In their previous meeting in the 2000 ECAC playoff semi-finals, Tufts and Fitchburg State battled for 73 minutes until the Falcons prevailed with an overtime goal that ended the Jumbos' season. But in round two on Friday night, the Jumbos spared themselves a similar drama, as senior Justin Picone scored the game-winning goal only 31 seconds into the contest.

"We really came out flying. We went in the second period with a 2-0 lead, and we never looked back," senior tri-captain Scott Hayes said.

When all was said and done, the Jumbos left Fitchburg's rink with a 7-0 shutout, their first of the season. Moreover, it was the first time Tufts has defeated the Falcons in the history of the program. As expected, the heated rivalry featured numerous penalties - including nine majors - and five players were ejected from the game.

The Jumbos, usually disciplined, committed nine penalties and spent 45 minutes in the box - but compared to the Falcons' 17 penalties for 102 minutes, looked almost like choirboys.

"The game was really physical; there were a lot of late hits," Hayes said. "They got a couple of kids kicked out for some major penalties. We were on the power play a lot, which hurt their confidence."

"Once we got a lead, they just tried to fight," Picone said. "They just lost all of their composure. We only scored one goal from the penalties though."

While taking a few small breaks from the roughing, cross-checking, spearing, and fighting, the Fitchburg team was unable to get anything going, while Tufts got a balanced attack from all three offensive lines.

Sophomore Mike Carceo scored the second goal of the game three minutes into the game. Midway through the second period, senior tri-captain Dan Mahoney and Hayes scored back to back goals, followed by freshman Pat Byrne's 15th goal of the season. Missing from the scoring action was junior Jason Boudrow, the nation's leading scorer who did not factor in on a goal for the first time all season.

The Jumbos scored two late third period goals by LaQuaglia and Greene, turning the already convincing defeat into utter depredation. The victory puts the Jumbos at 11-1 in the conference, with five ECAC Northeast games remaining.

The biggest question mark for the team this semester has been defense, but in its first shutout of the season, the system worked well - a good sign for the more difficult upcoming games.

"We are playing really good team defense right now," Hayes said. "That's where everything starts. The offensive opportunities will come from that."

Leading the way defensively was freshman goalkeeper Ben Crapser, who recorded his first collegiate shutout. With his 28 saves, he stifled the Fitchburg offense, which averages just under four points per game.

"We got off to a fast start, which may have surprised them," Picone said. "They had a lot of chances after that, but Crapser played real well."

On Thursday night, while not looking as impressive, the Jumbos handled a lowly Curry team its 14th loss of the season in a 5-3 victory. Boudrow led the way offensively with a hat trick, and Tufts' trap defense kept the offensive juggernaut at bay for most of the game. Still, the Jumbos found their opponent surprisingly intense.

"They played a pretty good system," Hayes said. "They are not a great team, but they played hard. They played well and tried to trap. It worked for a while."

"Some of our games are just ugly," Picone added. "[Curry] played intense and physical, but we won easily."

The hockey team will take a quick break from conference play on Tuesday night, as it heads down to New London, CT to face Connecticut College. The NESCAC team is 6-12-1 on the season, but should provide some competitive competition.

"We should be able to tip them down there," Hayes said. "Last year we almost beat them, and we have a better team this year."

Amidst a very busy part of the schedule, many of the Jumbos (including Picone and Mahoney) are playing through minor injuries, and for the first time all season, team health may play a factor in the upcoming games. Sophomore Dan Reinhard is currently sidelined for three weeks with a knee injury. Junior Jordan Karp is also hurt, but skated for the first time on Friday after he separated his shoulder two weeks ago.