The hockey team began its road trip this weekend with the grisly task of facing two of the NESCAC's top two squads. The challenge proved too tall for the Jumbos, who dropped a 4-2 decision to second-place Bowdoin and a 6-1 affair with third-place Colby. Tufts slipped from fifth to sixth in the conference, at 4-6-1 in league play and 6-9-1 overall.
Bowdoin, ranked No. 12 in Div. III, played host to Tufts on Saturday afternoon. The Polar Bears entered the game with an 11-3 record, including a 6-0 home mark.
Freshman Ryan Leary put the Polar Bears on the board early when he notched his conference-leading 15th goal of the season 1:13 into the game.
The Jumbos were outshot 13-5 in the first period, but after Bowdoin's first goal, senior goaltender James Kalec held off the Bears' onslaught for the rest of the period. Kalec was a bright spot for Tufts in the disappointing weekend, building on his success as last week's co-NESCAC Player of the Week. Kalec set the program's career save record, passing his predecessor Ben Crapser's (E '05) mark of 2,139 saves.
"It's a great accomplishment," Kalec said. "It hasn't set in yet. I'm sure I'll look back on this after I graduated, but at the moment I'm not feeling so retrospective. I just look forward to closing out the season and doing well in the playoffs. Sure, I'm proud and happy to share the moment with my teammates, but I'd much rather win some more games than set records."
But Kalec could not hold Bowdoin off for long. The Polar Bears jumped out to a two-goal lead following the first intermission when senior defenseman Steven Thompson finished off a charge towards the net.
The Jumbos answered in the second period when sophomore Cory Korchin netted his sixth goal of the year at 9:53. The score was a result of a scrum in front of the net, with Korchin finding himself in the right place at the right time and putting the puck in the back of the net. Freshmen Andy Davis and Fredrik Mellgren earned assists on the play. But the Jumbos could not get any closer in the period, as the team squandered its fourth power-play opportunity of the day.
Bowdoin took advantage, scoring in the early minutes of the third period to build its lead back to two. Polar Bears freshman Thomas Herd took a slapshot from between the circles to score what would become the game-winning goal at 2:09. The Jumbos cut into the lead just 54 seconds later when junior Phil Clark beat Bowdoin senior goalie Paul DeCoster glove-side, but 3-2 was the closest the Tufts came.
"We played one of best games we've played all year," Kalec said. "We didn't get the bounces we needed, and couldn't capitalize on opportunities. We didn't get any bounces. There were pucks on the goal line that we couldn't get sticks to - one stood out at end of the game. Bowdoin, according [Colby coach Jim Tortorella], is the strongest team in the NESCAC, so to compete in a game we could've won is encouraging."
Despite being outshot by the Polar Bears 38-19 in the game, Tufts had several chances to tie until an empty-netter with three seconds left sealed the loss.
"We just came up a little short," senior tri-captain Ross Gimbel said. "We tried really hard, and maybe if a couple bounces went our way, we would've tied it up near the end... It was nice to come back after losing 6-1, and play a solid game against the 12th-ranked team. We know we can play with them and we can play with anyone."
The Jumbos did not have as much success hanging with Colby Friday night, as the Mules put the game away quickly. Three power-play goals in the first period, including two by sophomore Michael Belliveau, proved to be an insurmountable. Senior All-American Arthur Fritch, Colby's all-time assists leader for a defenseman, had assists on all three goals. Belliveau tallied four points on the evening.
"They took us out early," Gimbel said. "They lead the league in power-play percentage at over 30 percent. We took 10 penalties and they went 4-for-10."
"They move the puck really smoothly," added Kalec, who saved 41 of the Mules' 47 shots on the night. "They're not particularly structured to any format. They move seamlessly into different formations and are constantly moving. They're all really good finishers and take advantage of any chance given."
The Jumbos came into the game having won three of their last four. Gimbel prevented a shutout by netting his sixth goal of the year with only two seconds left in the second period on an assist by senior tri-captain Greg O'Connell.
Colby added one more power-play goal in the final stanza to ice the 6-1 win. The Jumbos finished the game having managed only 21 shots on goal.
Tufts looks to rebound next weekend with another round of NESCAC games at fourth-place Amherst and cellar-dwelling Hamilton.
"We're looking forward to a really big weekend against big NESCAC opponents," Gimbel said. "Amherst lost to Castleton, who we beat last week, and Hamilton had a tough week, too."
