It was a week of milestones for the hockey team.
After nailing down its first victory in six weeks on Tuesday against Suffolk, the Jumbos rode the momentum to pull out their most thrilling win of the season - a 7-5 come-from-behind victory over Bowdoin, the No. 11 team in the nation, on Friday evening. But Saturday's game against Colby was not quite as fruitful, as Tufts fell 7-2.
The Jumbos finished the weekend at 4-11 overall, finally securing their first NESCAC victory.
"Everyone played their best and the younger players knew what they were capable of," junior forward Greg O'Connell said. "After the win, the losses we had before meant nothing, and we were playing refreshed and with a new goal. Since we beat a NESCAC team, we knew we were capable of a bigger victory."
After trailing 4-1 to Bowdoin at the end of the first period, the Jumbos regrouped and went on the offensive, with senior forward Brian Bailey drawing first blood, scoring 2:23 into the second period. Bowdoin responded with another goal, however, as junior forward David Ransom put the Bears on the board in the second period to widen the lead to 5-2.
In the middle of the second period, junior Issa Azat replaced junior James Kalec in goal, turning the tide in his team's favor by shutting down Bowdoin's offense with 17 saves. Such dominance on the defensive end rejuvenated the faltering Jumbos, as junior Kurt Hertzog led the offensive stampede with a power play goal 5:28 into the second period. Following Hertzog's example, four more Jumbos scored goals in the second and third periods of the game.
"The win Friday proved to us that the losses we had at the beginning of the season only meant that we had to work harder to beat a NESCAC team," O'Connell said. "Once we beat a NESCAC team, we knew it was possible to beat more."
Unfortunately for the Jumbos, three consecutive victories was a bit out of reach. The following afternoon, Tufts lost to visiting Colby College, the No. 3 team in the conference, halting the Jumbo winning streak at two.
"Penalties cost us this game," freshman Jay McNamara said. "Four of their goals were power play goals."
Despite the discouraging final score, the Jumbos refuse to let that loss mar the confidence gained from the previous two games.
"We saw this loss as a slowdown, but not a stop," O'Connell said. "We knew what we were capable of, but we weren't capable this time. Our goalies, especially, were up to the task. Even though the scores might not reflect it, they were at the top of their game. They did an outstanding job."
As opposed to the previous evening when there was no shortage of offense, the Jumbos had trouble getting around the Colby defense, scoring just two goals in the sixty minutes of play and trailing throughout the entirety of the game. Colby senior forward Pat Rutherford led the way for his squad with two goals, while senior forward Greg Osborne notched a game-high three assists for the Mules.
"We didn't let this loss get to us," O'Connell said. "We just picked up and started preparing for the next game. Even though we haven't won as many games as we'd like, we are improving with every game."
In the midst of a five-game stretch of home matchups, the Jumbos will host Johnson & Wales tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m.
