Jumbos trample the Bison 9-2 Nichols College became the latest victim of Tufts' offensive juggernaut on Saturday night. The Jumbos destroyed the Bison 9-2, improving their record to an unblemished 7-0, and entered winter recess with their best record in 13 seasons.
Nichols entered the game in the cellar, a lowly 0-5 in conference play, although they had only been outscored by a total of seven points in these five games. In fact, goalkeeper Adam Gray and forward Jason Finioa were recently awarded with conference player and goalkeeper of the week. These factors did not concern the Jumbos in the least though, as they steamrolled their competition for a full three periods.
Sophomore Tim Havern found net first, three minutes into the game, and classmate Mike Carceo added a pair of goals to close out the first period. Jason Boudrow continued his stellar junior campaign, fueling the offense with two goals and a pair of assists, and senior tri-captain Dan Mahoney, an all-league and all-region defenseman, also netted two, including a shorthanded tally late in the game which brought the Jumbo lead to 9-1.
"The whole game we were swarming their net. Most of the game was played in their defensive zone. They took a lot of penalties and we were able to score," senior defenseman Justin Picone said.
Senior tri-captain Natan Obed also spoke of the offense's success. "We have some really good scorers on our team. Nichols has a poor defense and we just tried to exploit that."
Also getting in on the scoring barrage were senior tri-captain Scott Hayes, who netted a goal and three assists on the night, and sophomore Rob LaQuaglia, who also had a goal and three assists. LaQuaglia and Carceo, who individually had five points on the night, have been making a huge impact on the team in their sophomore campaigns, currently seventh and tenth, respectively, in scoring in the league.
"Our freshmen from last year have improved significantly," Picone said. "Crapser is also playing really well, and our defense as a whole is one of the better ones in the league. That is the difference between us and the teams we've played so far this year."
Yet the success comes amidst questions. Some question the Jumbos' shaky play in the defensive zone. Others question whether Ben Crapser will ever show growing pains and mental lapses inexperienced players often make. But the biggest question shadowing Tufts after their torrid start is their easy schedule. It remains to be seen how this team will react to playing the league's and the region's toughest teams.
"The team is looking forward to the second semester because we will get to see what are made of. There is a good chance that we will end up at the top of the league, and we want to see how we stack up against some of our tougher opponents," Obed said.
Picone agreed. "When you play teams you're better than, you don't play as well. You play down to their level. Once we start playing the better teams we'll get used to playing at a higher level."
Do the Jumbos wish their wins came against more battle-tested teams? The answer is a resounding yes. However, a team can only beat the teams it plays, and Tufts has not just beaten every team, it has pummeled them.
Tufts has scored 51 goals in seven games while surrendering only 15, leading the league in both categories. Boudrow is leading the league in scoring, averaging just under four points a game, as well as topping the ECAC Northeast in assists, goals, and power play points. When opponents key on Boudrow, his linemates have stepped up. Obed has seven goals and Pat Byrne, a freshman with great sense around the net, has eight goals, which is the highest goal total for a freshman in the league.
Despite these numbers, the team is trying not to get overconfident.
"I think it's important to be confident," Obed said. "The minute we become overconfident is when we are losing games, and we still think that we are the best. I think confidence is really important to winning games, though."
Tufts finished up its fall semester on fire, and the three-week vacation from the ice may actually be the only thing that can cool the Jumbos off.
"It's always difficult to come back after having three weeks off," Obed said. "It's like a different season. Hopefully we will be able to come back and pick up where we left off."
The Jumbos enter the three-week hiatus with success behind them and uncertainty ahead. Luckily, Tufts won't have to wait long into the second semester for their toughest challenge of the season. Wesleyan, the Jumbos' first NESCAC opponent, a team that defeated Tufts 7-4 in Middletown last year, is the first game of the new-year. Perhaps then the Jumbos can start receiving the respect around the league they seem to feel they deserve.
Hockey team enters break at perfect 7-0