MALDEN, MA (February 24, 2024) – Down 2-0 early, the Tufts University hockey team scored four times in the second period and then held on for a 5-3 victory over Connecticut College in a NESCAC Quarterfinal at Valley Forum on Saturday.
Tufts junior
Tyler Sedlak had a hat trick, including the third goal into an empty net with 34 seconds remaining after the Camels had pulled within 4-3 in the third period.
Hosting their first NESCAC Quarterfinal since 2012 today, head coach
Pat Norton's Jumbos won a home NESCAC Quarterfinal game for the first time ever. Improving to 13-9-3 overall, the Jumbos now have their most victories in a season since the 2000-01 squad won 17 games.
Third-seed Tufts will travel to top-seed Trinity College for next Saturday's (Mar. 2) semifinals, where they will face fourth-seed Hamilton College. The Continentals won 4-3 in the quarterfinals over Amherst College today.
Sixth-seed Connecticut College, led today by a goal and an assist from sophomore Michael DiMascolo, finishes their season at 9-14-2.
The Camels were the better team in the first period, with goals by freshman Logan Cleary at 2:48 and the first career goal for freshman Pete Stanger at 18:27 giving the visitors a 2-0 advantage.
However, Tufts turned the game around in the second period. Seven minutes in, sophomore
Brendan Fennell took the puck at his own blue line after a Camel defender fanned on a shot. On a three-on-one break, Fennell kept the puck and shot from the right side beating Conn senior goalie Sean Dynan five-hole to make it a 2-1 game.
Then with Connecticut College on a power-play, Tufts freshman
Trace Norwell picked up the puck in his own zone after a pass was off-target and deflected off a Camel player. During his rush, Norwell put the puck through a Connecticut College defender and then scored short-handed to tie the game at 2-2 with eight minutes remaining in the middle period.
The Jumbos continued to build on their momentum, with Sedlak scoring goals one minute apart. Both times Sedlak capitalized into an open left side of the net following set-ups by junior
Harrison Bazianos on the first goal at 15:59 and then from sophomore
Max Resnick on the second at 17:00.
The Camels regained the edge in play for the third period though, and pulled within one at the 12:13 mark. Junior Devan Newhook took a hit to keep the puck in Conn's possession, with it deflecting to senior Kei Yasuda who sent DiMascolo in on Tufts senior goalie
Peyton Durand from the right side. DiMascolo beat Durand far side and the Camels trailed 4-3.
Pulling Dynan for an extra skater in the final 80 seconds didn't work though, as Tufts' Bazianos would set up his linemate Sedlak for his hat track goal and the game-clincher. Sedlak now has 14 goals for Tufts.
Durand finished with 32 saves as the Camels out-shot Tufts 35-31 in today's game. Dynan made 26 stops at the other end.
The Jumbos continued to excel at penalty-killing, holding Connecticut College to 0 for 3 opportunities. Tufts was 0-1 on power-plays in the game.
--JUMBOS--
