WILLIAMSTOWN - After becoming the first team to shut out Middlebury in the season-opener since 1940 on Friday night, the Tufts University hockey team was blanked 5-0 at Williams College on Saturday afternoon.
The loss left Tufts with a weekend split of NESCAC games as the 2010-11 season opened. Williams improved to 2-0, including a 5-1 win at home against Connecticut College on Friday night.
Forwards Eric Rubino and Connor Olvany each netted two goals for the Ephs, while Ben Contini and John Wickman added two assists apiece. Contini's two assists gave the senior forward five points in Williams' first two games.
After being held without a goal in the first period by Connecticut College the previous night, Williams wasted no time getting on the board on Saturday. Picking up right where they left off, the Ephs took a 1-0 lead with a quick strike only 15 seconds into the game. After a face-off win by Contini, the puck was passed behind the net to Wickman, who swung it to Contini on the right side. Contini fired a tape-to-tape pass across the crease to a wide-open Rubino, who put the puck in the top left corner for the goal.
Tufts responded to Williams' aggressive play with several scoring chances of their own. After a Williams penalty, Tufts got off a series of hard shots on goaltender Ryan Purdy, but the junior kept the puck out of the net.
Purdy was strong all afternoon, tallying 24 saves in 60 minutes of action while holding the Jumbos scoreless. His counterpart, first-team All-NESCAC goalie Scott Barchard (Reading, MA), made 35 saves in 60 minutes.
The Jumbos' best chance came at the end of the first period, when the puck squirted loose in front of an open net after Purdy made a save on the right side of the crease. With a Tufts attacker converging on him, Williams defenseman Justin Troiani got his stick on the puck and poked it out to keep the score at 1-0 heading into the locker room.
Williams came out firing in the second, scoring within the first 20 seconds to extend the lead to 2-0. The goal was set up by Contini, who made a spinning pass across the ice to find Wickman in the neutral zone. Wickman skated up the right side and fired a pass to Rubino on the left side, who deposited the puck in the net for his second goal of the afternoon.
Both teams started to pick up their intensity after Williams' second goal. Physical play and hard checking resulted in a number of penalties for the Ephs, but their penalty-killing unit stepped up big with several good forechecks to keep the puck out of the zone and minimize shots from the Jumbos.
This strong forecheck also led to offensive chances for Williams. Midway through the period, the penalty killing unit slapped the puck out of the zone to a streaking Olvany. The senior forward carried the puck in on a breakaway, made a quick juke to his left, and flipped it toward the net. Barchard made the initial stop, but the puck squirted free and slid across the line to make the score 3-0 Ephs on the short-handed tally.
The penalties continued to pile up in the late second and early third periods for the Ephs, who committed a total of 13 penalties on the afternoon. The penalty-killing team remained strong however, clogging up passing lanes and forcing the Jumbos to take bad shots. Those shots that made it to the net were handled capably by Purdy, who improved to 2-0 and picked up his first shutout of the season.
Williams made their fast start count with a strong finish, scoring two goals in the last five minutes of action to put the game out of reach. The Ephs' fourth goal of the night was set up by a huge slapshot by Bryden McGhee. Barchard made a good stick save, but the puck bounced out in front of the net, where Olvany was able to fight off a Jumbo defender and score.
Williams finished with a total of 40 shots compared to Tufts' 24.
The Ephs capped off their strong effort with a goal by co-captain Matt Masucci late in the third period that widened the lead to 5-0. The goal was set up nicely by Evan Dugdale, who controlled the puck near the left circle and whipped a sharp pass in front of the net, where Masucci was waiting to chip it in.
The Jumbos will open their home season on Tuesday night against Curry College at Valley Forum II beginning at 7:35 pm. Williams will face non-conference opponent Westfield State on Tuesday at 4:30 pm.
Game Box Score
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Game release courtesy of Williams College
