When asked what was needed for the ice hockey team to start winning games, players' answers were unanimous: capitalize on power plays and finish teams off late in the game.
The Jumbos addressed both of these weaknesses Tuesday night as the team picked up its first win of the season, dominating non-conference Salve Regina University, 6-3. With the victory, Tufts moves to 1-2-1 on the season as Salve Regina drops to 2-4-2.
The much-needed win comes at a good time as the team heads into a crucial weekend, facing ECAC rivals New England College and St. Anselm.
"The first win is always great to get," coach Brian Murphy said. "We haven't had an easy schedule so far this season, and hopefully this win will put a jump in our step heading into our next few games this weekend."
Following a Seahawk goal in the first period, freshman Greg McCarthy led the Jumbo offense in the second period, capitalizing on a power play to score back-to-back goals and give Tufts a 2-1 lead. The Seahawks quickly answered with a goal late in the period from junior Ryan Doyle, tying the game up at two heading into the last period.
With the game knotted at two, the Jumbos found themselves in a familiar situation. During its last game, Tufts, after coming out strong on offense, could not pull away with a lead heading into the final minutes. This game was a different story, however, as the Jumbos buried the Seahawks with four goals in the third period to come away with the victory.
The first two goals were scored within 17 seconds of each other on strikes from sophomore Ross Gimbel and freshman Joe Milo. The Seahawks would answer once again with a goal from Joe Piekos to cut into the Tufts lead, 4-3, but the Jumbos got a key insurance goal from freshman Jared Melillo, whose first collegiate goal couldn't have come at a better time.
Junior Brian Bailey added more cushion to the Tufts lead with an empty-netter late in the game to solidify the victory.
Murphy made some minor adjustments on the lines to give Tufts a more balanced attack heading into Tuesday's game.
"We changed the lines up to balance our scoring game," he said. "We had goals from all three of our lines and worked harder playing as a team."
Coming off a frustrating tie and looking for its first win, Tufts played more aggressively and physically, especially on special teams, where the team dominated Salve Regina and scored two crucial goals.
"We were a lot more physical [on Tuesday]," assistant co-captain Matt McCarthy said. "It brought up the intensity of everyone on the team. When we play physically, it just brings up all levels of the team and we play a lot better."
The younger McCarthy contributed solid play to the Tufts offense, finishing the day with two goals and two assists. McCarthy has put together impressive numbers so far this season, with three goals and five assists for a total of eight points in four games. Milo and Melillo finished the day with a goal and an assist each, and sophomore goalie James Kalec continued to play well in net, accumulating 30 saves on the day.
The tandem of the McCarthy brothers has proved to be a formidable one, as Matt assisted his younger brother in both of his goals on Tuesday and has made his brother's transition to college hockey relatively smooth thus far.
"We're not ready to put [Greg] into the Hall of Fame just yet," Murphy jokingly said. "But he has a lot of offensive ability and is fitting well in our system. If he can continue to produce, he's going to really help our team."
The Seahawks were led by Doyle, Piekos and senior Marc Copeland, who each tallied goals, as well as junior Travis Hampton who chipped in with two assists. Freshman Ryan Comerford finished the day in goal with 24 saves for Salve Regina.
Heading into this weekend, the Jumbos will look to even out their record against tough conference competition. The team will travel to New England College on Thursday and St. Anselm College on Saturday.
