The start of a new millennium for the men’s hockey team meant playoff success that it hadn’t seen in the previous decade. The Jumbos did not win a playoff game in the 1990s, their last successful outing coming in the 1988 campaign.
That would all change this year, as Tufts finished as the number-three seed in the ECAC Northeast Division and hosted number-six seed Johnson & Wales. Of course, for the “rink-less” Jumbos, a home game meant a trip to Babson, but it also meant a loud crowd and a 7-4 Tufts’ win. Senior captain Drew Carleton had a hat trick in the contest, adding at least one more game to his legacy.
“The simple fact that Tufts had not won a playoff game in 12 years makes this season a success,” sophomore center Jordan Karp said.
With the blowout victory, Tufts not only got a decade-long monkey off its back, but secured the privilege of facing the defending champion Fitchburg State Falcons in the tournament semifinals. The Jumbos had lost their previous meeting to the Falcons on February 5 by a 4-1 count, but realized at the same time that they could skate with the defending champs, outshooting the Falcons 31-23. In the first contest, Fitchburg’s Jeff DuRoss had two goals and an assist and goalie Nick Gangemi plugged up the net with 30 saves.
The rematch looked as if it would result in a similar score, as Fitchburg State jumped out to a 3-1 lead on its home ice heading into the final period. A resolute Jumbo squad refused to back down, though, as Carleton and freshman Mike Carceo tied up the score and forced an extra session.
“Coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the semi-finals was great,” Carleton said. “It was a very memorable moment.”
In the sudden death period, Tufts was hurt by the officials, as senior Tom Feely was given a questionable five minute fighting penalty and a game misconduct that offset matching penalties from a Fitchburg State player. While both players and coaches felt that Feely’s penalty should have only been two minutes (which would have resulted in a Jumbo power play), everyone was hesitant to blame the officiating for the loss. Soon after the penalties, the Falcons’ Rob Hunt put in his own rebound past Tufts’ sophomore goalie Ian Kell.
It was the second straight year that the Jumbos had fallen the from the playoffs in an overtime loss, but this season was special for Tufts. It was one of the most successful campaigns in recent memory, and the playoff win should be a building block for the younger core of this team.
“I’m proud of the way that we played,” coach Brian Murphy said. “I think we made a step in the right direction this year.”
The season started rather inauspiciously, as Tufts lost two of its first three games. After a decisive 8-4 win over Suffolk to kick off the year, Tufts fell in consecutive contests at the Colby-Bowdoin Thanksgiving Tournament to Colby, 9-2, and Oswego State, 10-2.
Fortunately for the Jumbos, December rolled around, and so did their play, as Tufts went unbeaten in the month, winning four straight against St. Michael’s, Stonehill, Salve Regina, and Nichols. The final two games were conference games, and, along with the Suffolk win, got the Jumbos out to an undefeated start in the conference.
“The way we handled ourselves all season was great,” said Murphy. “The way that we played St. Michaels, beating them soundly, was one of the high points of the season.”
Too bad for the Jumbos, but December had to end, and when January came around, the winning streak came to a close with a 7-4 loss at Wesleyan. Tufts split its next two games, winning a conference match at Western New England, 6-2, before losing at Connecticut College in a non-league game, 5-3. The Jumbos then won two big conference games at the end of the month, defeating Johnson and Wales in a postseason preview 5-3 prior to heading down to Lebanon Valley for a showdown with a top tier team.
In the matchup, Tufts was outshot, 52-30, but Kell, who was named ECAC Goalie of the Week for his performance, fended off 49 of those shots, as Tufts prevailed 4-3. The win improved the Jumbos to 6-0 in conference games, and third place in the ECAC with 12 points.
“Beating Lebanon Valley at their place was a great win,” Murphy said looking back on the season.
The Jumbos continued their winning ways in the conference with a 6-0 win at Curry, and didn’t lose a league game until the 4-1 loss to Fitchburg State. While there was no immediate cause for concern following the Fitchburg loss, Tufts couldn’t bounce back, and lost its next two contests to Worcester State and UMass-Boston.
The two conference losses were the only setbacks in the ECAC Northeast, other than a 4-3 loss at Wentworth in the final league game of the season. By that point, Tufts had already won nine games in the conference and clinched, at worst, a four seed.
Tufts split its last two non-conference games, and finished in the third spot in the conference, behind only Wentworth and Fitchburg State.
“I think the season was successful overall,” Carleton said. “We wanted to win the league, and we finished third, so not winning the league was below where we wanted to be, but those things happen.”
Despite not finishing exactly where it had expected, Tufts knew it was good enough to play with anyone in the conference.
“We were a better team than we finished off,” Carleton said. “We just didn’t catch the breaks that we needed to catch down the stretch.”
One of the biggest reasons Tufts finished anywhere near the top was the play of the seniors, especially Carleton. The captain finished with 41 points, just one ahead of senior linemate Scott Sullivan.
“Drew is one of the most prolific players we’ve ever seen,” said Murphy, who successfully completed his second year of coaching. “He was one of the most productive players on the ice, as all of the seniors were. They all played a significant amount over their careers and they will be greatly missed.”
The first line was centered by sophomore Jordan Karp, who finished with 12 points in his first full season of play, showing that he will be a standout for the next two years.
Behind the first line were a pair of freshman stars, who finished third and fourth on the team in scoring. Carceo and Rob LaQuaglia had a combined 57 points, and excited everyone with how quickly they came along.
“Getting a good group of freshmen in and seeing them be successful so early on bodes well for the future of the program,” Carleton said.
The defense was anchored by the strong play of junior assistant captain Dan Mahoney and senior Pete Schieffelin. Sophomore Chad Pessini, junior Justin Piccone and senior Rich Caraviello all played well on the blue line.
Kell was strong in net, and should be a staple between the posts for the next two years, meaning that if this team can recover from the loss of its top two scorers, it should be a force in the future.
The Jumbos will lose five seniors to graduation — Tom Feeley, Mike Stuart, Schieffelin, Sullivan, and Carleton. While it is never easy to replace a star like Carleton, it may be even tougher for Carleton to leave.
“I’m going to miss hanging out and playing with the guys,” said a reflective Carleton. “Fighting for the same thing, and battling to win, we’ll never have that again. That’s what I’m going to miss most.”
The show will go on, and the coach is excited for the future.
“I’m optimistic for next season,” Murphy said. “I think that we have a chance to be pretty good. The returning players will have to work hard. We’ll miss the seniors obviously, but I think we’ll be pretty strong.”