This weekend, Tufts hosted Middlebury and Williams in its first home doubleheader of the 2011−2012 season. A year ago, the Jumbos defeated the Panthers for the first time since 1955. But Tufts fell in both NESCAC matchups this time around, losing to the Panthers 3−2 on a Middlebury goal scored midway through the final period, after suffering a 4−1 rout from Williams on Friday.
The highlight of the weekend for Tufts came when senior tri−captain Scott Barchard, an All−American goalkeeper, became the program's all−time saves leader with a 41−save effort against the Panthers.
Barchard's efforts, however, were not enough to salvage a split in the Jumbos' first home twinbill. In the opening period, the Panthers outshot the Jumbos 19−8, while neither team had a power−play opportunity. In the second period, however, Middlebury sophomore Ben Wiggins converted a two−on−one scoring opportunity to put the Panthers up 1−0.
Just five minutes later, the Jumbos tied it up when sophomore forward Garrett Sider lit the lamp at the 9:32 mark with Middlebury senior goaltender John Yanchek out of position. The Panthers struck back and capitalized on a power−play goal at 12:39, but it only took Tufts sophomore Cody Armstrong 32 seconds to equalize.
"[On my goal], I have to give credit to both Matt [Amico] and Tyler [Voigt]," Armstrong said. "They made a good play off the face−off and crowded the front of net, allowing me to get one past the Middlebury goalie."
The game remained tied as the third period began, but at the 5:21 mark, Middlebury senior Martin Drolet fired a shot past Barchard to give the Panthers the late advantage. For the remainder of the final stanza, Middlebury stifled the Tufts attack, successfully completing two penalty kills.
"Their tendency is to play a very wide open, run−and−gun game," Amico said. "We wanted to limit [this] by establishing a strong forecheck, clogging up the neutral zone and winning physical battles.
"I think we did a very good job executing our game plan," he added. "We limited the amount of odd−man rushes and transition chances against us, and we dominated play in the offensive zone for a good portion of the game, but I think where we fell short was on special teams and on our ability to cash in on some pretty good chances around the net."
Despite several close calls in the waning moments, including a two−on−one run from Amico, the Jumbos could not score and fell in a tough one−goal decision that dropped them to 3−4 on the season and 2−2 in the NESCAC.
"The guys understand that playing very well and losing is still the same as losing when it's all said and done," Amico said. "Going forward, we understand that converting on our scoring chances is something we need to do better as a team."
On Friday, the Jumbos dropped their Malden Forum opener, falling to Williams for the fourth consecutive year in a 4−1 decision. Ephs sophomore forward Nick Anderson scored two goals to lead Williams to its second NESCAC win, while the host Jumbos lost their first conference game of the young season.
The Ephs jumped out to an early lead when sophomore forward Tucker Dayton, positioned by the left post, angled a shot past Barchard to give Williams a 1−0first−period advantage. Despite two power−play opportunities, the Jumbos failed to capitalize and went into the intermission trailing the Ephs1−0.
In the second period, Barchard squared off with Williams senior keeper Ryan Purdy. Barchard kept the Jumbos in contention, making nine stops to prevent the Ephs from adding to their lead, while Purdy one−uppedBarchard with 10 saves of his own to shut out the Jumbos for a second straight period. Both teams had countless opportunities to score, and 11 total penalties were called in the 20−minute stanza. However, neither team found the back of the net, and after two periods the score remained 1−0.
In the final period, Williams capitalized on a five−on−three advantage as Anderson scored a minute into the period to put his team up 2−0. Less than five minutes later, Anderson struck again with a shorthanded goal to give the Ephs a 3−0 lead. Junior forward Eric Rubino, who scored twice against the Jumbos last year, assisted Anderson on both scores.
"Williams has a big and fast defense who limited our scoring chances," Armstrong said. "We took a few penalties in the second and third periods and they capitalized on them."
In the final 10 minutes, Williams extended its lead to 4−0, as an insurance tally from Rubino put the game out of reach for the Jumbos. Freshman forward Tyler Voigt scored with just over four minutes remaining for Tufts, but it was too little, too late as the Jumbos fell 4−1.
"We had a few lapses in the defensive and neutral zones that cost us," Amico said. "There is no question that the first home game in front of a big crowd makes everyone a little nervous at first. Unfortunately, Williams was able to capitalize early and we found ourselves trying to battle back against one of the best teams in the country."
