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   This past week in hockey action, the Jumbos finished their season in a league game against Wentworth (3-4) and two non-league games against New Hampshire College (3-6) and Assumption College (5-2). The close loss to Wentworth solidified Tufts at the number three spot in the ECAC Northeast, a bit lower than the team had hoped at the season's outset, but by no means a shabby run. Just by possessing one of the top four spots in the regular season, Tufts was guaranteed to host a playoff game, a first in over 10 years.
   Turning to Tuesday night's game, the Jumbos clearly dominated despite the close scores in the first and second periods. "They were the worst team we've played all year, and I think that we could have had a lot more goals because we had plenty of opportunities in general. It just seemed like we were playing down to their level," said senior captain Drew Carleton.
   Though they started slowly, the Jumbos demonstrated that they were in peak form, with characteristics that have become classic elements of Tufts' game. Tufts completed on three of four power-play opportunities and outshot Assumption 37-33. The first two periods featured a goal for each team. Assumption's Mike Herard's goal 13:16 minutes into the first period was answered by Tufts senior forward Scott Sullivan less than two minutes later. Late into the second period, junior defenseman Dan Mahoney made good on a power play attempt. A minute later, Assumption knocked one past Tufts sophomore goalie Ian Kell, evening the score at two apiece going into the third.
   Apparently the Jumbos took the beginning of the third period as a cue to show the disparity of ability between these two teams. Carleton made this point quite evident with his power play goal a minute into period. Minutes later, with his first career goal, defenseman Chris Martin further clarified where these two teams stood. With 10 seconds remaining in the period, Carleton cemented Tufts' superiority by adding his 24th goal of the regular season.
   With the team's victory, Kell recorded his 11th win of the season, the most by a Tufts goalie since Bunk McMahon won 13 games in the 1994-1995 season. Kell finished the season with 454 saves. Also notably, Sullivan's goal and two assists on Tuesday marked him as the Jumbo with the highest season regular season point total with 16 goals and 21 assists.
   Saturday's game against Division II New Hampshire College proved a difficult task for the Jumbos. The first period went scoreless, as neither team could capitalize on opportunities. However, the Jumbos broke through with Carleton's goal at the beginning of the second period. Unfortunately for Tufts, NHC was able to tie it up 13 minutes into the period. The third period started off strongly, as Sullivan scored 20 seconds into the period, but the remainder proved to be a struggle. NHC managed to the tie the game 22 seconds later, and Tufts could not reclaim the lead for the rest of the game.
   "Problems for us were that we had a few injuries, so we played four lines, which was a little different for us. Also, the officials made some bad calls, which hurt us in the end," commented Sullivan.
   Last Thursday night in league competition against Wentworth was a close loss, as they came back in the third period to win. Tufts led 2-1 after two periods from goals by freshman forward Mike Carceo and junior forward Natan Obed. Early in the third period, Wentworth tied it up at 2-2, after which Carleton managed to bring back the lead with his goal 28 seconds later. However, Wentworth tied it up again a minute later, and then put the Jumbos away with a goal less than four minutes from the final buzzer.
   With the end of the regular season on Tuesday night, the Jumbos are looking onward and upward to ECAC Playoff action, beginning this Saturday night against Johnson & Wales. Though the Jumbos did not necessarily win the league, spirits and expectations are still very high. "At this point, we feel like we can beat anybody," said Coach Murphy with confidence. "In addition, we don't plan on changing our lineups for playoff games .We're confident with how they're set up right now." In terms of having home-ice advantage, the team is very excited about not having to travel for the games and also the possibility of having a strong crowd. "It'll be a big boost if we get a large crowd, but without support, having home-ice won't make a difference," noted Carleton.
   Looking to the Johnson & Wales game this Saturday, the Jumbos feel ready for this team, despite their reputably dirty approach to hockey. "Hopefully this time around, the referees will pay more attention to the penalties that they are committing, so we can capitalize on power plays . I can see them spending a lot of time in the penalty box," said Carleton. When asked about what he expects in terms of success overall in the coming games the captain said, "If we come mentally ready to play every game, knowing that it could be our last, we have a good chance for success."