Box Score Recap Courtesy of Amherst College
AMHERST– Four different Purple White skaters found the back of the net as the No. 15 Amherst College men's ice hockey team defeated Tufts University, 4-1 Friday evening at Orr Rink.
With the win, Amherst improves to 8-3-1 on the year and to 4-3-1 in league play, while Tufts falls to 6-4-3 overall (4-2-1 NESCAC).
First on the scoreboard, Amherst claimed a 1-0 lead 14:01 into the opening period. Converting on a 5-on-3 power play opportunity, senior captain Chris Roll tallied his second score of the year, gaining positioning in front of the net and redirecting junior Tyler Granara's slap shot past the Jumbo netminder.
Junior goaltender Nik Nugnes came up big for Tufts with just over a minute to play in the first stanza to keep the Jumbo deficit at 1-0, making a stellar glove save on a point-blank slap shot by junior Thomas Lindstrom following a shorthanded rush.
Finding the back of the net at the 5:00 mark in the second stanza, junior David White doubled the Purple & White's lead to 2-0 after a cross ice tape-to-tape pass from freshman Patrick Daly on a 2-v-2. Firing a shot on target, Nugnes stonewalled Amherst's initial attempt, but White found his own rebound and tapped the bouncing puck over the goal line.
Sophomore Jack Fitzgerald nearly extended Amherst's lead to three with 2:34 remaining on the clock in the second, ripping a wrist shot on target from the left dot, but his attempt rang off the crossbar.
Responding almost immediately, the Jumbos raced down the ice on a 3-v-2 15 seconds later. Gaining space at the top of the right circle, freshman Jordan Haney powered a snap shot on goal, but junior Connor Girard came up with the glove save.
Netting his third score of the season, senior Patrick Lackey made it a 2-1 contest with 11:09 remaining in regulation. Setting up in the slot, Lackey tipped a shot from the point by junior Trevor Davis into the top right corner of the goal.
Increasing the pressure in the offensive end in the final minutes of play, Amherst netted two goals in the last 2:03 of action to seal the 4-1 win. Junior Will Vosejpka added an insurance tally at the 17:57 mark to extend the Purple & White lead to 3-1, collecting a pass from Roll in the low slot and one-timing a shot short-side over Nugnes blocker.
In a sensational individual effort, Lackey dove and just got his stick on the puck to turn away an empty net goal with 20 seconds on the clock, however freshman Joey Lupo recorded the final dagger for Amherst, notching an empty net goal with 8 seconds remaining.
Girard (4-3-1) made 15 stops in goal for the Purple & White to earn the win, while Nugnes (2-2-1) recorded 28 saves in the losing effort.
The Jumbos travel to No.6/9 Hamilton tomorrow at 3 p.m. to face their second NESCAC opponent of the weekend. Amherst returns to action tomorrow when they welcome Connecticut College to Orr Rink for a 3 p.m. NESCAC matchup.
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