For the second consecutive week, the ice hockey team defeated a school for the first time in program history. On its 17th attempt, Tufts finally ended the "Corsair curse," defeating the UMass-Dartmouth Corsairs 4-3 on Saturday night. The Jumbos' fifth straight conference victory put Tufts at 13-1 in ECAC Northeast play, in a three-way tie with Johnson and Wales (a team the Jumbos defeated earlier in the season) and 13-2 Wentworth.

"It was a great win for us," senior tri-captain Natan Obed said. "It wasn't as big as the Fitchburg win [last weekend], because Fitchburg is a dirtier team. UMass Dartmouth is a talented and tough squad - they played really well."

While the final score may have hinted at an even match, the first half of the game felt more like a blowout. Four unanswered goals by Tufts in the first 30 minutes was a characteristic show by the powerhouse Jumbo offense, which has carried the team all season. Sophomore defenseman Chris Martin found the net first, with a goal that was assisted by Obed and sophomore Tim Havern.

"We had a few of our lines going really well. We had a couple big goals in the first half," Obed said. "Chris Martin's goal was huge to start off the game. When we get off to an early lead we are pretty confident."

The nation's Division III leading scorer, junior Jason Boudrow, was the second Jumbo to light the lamp, scoring with two minutes to go in the first period. While his scoring has tapered off slightly as of late, Boudrow maintains a three points per game average, and with 60 points on the season, stands four points ahead of RIT's sophomore Mike Bournazakis in the national Division III scoring race.

Sophomores Rob LaQuaglia and Mike Carceo scored in the second period to extend the lead to 4-0. But the Corsairs would not resign to defeat, beginning a full-scale assault on freshman goalkeeper Ben Crapser. In each period, the Corsairs shot total increased, and midway through the second period its efforts were finally rewarded as Chris Dussalt scored. In the third period, Dussalt and Chris Anderton each added a goal for UMass-Dartmouth.

"We still had our chances in the second half, but their goalie was playing a little better," Obed said. "They battled hard, but we were in control of the game from the start to the end. There weren't any letdowns on our part. We just didn't capitalize on all of our chances."

Crapser held strong in goal for the final ten minutes, and the Jumbos emerged victorious against Umass-Dartmouth for the first time in 17 years. While they had tied in their last two meetings, the Jumbos owned a lowly 0-13-4 franchise record against its rival before last night's triumph.

On Thursday night, the Jumbos headed west on I-90 to play Framingham State, a struggling conference rival. Senior Alex Scerbo, replacing Crapser, made his first start of the season in goal, and recorded 26 saves.

"We play so many games in a row, it's tough for a goalie to play all the time," Obed said. "Alex Scerbo deserved a start, and he played really well. It was a solid game for us, but they weren't a very good team."

Tufts jumped to a 3-1 lead after a strong first period with goals by freshmen Pat Byrne and Timm Schatz, and sophomore Mike Carceo. The Rams battled back in the second period though, eventually tying up the score at four goals apiece with two minutes left in the period.

Rising to the challenge, the Jumbos put the Rams away in the third, as Boudrow, Carceo, and freshman Matt Spang all scored goals. Spang's goal was the first of his collegiate career, and he had also racked up an assist earlier in the game. Screbo made nine saves in the final frame, and the Jumbos breathed a collective sigh of relief.

With one week to go in regular season play, the Jumbos have three pivotal games remaining on the schedule. Winning all three would land them the top seed in the upcoming ECAC tournament, but sweeping the games will be no easy feat. On Thursday night, they will square off against defending ECAC Northeast champion Wentworth.

"That's a huge game for us," Obed said. "We are confident going into that game. We have been beating the teams that we have been unable to beat in the past, so I am confident that we can beat Wentworth this year."