Jumbos pull off a thriller in the rain

27 left in regulation, the Jumbos slowed things down to kill some time. Sophomore Mike O'Brien made a quick strike before dumping the ball off to Clarke who snuck a low dashing shot behind Warrior goaltender Chris Harinsky for the game winner.

"Devin's a go-to guy for us," senior tri-captain Dave Richman said. "He's been in tight situations before, and has had two or three game-winning goals for us over his career. When the game's on the line, we can count on him."

The weather played its part in hampering the game play; the players had to adjust their approach and style to the rainy conditions and muddy field. The Jumbos, however, may have benefited from the inclement weather.

"We used the weather to our advantage," Richman said. "We're a blue-collar team used to practicing in poor conditions; it's a part of the game. We fought through the conditions and didn't let them stop us from achieving our goals on the field."

The first half was a much different story, as Eastern Connecticut outplayed the Jumbos. Senior Andrew Handras scored two consecutive goals for the Warriors within the space of a minute to put the team ahead 6-3 in the second quarter. The Jumbos answered late in the second with two goals, but the Warriors were persistent and scored their seventh goal with just seconds left in the half.

The second half saw a reversal of fortunes for the Brown and Blue, who came out strong, dominating possession and at one point outscoring Eastern Connecticut 5-0.

Senior tri-captain Matt Malatesta, sophomore Bill Granger, and O'Brien, who recorded three goals, dominated the Jumbos offense in the second half. O'Brien's third goal put Tufts up with 13:36 left in the game, 8-7. However, the Warriors were relentless. Both teams traded off goals until the final three minutes where the game was deadlocked at 9-9.

The Jumbos travel to Trinity tomorrow to battle their league rivals, the Bantams. Trinity sits fourth in the NESCAC at 4-2 overall, including a 2-1 conference record. The Bantams overcame Bates in their season's first game, 9-8 in double overtime. They also won a close game over the Connecticut College Camels 8-7, while dropping a tough 13-7 game to Amherst. Last season, the Jumbos routed the Bantams 8-5 at Zimman Field en route to their 6-3 season and a NESCAC championship game appearance.