the Forum can be found online at http://ase.tufts.edu/athletics.