Prior to its 2008-09 campaign, the hockey team had struggled mightily to string together wins, posting a combined 18-46-3 record over the last three years with no appearances in the conference tourney. But with the season now over, signs of a return to consistency for the Jumbos are evident with the hopes of building a lasting, more-successful program.
Closing out the season at 11-12-2 overall, the squad nearly doubled its wins total from the previous year, a 6-17-1 effort, and earned its first playoff berth in four years to boot. And despite the disappointment of being knocked out in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC Tournament by top-seed Amherst 4-1 last Saturday, the Jumbos still felt that they took a step in the right direction after a trying last couple of seasons.
"It was progress for us," coach Brian Murphy said. "It certainly wasn't what we wanted, but it's a big step."
"We sat down as a group when the season started and [making the playoffs] was something we had our sights on," junior co-captain Dave Antonelli said. "A week or so after [the loss], it still kind of stings, especially because through two periods of that game, we still felt we were in it."
With the score knotted at 0-0 through two periods of play, there is no denying that the Jumbos were competitive going head to head against the regular-season champion, Amherst. It took a stellar four-goal third period for the Jeffs to finally overcome the Jumbos, pointing to a likely advantage in experience rather than raw talent.
"We wish we could have that third period back," Tufts season points leader and sophomore Tom Derosa said.
The experience of reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2005 and competing against one of the top teams in the region has the potential to pay dividends for the young Jumbo squad in the future. Unlike Amherst, which boasts a roster featuring eight seniors, Tufts is loaded with younger talent and has a roster whose members are growing as players and teammates, just beginning to realize the potential chemistry among them.
"It gives us a leg up because our younger guys will grow up together and will have that chemistry already there," Antonelli said. "That will give us a big advantage over other teams -- I'm sure other teams will be recycling a lot of talent and leaders."
Leading the way for the Jumbos this year was a group including two young offensive phenoms: Derosa and freshman Nick Resor. Derosa led the team with 28 points on the season, burying 15 goals and registering 13 assists, while linemate Resor notched a team-high 16 goals to go along with 11 assists for 27 total points. And with assists leader sophomore Dylan Cooper rounding out the offensive trio, the young first line potted 36 of the team's 71 goals on the season.
At the other end of the ice, it was yet another first-year who surpassed all expectations by setting a new Tufts single-season saves record with 862 saves. Clearly at home in the crease, goaltender Scott Barchard was one of the most consistent players for the Jumbos this year.
"He had a great year, and we couldn't ask more from him," Murphy said, adding that the team would like to improve its shot count to help its star goaltender, who posted five 50-plus save performances on the season.
Still, while it was the underclassmen who topped the stat sheets, the leadership and experience of the four seniors and the co-captains proved invaluable for the young team competing with New England's staunch competition.
"The seniors led by example," Barchard said. "They were very instrumental in everything we did this year."
"[Joe Milo] was hurt and didn't play a lot this year, but [seniors Milo, Phil Clark, Andrew Delorey and Jared Melillo] did a lot for us in terms of leadership, and we're really going to miss them," Murphy added. "Senior leadership, along with the captains, is crucial. It's something that doesn't show up on the score sheet."
With a 7-10-2 conference record, the Jumbos demonstrated their ability to keep up in the always-competitive NESCAC. With the return of this year's statistical leaders, starting goaltender and junior co-captains Antonelli and Myles Neumann, the squad knows it will have a strong side waiting for it when Tufts takes the ice next season.
"We have a lot of main components back," Derosa said.
The key to translating those components and the experience gained this year into success next season, Murphy said, will be consistency.
"One of the key games for us this year was the UMass Boston loss," he said. "We learned from that -- we need to be more consistent. But think about what this team accomplished this year, considering we graduated a lot of guys that contributed last year. We're optimistic about next year."
"This year we had some points where we were playing our best hockey and some points we were not," Barchard added. "We just need to be consistent."
With the experience of their postseason run in the bank, the Jumbos are hoping to continue to grow next year and extend their success past just a playoff berth, establishing a lasting reputation for the program.
"Instead of focusing on just getting into the playoffs, it will be about winning," Antonelli said. "The program now versus a year ago is vastly different. The attitude is way different. People coming into Tufts will definitely notice it right off the bat."
