The ice hockey team didn't waste any time easing into the season. Playing back-to-back games this weekend at their home rink at the Malden Forum, the Jumbo icemen faced the defending Div. III Champion Middlebury Panthers on Friday, followed by a matchup against Williams on Saturday. The Jumbos dropped both games, falling 4-1 to Middlebury and coming up short against the Ephs 6-3.
The Panthers came out to defend their national title, and they played like it. Tufts took an early 1-0 lead when senior co-captain Ken Cleary took advantage of a power play to flick the puck past sophomore goalie Ross Cherry at 15:07 in the first period. But Middlebury evened the score less than three minutes later as sophomore Justin Gaines snuck one by Tufts' sophomore goalkeeper James Kalec, who finished the game with 36 saves.
The game remained stalemated through a scoreless middle period and through much of the final stanza as the Jumbos found themselves within striking range of beating one of the best teams in the nation. The Panthers, however, added three goals in the game's final minutes, including an empty-netter, as coach Brian Murphy pulled Kalec in hopes of finding some extra offense as the clock ticked down.
In Saturday's NESCAC showdown against Williams, the Jumbos were able to get some stronger offense going, scoring three goals and holding the lead for much of the game. However, once again the team was foiled by a late-game surge as the Ephs found the back of the net three times in the final period to run away with the win, their second of the weekend.
After an intense attack by the Jumbo front line, freshman Joe Milo put Tufts on top eight minutes into the game. Though Tufts controlled the momentum for most of the period and had several power play opportunities, Williams got on the board when junior Kevin Colwell found the right corner of the net to knot things at one.
Both teams scored twice more in the second period, as Tufts' leads of 2-1 and 3-2 were countered by Williams goals to keep things even, and interesting, as the game headed into the final period. The go-ahead goal came seven minutes into the period when senior Dennis Kim ricocheted one off the post and into the net, taking the punch out of the Jumbo attack.
That goal was enough, but the Ephs would add two more goals in the final three minutes to finish their opening weekend 2-0. The loss started the Jumbos on the wrong foot this season, putting them in an 0-2 hole that they will look to get out of tonight with a home game against Southern New Hampshire at 7:30.
