The hockey team notched its first win of the season last Tuesday with a 4-1 win over a previously undefeated Southern New Hampshire team in Manchester. The non-league win prompted a collective sigh of relief from the roster and gave the now 1-2 Jumbos a spurt of confidence early in the season.
"It's always good to get the monkey off your back," senior Brian Bailey said. "Getting that first win definitely gives you confidence."
After allowing a late first-period goal to the Penmen, the Jumbos entered the first intermission down 1-0. Having been outshot and outplayed, Tufts was clearly in need of a dramatic turnaround. Before leaving the locker room to begin the second period, a dissatisfied coach Brian Murphy supplied some motivation for the club.
"I told them they were standing around and not working hard," Murphy said. "We didn't want to go home for Thanksgiving and not have any wins. We came out and played much better in the second."
"He reminded us of the importance of the game," Bailey said. "He made us realize that the fact that it's a Tuesday game before the break isn't an excuse."
In the second frame, Tufts ratcheted up the offense, improving its total of three first-period shots to 19 and scoring three unanswered goals. Sophomore Joe Milo, junior Ross Gimbel and senior John Murphy each tallied goals for the Jumbos in the second to give Tufts a 3-1 lead heading into the third period. Freshman Joe Rosano netted his first career college goal late in the third to secure the 4-1 victory. Junior James Kalec finished the game with 32 saves in goal for the Jumbos.
Apart from a game misconduct issued to Kurt Hertzog for a check from behind and a 10-minute misconduct issued to John Murphy for a particularly vicious charge, Tufts managed to largely stay away from the penalty box against the Penmen. The team took just eight total penalties and was able to kill each of them.
While Tufts was unable to convert any of its seven-man advantage opportunities, the Jumbos were able to control even-strength play, an aspect with which they struggled against Middlebury and Williams.
"We definitely got to the net more," Murphy said. "We forced them to get back on their heels, and we took [fewer] penalties. We're still learning what penalties the NCAA is emphasizing, but we did a better job of that in this game."
With their first three games under their belts, the 1-2 Jumbos look forward to the rest of the season with an increased sense of confidence. While the first win comes with some sense of relief, the Jumbos believe that the pair of 6-2 losses to Williams and Middlebury that began their season does not exemplify the level of play to be expected in the coming weeks. The losses came against arguably the two toughest teams on the Jumbos' schedule this season, and one was to the three-time defending national champions, Middlebury.
"The expectations for this team have always been pretty high," Bailey said. "We're definitely more confident that we can get it done now."
Over the first three games, the 10-member freshmen class has already started to play roles on the team. Freshman Doug Wilson has notched a goal and two assists in the opening games, while freshmen Myles Neumann and Rosano each have one point to their credit. While the contributions may seem small, they demonstrate that the team is beginning to come together and is receiving contributions from both rookies and veterans.
The Jumbos will face Salve Regina for their home opener Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. in Malden, where they will remain next weekend to face New England College on Friday and St. Anselm on Saturday. Saturday's home game will be Tufts' last until Jan. 19, when they start a seven-game road trip.
"The next games are by no means easy ones," Murphy said. "This is definitely going to be a very tough stretch."
