CARLETON SPURS JUMBOS IN FIRST ROUND OF PLAYOFFS, 7-4

COLLEGE HOCKEY FINAL SCORE
ECAC Northeast Division Playoff Quarterfinal
Tufts 7    Johnson & Wales 4

at Wellesley, Mass.
Saturday, February 26, 2000

Scoring: 1st Period J, Bill Saltzman (Tory Jacob) 0:45; T, Drew Carleton (Pete Shieffelin) 3:17; T, Natan Obed (Carleton, Scott Sullivan) 12;15 ppg; T, Sullivan (Carleton, Jordan Karp) 14:06 ppg; 2nd Period T, Tom Feeley (Scott Hayes) 6:13; J, T. Jacob (Scott Feeney) 12:55; T, Carleton (Obed) 17:56 ppg; 3rd Period: T, Carleton (Mike Carceo, Schieffelin) 5:26; J, Scott Graham (T. Jacob, Derek Foster) 16:23 ppg; J, Saltzman (Dave Accetturo, Feeney) 18:38; T, Rob LaQuaglia (Obed) 19:12 eng.

Saves: J, Scott Jacob 38, Rick Freundenfels 2; T, Ian Kell 28.

Shots: J, 33; T, 47.

Powerplays: J, 1-9; T, 3-9.

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Senior captain Drew Carleton (Shaker Heights, OH) scored a hat trick to lead the Tufts University Jumbos to a 7-4 victory over the Johnson & Wales University Wildcats in an ECAC Northeast Division Playoff Quarterfinal game on Saturday night.

Tufts (13-9-1), the third seed in the tournament, now advances to the semi-finals on Wednesday night (March 1) at Fitchburg State. The second seed Falcons were 5-4 winners in overtime against seventh seed Western New England. Top seed Wentworth was an 8-2 winner over eighth seed Salve Regina, and fourth seed UMass-Dartmouth posted a 5-4 win over fifth seed Lebanon Valley. Sixth seed Johnson & Wales finished its season with a 14-12 record.

The visiting Wildcats got on the scoreboard quickly when junior Bill Saltzman (Medway, MA) scored just 45 seconds into the game. Carleton answered with his first at 3;17, then the Jumbos added powerplay goals by junior Natan Obed (Goose Bay, NFLD) and senior leading scorer Scott Sullivan (Tewksbury, MA) to lead 3-1 at the end of the first period.

Senior Tom Feeley (Westwood, MA) was in the right place at the right time to deposit a rebound into the net for a 4-1 Tufts lead 6:13 into the second. Johnson & Wales showed grit, with leading scorer Tory Jacob (Milford, CT) scoring at 12:55 of the middle period to close the gap to 4-2. The next goal was critical for either team, and it was Carleton who got it for the Jumbos with a beautiful wrist shot just under the crossbar with 2:04 remaining in the second.

Carleton completed his hat trick and pushed the Tufts lead to 6-2 at 5:26 of the third with his 27 goal of the year, tying a career high. A chippy game then became even more so as the third period continued. Late in the penalty-filled (9 called against the two teams) final frame, the Wildcats scored goals by freshman Scott Graham (Westminster, CO) and Saltzman's second of the night 2:18 apart to give themselves a slim chance down 6-4 with 1:22 to play. Jumbo freshman Rob LaQuaglia (Medford, MA) sealed the win for Tufts with an empty net goal.

The playoff victory was Tufts' first since 1988 following six straight post-season losses. Sophomore Ian Kell (St. Paul, MN) earned it between the pipes with a solid 28 saves. Johnson & Wales goalie Scott Jacob (Milford, CT) stopped 38 shots in a losing effort. Tufts had 47 shots on net overall, compared to 33 for the Wildcats. The Jumbos also converted three powerplay opportunities.

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