The Jumbos thought that they had won.
Moments into the 20-minute overtime period of Saturday's NESCAC quarterfinal game at Malden Forum, Tufts briefly celebrated what looked to be the game-winning goal against Williams. But as the players prepared to clear the bench, the officials waved off the goal because the net had come out of place in the scuffle. Just minutes later, the visiting Ephs walked away victorious, besting the Jumbos 4-3.
For much of the game, luck did not favor the Jumbos, whose fourth place finish marked their best-ever regular season placement. Tufts let a 2-0 lead slip away and was unable to capitalize on a number of opportunities to go ahead in the third period.
"Sometimes things just don't go your way out on the ice," sophomore forward Kyle Gallegos said. "A puck can bounce the wrong way or a ref can miss a call. It's frustrating but I think that we kept battling. It's always a bit of a shock when things end the way they did. It was unfortunate that we didn't get some of the calls down the stretch, but overall I think we kept an even keel."
With just over a minute remaining in the opening period, the Jumbos took a 1-0 lead when Gallegos netted his team-leading 17th goal of the season with assists from freshman Tyler Voigt and junior Dylan Plimmer.
Following the first intermission, it took Tufts just over a minute to double its advantage on a goal from senior forward Evan Story. With a 2-0 second-period lead, the Jumbos appeared to be in cruise control.
Then, a tripping call on Tufts freshman defender Shawn Power set the wheels in motion for Williams, and they cashed in on the opportunity with a tally from freshman Peter Mistretta at the 6:00 mark.
Later in the period, sophomore Matt Doyle struck again to pull Williams even at the 14:56 mark, and the Ephs capped off a three-score period with yet another power-play strike, this one from junior Evan Dugdale, at 18:13 to take a 3-2 lead with just two minutes remaining in the middle frame.
In the third period, Gallegos equalized for the Jumbos on a power play. For the remainder of regulation, Jumbos senior tri-captain keeper Scott Barchard and Williams' Ryan Purdy held their own.
"It's always frustrating having so many opportunities and not being able to capitalize on as many as we could have," freshman defenseman Blake Edwards said. "Williams has a good goaltender and he made some great saves that led to some frustration."
In extra time, the Jumbos had countless opportunities to advance, but Purdy — who had 41 saves on the evening — made some excellent stops, and several other Tufts shots sailed off the mark.
When the Jumbos finally thought they had found the net, they were set to storm the ice, until the officials made it clear that the goal would not stand.
"That was a weird play," Gallegos said. "I think Story dumped the puck in and it bounced off of the boards right towards the net. Their goalie was scrambling to get back and knocked the puck in and the net off at the same time. We were obviously upset that we didn't get the call, but I think we immediately put it behind us."
Minutes after the Jumbos' goal was called back, the Ephs thought they had scored a game-winner with seven minutes remaining. But their goal was also nullified, this time due to a ruling that the puck was kicked in.
"It was definitely a game of momentum, and it kept going back and forth," Edwards said. "Things are tense in overtime especially when each team is getting chances, but you try and just play your regular game. Emotions were high and everyone knew what was on the line, which helps bring out that extra gear when guys are so exhausted toward the end of the game."
Riding a roller coaster of close calls, physical play and emotions, Williams continued to press, and although Tufts dominated the beginning of extra time, junior John Wickman capitalized on a disorganized Jumbos defense just a minute later for the official game-winner, sending the Ephs to the conference semifinals next Saturday.
"They were able to outwork us and get a few quick chances," Edwards said. "Williams is a good enough team where if you give them that many chances they will eventually make you pay for it. Both goalies played great and were able to weather the storm from each team. There were a lot of chances for both teams and they took advantage of theirs more than us."
The loss marked the last Tufts appearance for five seniors: Story, tri-captain forward Matt Amico, defenseman Matt Milley and goaltenders Evin Koleini and Barchard. Barchard is the program's all-time saves leader and finished his senior season with 817 stops, including 47 on Saturday evening.
While the Jumbos certainly did not go out as planned, head coach Brian Murphy's squad did finish with one of the most successful seasons in recent program history. This winter, Tufts went 12-11-2 and grabbed nine NESCAC wins in one of the sport's premier Div. III conferences, earning the right to host a playoff game for the first time. Last season, the Jumbos suffered a 12-game losing streak and went 5-14 in the NESCAC.
While the team has yet to earn a NESCAC playoff win in its six tries, this season was undoubtedly a step forward for the program and a ride the Jumbos won't soon forget.
"We are definitely happy with the way the season went, especially considering our lack of success last year," Gallegos said. "We really want to build off of this season and continue to get better in hopes of having even more success [in the future]."
