Box Score 
MALDEN – Freshman Tyler Sedlak (pictured) scored his first collegiate goal to help the Tufts University hockey team earn a 3-3 tie with Wesleyan University in the season-opener for both NESCAC squads at Valley Forum on Friday night.
From the right face-off circle Sedlak sniped a shot into the far top corner with 3:39 remaining in the third period to tie the score at 3-3. Jumbo senior goalie Josh Sarlo played a key role in the tie, making 15 of his 34 saves in the third period and overtime.
Tufts had trailed 3-1 after Wesleyan's Emmet Powell roofed a power-play goal from the slot at 14:47 of the second period. Despite this extra-man tally allowed, the Jumbos were excellent on the penalty-kill overall limiting Wesleyan to 1 for 6. Tufts killed a five-minute major and a 1:28 stretch when they were down two men.
Freshmen scored two of Tufts' goals. The Jumbos pulled within 3-2 when newcomer Harrison Bazianos snapped a shot inside the left post at 17:37 of second period. He was set up by sophomore Fisher Shea, who was also making his collegiate debut.
Sarlo gave the Jumbos a chance to earn the tie with stellar play. He made the stop on a shot by Alex Giummo on a Wesleyan two-on-one with 11:30 on the third-period clock. Right before Sedlak's game-tying goal, he made four saves during a Cardinal power-play including a pair of rapid-fire attempts by Michael Kerbrat and Giummo.
Both Sarlo and Wesleyan's Marc Smith were busy during the overtime period with four saves each.
Wesleyan had gone out to a 2-0 lead in the first period with Stevie O'Connor scoring a goal at 4:11 and then assisting Giummo's tally with 5:14 remaining in the period.
Brendan Skarda got the Jumbos on the scoreboard 7:37 into the second period when he capitalized on a loose puck in front of the Wesleyan goal to make it a 2-1 game. Shortly after that score, Sarlo made clutch stops on DJ Dixon at the left post, and then sprawled to make the save when Jack Lachange had a wide-open right side of the net to shoot at.
The Cardinals would have shot advantages of 13-4 in the second and 11-4 in the third, but great goaltending by Sarlo and opportunistic scoring by the offense got the Jumbos 1.5 points in the conference. Wesleyan finished with a 37-23 advantage in shots, aided by their six power-play chances compared to two for the Jumbos.
Mason Kohn led the Jumbos with 13 face-off wins. In addition to his multi-point game, O'Connor led the visitors with 13 wins on draws. Smith finished with 20 saves.
Tufts welcomes Trinity College to Valley Forum tomorrow for a 4 PM start.
