ROSS GIMBEL, ICE HOCKEY
Senior tri-captain Ross Gimbel had a hand in every goal scored during the Jumbos' 3-3 tie with St. Anslem on Friday. Tufts jumped out to a quick lead when Gimbel linked up with fellow senior Kurt Hertzog, who buried a goal to give Tufts a 1-0 lead. Later in the first period, Gimbel capitalized on a power play when he took a pass from senior tri-captain Greg O'Connell and put it in the upper netting. This marked Gimbel's 30th career goal, but he was not done yet.
After St. Anslem tied the game up at the end of the second period, Gimbel once again started off the period with a bang. Tufts earned a powerplay and Gimbel put Tufts back in the lead 3-2 with his 31st career goal.
Among Gimbel's other important scoring contributions this season was his assist on the game-winning goal by Hertzog against Williams. With 32 seconds remaining and the score tied, Gimbel hooked up with Hertzog to begin the season with a NESCAC win.
Gimbel is tied for the lead in points this season with five, and is second in career points among active players with 64. His 31 career goals leads all active players at Tufts.
VALERIE KOO, WOMEN'S SQUASH
If the women's squash team was to break a two-match losing streak and climb over .500 at this weekend's Boston Shootout, it would have to beat two NESCAC foes in Bowdoin and Middlebury against whom the Jumbos had earned a combined one win since 1990. Thanks to a standout performance by a rookie at the No. 5 position, Tufts did just that.
Freshman Valerie Koo took all three of her matches this weekend, dropping just a single game in the process and propelling the Jumbos to a three-match sweep of the Polar Bears, Panthers and Northeastern Huskies.
Koo's biggest performance of the weekend came during the team's first match of the weekend, against Bowdoin. After Tufts' top four seeds all dropped their respective matches, Koo picked the perfect time to post the first victory of her collegiate career, using a combination of great quickness and deep drives to score a 9-6, 9-4, 9-6 win over Polar Bears junior Maddie McQueeney. Koo's performance proved decisive, as the Jumbos dominated the bottom five spots and emerged with a 5-4 victory, beating Bowdoin for the first time in at least eight years.
Later that day, Koo trounced Middlebury sophomore Brooke Beatt, 9-5, 9-7, 9-4, as part of a strong Tufts effort that led to an 8-1 win over the Panthers. On Sunday, Koo moved up to the No. 4 spot and got past Northeastern freshman Emily Raho, 9-2, 9-4, 7-9, 9-3.
