Box Score
HARTFORD, CT - Tufts senior goalie Scott Barchard (Reading, MA) made 30 saves and allowed just one goal to lead the visiting Jumbos to a 4-1 victory over the Trinity College Bantams in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) hockey action this evening at Williams Rink in the Koeppel Community Sports Center.
The Jumbos jump to a 1-0 overall record (1-0 NESCAC) to start the year. They improved to 2-0-1 in their last three season-openers, and earned their first victory against Trinity since February 2006. The Bantams start the year with an 0-1 overall record (0-1 NESCAC).
Tufts was first to strike, as junior Dylan Plimmer (Pheonix, Ariz.) scored on a wrist shot with slightly less than five minutes remaining in the first. Barchard stopped eight shots in the first stanza and Tufts led 1-0 at intermission.
Trinity had several power play opportunities in the second period when Tufts recorded seven penalties. Trinity peppered Barchard with 12 shots in the period, managing to knot the game at 1-1 on a goal by junior Jeffrey Menard (Burlington, MA) after senior co-captain Michael DeMayo (Seaford, NY) nestled the puck past two defenders to his teammate, who was perfectly positioned on the left side of the net.
Tufts answered with just over a minute remaining in the period, when freshman defenseman Shawn Power (Arlington, MA) found the back of the net from the left side of the ice, for his first collegiate goal, giving the Jumbos a 2-1 lead.
The third period was back-and-forth before Tufts struck again, this time on a rebound goal, which took an fortunate misdirection for the Jumbos onto the stick of a wide-open George Pantazopoulos (Milton, MA), who netted his first career score. Trinity had an opportunity to cut the margin back to a goal when Barchard lost control of his stick in net and was forced to play out an offensive attack by the Bantams. He ended the attack by making a save with his pads, and smothering the puck, one of several clutch plays by the Jumbo goalie on the night.
Trinity pulled their goalie, freshman Samuel Calahan (Edina, MN), for the final stretch of the game, and with two seconds on the clock sophomore Kyle Gallegos (Westminster, Co), Tufts' top returning scorer, secured an empty-netter to seal the victory.
Calahan made 27 stops in his collegiate debut, allowing three goals. Both teams were evenly matched in shots at 31 apiece. Trinity was booked ten times in the contest, while Tufts was whistled for nine penalties. Trinity had won their last six meetings against Tufts before tonight's contest. The game was the first for Matt Greason as head coach of the Bantams.
Game boxscore
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