Despite a string of bad luck in home games this season, Tufts ice hockey came off the bench ready to take on Williams in Saturday’s home game.
“We owed those guys a game. For my whole career they have come in and out and worked us at home, and we weren’t going to let that happen again,” captain and senior forward Max Resnick wrote in a message to the Daily.
The Jumbos maintained control of the puck for the first several minutes of the game, pressuring the Ephs’ goalie and dancing around their defense. After a tripping call three minutes in, Tufts went on the power play. Junior forward Ethan Ullrick hit a one-timer just 30 seconds into the play, bringing the score to 1–0 Tufts.
Williams bared its teeth in response, earning a power play after a tripping call against Tufts. The Jumbos displayed excellent teamwork while defending the goal, but a slick shot slipped by to tie the score at 1–1. By this point, the game resembled a marathon rather than a hockey match, with both teams racing up and down the ice to maintain puck control. After looping around the offensive zone, sophomore defenseman Kodi Dotterer launched a rocket of a shot into a wide-open net for his first goal of the season, giving Tufts a 2–1 lead.
Williams mounted a risky charge on goal about five minutes later, but senior goalie Gus Bylin blocked screens and slapshots like a brick wall with help from senior forward John Mulvihill. As Tufts countered with offensive pressure of its own, hits along the boards intensified and emotions rose. The fourth line energized the Jumbos with aggressive forechecking and frequent shots on goal. The Jumbos chased down the Ephs, slamming into the boards and showing off rapid-fire stick handling.
At the start of the second period, Ullrick took advantage of a loose puck in the crease and scored quickly, bumping the score up to 3–1. The first half of the second period passed with the Jumbos maintaining their lead, and Bylin further proving his skills as a goalie, defending a challenging shot by the Ephs.
The battle for possession became increasingly physical, eventually boiling over into a scrap after Resnick fell on the puck. The exchange, though, was broken up before it could turn into a proper fight. Long shifts without stoppages or line changes intensified fatigue and competitiveness, and energy continued to grow throughout the second half of the second period. Plays got chippier, with defensive players getting up in the grill of offensive players.
After a series of heated exchanges following a tripping call, the Jumbos went back on the power play and spent almost two minutes in the offensive zone, wearing down the Ephs’ goalie. Williams, however, slipped a puck past Bylin to cut the lead to3–2.
The Jumbos were not demoralized. They obtained the puck on the drop and paid the Ephs back with a lightning-quick shot by Resnick with an assist from senior forward Brendan Fennell. The score rose to 4–2, but it didn’t last long. A quick one-timer from Williams slid past Bylin, ticking the score up to 4–3.
The Ephs and Jumbos exchanged fruitless shots on goal for several minutes, skating up and down the rink until another heated exchange along the boards held up the players. As the play clock dwindled, nail-biting efforts by each team showcased defensive efforts on both sides. Bylin continued to save shots on goal, even as Williams unleashed barrages on him. Each team played hard, throwing themselves at each other and sending sticks flying, exchanging shoves after the whistle on multiple plays. With three minutes on the clock, Williams pulled its goaltender for a 6-on-5 advantage and converted, tying the game at 4–4.
As the game went into overtime, Tufts valiantly fended off Williams and took several shots on goal. After an Eph took control of the puck and skated into two-versus-one coverage, however, a shot past Bylin secured the victory for the Ephs.
“We came out strong and had some lapses and got some tough bounces in the end,” Resnick wrote. “We need to clean up some details and focus on the little things that have been hurting us. We have two big games against [Connecticut College] this weekend that we are looking forward to, and [we] know if we do the right things, we should be able to come out with two wins.”
