BOSTON, MA (December 30, 2022) - Sophomore
Harrison Bazianos and freshman
Brendan Fennell both scored twice, including a short-handed goal each, and junior goalie
Peyton Durand earned his first career shutout, all of which led the Tufts hockey team to a 6-0 win over Fitchburg State in the consolation game of the Codfish Bowl hosted by UMass Boston on Friday.
The Jumbos improved to 4-6-1 overall with the victory. The Falcons fell to 5-4-2.
Tufts took a 1-0 lead 6:31 into the first period. Sophomore
Sami Hakkarainen won a face-off at the left circle in the Fitchburg end. Junior
Fisher Shea tapped the puck back to junior defenseman
Cam Newton, who zipped a shot past Falcon goalie Matthew Radder.
Not long after that, Tufts sophomore
Tyler Sedlak won a puck battle in the Tufts end. He used the boards to beat a defender and free himself for a two-on-zero break with Bazianos. From the right face-off dot, Sedlak passed over to Bazianos who roofed it for a 2-0 advantage at 13:23 of the first.
Durand, making his first start since November 22, stopped all of Fitchburg's 18 shots in the opening frame. The Jumbos put 18 shots on goal as well. Tufts was 16 for 22 on draws, including four out of five won by Hakkarainen.
Tufts built its lead to 3-0 six minutes into the second period after senior
Mason Kohn intercepted a pass at the Falcon blue line and kept the puck in the zone. Kohn quickly saw freshman
Max Resnick alone in the right face-off circle, then Resnick found Fennell charging to the net on the left side and he scored into an open goal.
Kohn then helped set up Fennell short-handed at 16:30 of the second for a 4-0 Tufts lead. With Fitchburg on the power play, Kohn won the puck at the Jumbo left point and shoveled it ahead to Fennell. He broke down the right side and went far-side high for his second goal of the period.
Durand made 14 more saves in the middle stanza as Tufts held the Falcons scoreless through 40 minutes.
The Jumbos scored their second straight short-handed goal and Bazianos got his second of the game at 4:19 of the third. With Tufts keeping possession in the Fitchburg end while down a man,
Clark Bolin sent a shot on goal from along the boards outside the right face-off circle. Bazianos was in front of the net to score on the rebound making it 5-0.
Junior defenseman
Andrew Gunlock scored Tufts' sixth and final goal at 15:54 of the third, one-timing a shot by Bolin that had bounced around to him on the outside edge of the right circle.
Durand finished with 48 saves for his first career shutout. Radder finished with 44 stops in the Falcon cage.
These two teams will meet again in Tufts' next game, on January 10 at Fitchburg.
--JUMBOS--
