Box Score MALDEN - Freshman Bennett Morrison scored the game-winning goal with 2:45 remaining in the third period as the Hamilton College men's hockey team earned a 3-1 win over Tufts University in a hard-fought NESCAC game played at Valley Forum on Saturday afternoon.
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| Captain Mike Leary was one of six seniors honored in a pre-game ceremony |
Morrison's blast from the low end of the face-off circle beat Tufts junior goalie Nik Nugnes for a short-handed goal to break a 1-1 tie. The Continentals later added an empty-net goal by junior Tyler Bruneteau for the 3-1 final.
Ninth-ranked Hamilton remained unbeaten in its last seven games (4-0-3) and won its third straight to improve to 15-3-4 overall and 9-3-4 in NESCAC. The Continentals took over first place in the league with 22 points, though second-place Williams College (21 pts.) plays tonight versus Middlebury.
Tufts lost for the first time in four games today, falling to 10-9-3 (8-7-1 NESCAC).
The game featured two of the top three goalies in the league according to save percentage as top-ranked Evan Buitenhuis from Hamilton (.949) and the third-ranked Nugnes from Tufts (.936) squared off. Both goalies were on-point for most of the night as Buitenhuis stopped 23 of the 24 shots he faced and Nugnes made 30 saves.
Hamilton scored first when a shot by senior Brad Smelstor was saved by Nugnes, but the rebound went right to freshman Nick Ursitti. He had an open net to score into from the left side at 11:59 of the first period. The teams went to the first intermission with the Contenintals up 1-0 as Buitenhuis stopped all 11 shots he faced in the opening 20 minutes.
Freshman defenseman Jordan Haney continued to make things happen for the Jumbos in the second period. At the very end of a strong power play by Hamilton that did not produce any goals, Haney gained possession of the puck in the neutral zone and charged up the left wing. He unleashed a shot that hit the far post, but Jumbo freshman Tyler Scroggins was there to pot a short-handed goal at 14:33 evening the score at 1-1. The shorty was Scroggins' second of the season and he leads NESCAC with three short-handed points.
Into the third period, Hamilton had a golden opportunity to take the lead right away when junior Brandon Willett took a pass all alone in the slot. However, Nugnes made the save. The Continentals had numerous other good scoring chances in a period during which they would out-shoot Tufts 15-6.
Their good work paid with Morrison's game-winner. The teams had played four-on-four hockey for 1:49 before the Jumbos' penalty was released at 17:12. Just three seconds later Morrison scored with assists to Willett and senior Conor Lamberti.
Tufts pulled Nugnes with 1:35 on the third-period clock, but Bruneteau made it a two-goal advantage for the visitors with 54 seconds remaining.
Patrick Lackey, one of six Jumbos honored on Seniors Day at Tufts, blocked a game-high four shots. Willett went 15 for 19 on face-offs as the Continentals won 37 of the 61 draws in the game. Hamilton finished with a 33-24 advantage in shots.
The Jumbos travel to Maine for the final weekend of the regular season, starting next Friday at Bowdoin. Hamilton hosts Middlebury next Friday night.
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