The men's hockey team took a step backwards on Tuesday night.
After beating Suffolk on Jan. 16, and pulling out a dramatic come-from-behind win against NESCAC rival Bowdoin a week ago, Tufts appeared to be revitalized from an eight-game losing streak that had marred all of December and half of January.
But appearances can be deceiving, as the Jumbos reverted back to their losing ways, dropping two-straight matches - one against Colby on Saturday evening, and the other at the hands of the Johnson & Wales University Wildcats, 5-3, on Tuesday night - which brought their overall record to 4-12.
"I don't think we came out ready to play," coach Brian Murphy said. "We lacked a little intensity early. When you put yourself in holes, it's difficult to come back. [Johnson & Wales] deserved to win."
The Wildcats started off with a bang, as junior forward Matt McGilvary launched a shot past Jumbo goalie junior James Kalec just 39 seconds into the first period. With the teams skating four aside early in the second, junior forward Shawn Roach added his fifth goal of the season to hand the Wildcats a 2-0 lead. Less than one minute later, McGilvary scored shorthanded for his tenth goal of the season, leaving the Jumbos with a steep three-goal deficit less than halfway into the contest.
During a year in which luck has been in short supply for the Tufts hockey program, the Jumbos could have easily conceded the game to Johnson & Wales. But the team fought back. Just 21 seconds after Murphy called a timeout, sophomore Greg McCarthy nabbed his seventh goal of the season.
Once again stretching the Johnson & Wales' lead to three, Wildcats senior forward Zach Cobb answered the goal with one of his own.
The Jumbos continued to fight to close the scoring gap. Junior Ross Gimbel tallied on the power play, and sophomore Greg McCarthy added an even-strength goal, his second of the game, before the second period's conclusion, to pull Tufts within one heading into the third.
Despite a promising start to the third, fatigue and a strong performance from opposing goaltender, sophomore Brian Noiles, plagued Tufts late in the period. Zach Cobb ended all hopes of a Jumbo comeback with a power play goal, his second tally of the night, and the Wildcats' fifth, with just under five minutes remaining in the contest. Junior goaltender James Kalec finished the game for the Jumbos with 18 saves.
"I think we were pretty tired from the weekend," junior Kurt Hertzog said. "We kind of lost our legs late. Their goaltender got pretty hot, and we couldn't get it by him."
"This is the toughest stretch of the season," Murphy said. "We're battling some injuries, and so is every team, and every team is tired. Some of our younger guys are learning to deal with the fact that they're tired."
Although the loss marked the team's twelfth, the squad is not entirely disappointed with the season, citing improvements over the course of the year. Still, the group is not happy with its 1-10 NESCAC record, which is not indicative of Tufts' ability.
"Last weekend we did some good things, and we're getting a little better every week," Murphy said. "But I think we took a step back [Tuesday night]."
"I think the younger guys got thrown into the fire early in the season," Hertzog said. "We've been playing really well lately and we're only going to get better."
The team will have a chance to get itself back on track this weekend in a crucial home stand against Hamilton and Amherst. Tonight, the Jumbos will face a Hamilton team that has registered all three of its wins on the season against NESCAC opponents, making it the only team in the NESCAC with fewer overall wins than Tufts.
Tomorrow afternoon is a different story, however, as the Jumbos will play Amherst, the NESCAC's top team and the No. 13 team in the country. With four NESCAC matches remaining in the Jumbos' season, they are not yet mathematically eliminated from a spot in the NESCAC tournament. Still, none of the games will be a walk in the park.
"There's no easy game in the NESCAC. [Hamilton and Amherst] are both good teams," McCarthy said. "Everybody's trying to get ready to make the playoffs on this team. Nobody's given up."
"We're in for a battle this weekend," Murphy said. "We're at home, and it's a long trip for both teams to play us. Hopefully we can use that to our advantage."
"We're within striking distance of Hamilton and Trinity," Hertzog added. "I think we could definitely get past some of our next NESCAC teams. After that, anything can happen."
