Hockey Hosts Camels Saturday in First Home Playoff Quarterfinal Since 2012

MEDFORD, MA (February 20, 2024) - The Tufts University hockey team will host a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) playoff quarterfinal for the first time since 2012 on Saturday against Connecticut College. The puck drops at 4 PM.

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2024 NESCAC MEN'S ICE HOCKEY QUARTERFINALS:
Saturday, February 24, 2024
Connecticut College, 4 pm
Location: Malden, MA – Valley Forum (Directions)
Coverage: LIVE VIDEO – LIVE STATS – CHAMPIONSHIP WEBSITE

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Head coach Pat Norton's Jumbos earned 34 points on a 9-7-2 record this year to place third in the conference, the team's best finish since joining the league for the 2001-02 season. Tufts' 12-9-3 record overall represents the most wins by the team since the 2011-12 squad also won 12.

Connecticut College will come into Valley Forum as the #6 seed in NESCAC. Head coach Jim Ward's team earned 22 conference points with a 7-11-0 record and are 9-13-1 overall.

Travel partners throughout the NESCAC schedule, the Jumbos and Camels played on back-to-back nights February 2-3 this season. Conn won the Friday night game 4-3 in overtime, but Tufts took a 4-0 victory the next night.

One of the teams will advance to the semifinals for the first time in a while. Tufts will look to be in the NESCAC final four for the first time since 2016, and the Camels will be attempting to get there for the first time since 2015. Neither team has played in a conference championship game before.

Tufts ranks third in the league allowing 2.29 goals per game (55 in 24 contests), and the Jumbos are fourth in scoring with 70 goals so far (2.92 per game). Connecticut College is sixth defensively (2.79 average) and seventh on offense (2.54).

Jumbo senior goalie Peyton Durand has played in 22 of the team's 24 games and leads the league among regulars with a .938 save percentage. He totes a 2.12 goals against average. Senior Sean Dynan has played the most games for the Camels (16) and has registered a .917 save percentage and has a 2.51 goals against average.

The Jumbos have also benefited from stellar play by a veteran blue line. The defensive group is led by seniors Jacob Iida, Jack Hughes, Sam Miller and Cam Newton.

With 27 points in Tufts' 24 games (11 goals-16 assists), junior Tyler Sedlak is second in the league in scoring. The Jumbos' top line are all in the top six, as sophomore Max Resnick's 24 points (9-15) is fourth and junior Harrison Bazianos is sixth (10-12-11). Freshman Quinn Kennedy is the Camels' scoring leader with 21 points on seven goals and 14 assists to rank eighth in NESCAC.

Saturday's winner will move on to the semifinals to be held at the site of the highest remaining seed.