It seems that no matter what the hockey team does, it cannot seem to get a victory. Losses to Salem State and Southern Maine over the weekend eliminated the team from playoff contention and brought the Jumbos' losing streak to eight games. Tufts' freefall from fifth place in the NESCAC has now culminated in hitting the bottom of the conference standings.
"It's tough on the morale of the team losing that many games in a row," senior tri-captain Greg O'Connell said. "It's tough to go to the rink and get excited. There's no real reason. We just need to play better as a team, all four lines, the defense and the goalie."
On Saturday, the game seemed to be decided early when the Salem State College Vikings jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period. However, Jumbos refused to let the contest get out of hand. Sophomore Cory Korchin netted his seventh goal of the season off assists from O'Connell and fellow senior tri-captain Ross Gimbel to cut the lead to two heading into the first intermission.
Tufts carried the momentum into the second period, as sophomore David Antonelli scored at the 3:02 mark off a feed from classmate Mike Fitoussi. Salem State freshman center Justin Fox answered with his second goal of the game and 16th of the season to put the Vikings back up by two.
O'Connell and Gimbel teamed up for yet another score early in the third, but it was too little too late. The Vikings tacked on several insurance goals to make the final score a tilted 8-3.
"We could've beaten that team," Gimbel said. "It was definitely a letdown losing by that much. We went down quick and early, but tried to come back. We came within a goal at 3-2 but just couldn't get it done."
"They were a good skating team, but we weren't prepared going in mentally for what they did," O'Connell added.
The Vikings dominated shots on goal by a margin of 38-22. Sophomore goalie Jay McNamara saw his first playing time of the season late in the third period, making four saves while allowing no goals. He may become the starting netminder next year when seniors James Kalec and Issa Azat graduate.
The disappointment was similar on Friday, when Tufts lost 6-5 against Southern Maine. It marks the fourth straight weekend in which the Jumbos have fought to within a goal against an opponent with a winning record, only to lose the game.
The Jumbos got on the board first when Fitoussi assisted on senior Jonathan Kestner's first goal of the year. After a couple of Southern Maine goals, O'Connell tied the game at 2-2 with a score.
It was then that the Jumbos lost control of the game. Huskie senior Mike Stevens converted on a power play goal at the end of the opening frame, igniting a four-goal scoring outburst from which the Jumbos would not be able to recover. Stevens also finished the Huskies' spree, putting in what would be the winning short-handed goal to go ahead 6-2 in the second.
Tufts, however, refused to give in, scoring two goals in the final five minutes of the second period. Sophomore Myles Neumann cut the lead to three off assists from O'Connell and Korchin, who both had multiple points in the game. On a subsequent power play, Gimbel and freshman Andy Davis set up freshman Lindsay Walker for a goal, cutting the deficit to two.
In the third period, the Jumbos continued their strong play, outshooting the Huskies 10-7. Junior Greg McCarthy scored on the power play with 6:35 left in the game, bringing the Jumbos all the way back to within one, but Tufts could not tack on the equalizer. Azat saved 31 shots on the game, including all seven taken in the final period.
"We were really close. We've made it a habit playing from behind the last couple of weekends," O'Connell said. "They had a big ice surface, and we gave some [power plays], and they converted. They got out to a good lead, but we didn't give up. We capitalized on a couple chances, and it came down to the last couple seconds at the end."
The losses extended a Jumbo losing streak that has spanned almost a month and dates back to a 4-1 win over Castleton State on Jan. 19th. Tufts also has not won a game on the road since November.
"I would just say it's disappointing," Gimbel said.
Tufts finishes the season at home next weekend, hosting UMass Boston and Babson.
"We're ready to end the streak," Gimbel said. "We just want to win and end the season in a good way."
