MEDFORD, MA (February 27, 2024) – The Tufts University hockey team, enjoying its finest season in over 20 years, will travel to Trinity College on Saturday (Mar. 2) to play a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Tournament Semifinal game against Hamilton College. The puck drops at 4:30 PM.
2024 NESCAC MEN'S ICE HOCKEY SEMIFINALS:
Saturday, March 2, 2024
vs. Hamilton College, 4:30 pm
Location: Hartford, CT – Koeppel Community Sports Center (175 New Britain Ave, Hartford, CT 06106)
Coverage:
LIVE VIDEO –
LIVE STATS –
CHAMPIONSHIP WEBSITE
Head coach
Pat Norton's Jumbos, seeded third in the tournament, advanced to the semis with a 5-3 victory against #6 seed Connecticut College last Saturday. Tufts was hosting its first conference quarterfinal since 2012, and the win was their first ever at home in a conference quarterfinal. Hamilton defeated Amherst College 4-3 in the quarters.
This Saturday will be the third time that Tufts has played in the NESCAC semifinals. In both 2015 and 2016 Tufts as the #8 seed upset the #1 seed in the quarterfinals – Trinity 2-1 in 2015 and Williams 2-1 in 2016. Both times the Jumbos lost their semifinal games.
Tufts will be challenging for its first-ever NESCAC championship this weekend. Host and #1 seed Trinity College with play #7 seed Middlebury College in Saturday's other semifinal at 1 PM. The winners on Saturday will meet for the title on Sunday at 2 PM.
Tickets for the semifinal games are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for students/children 3 and older, and children under 2 are free. One ticket is good for admission to both semifinal games. Tickets may be purchased online starting Tuesday, February 27 at 5:00 p.m. through Saturday, March 2 at 12:00 noon. Purchase semifinal tickets
HERE. Tickets may be picked up at the Online Ticket Sales line at Koeppel Community Sports Center on Saturday, March 2 starting at 12:00 noon. Bring the purchase confirmation email with you, along with a photo ID. A limited number of tickets will be available at Koeppel Community Sports Center on Saturday, March 2 starting at 12:00 noon. Tickets may be purchased electronically (e.g., credit card) or with exact cash. No change will be available.
The Jumbos' (13-9-3) 13 victories overall are the program's most since they joined NESCAC for the 2001-02 season. Take away their 0-4-1 start this year, and the team is 13-5-2 in its last 20 games going back to the start of December. They've only lost twice in regulation during that span.
The #4 seed Hamilton College team (17-7-1) that Tufts will face on Saturday had a win and a tie against the Jumbos this season though, with both games going to overtime. The Continentals, who are receiving votes in the US College Hockey Online poll, rallied from down 3-0 in the third period to earn a 3-3 tie against Tufts on January 13 in New York. Then on February 10 in Malden Continental Devon de Vries scored in overtime to lift the visitors to a 3-2 win.
The teams have been similar statistically this year. Hamilton enters Saturday with 82 goals in its 25 games (3.28 per game) to rank third in NESCAC, with Tufts right behind them in fourth with 75 goals (3.00 per game). Defensively the Jumbos have allowed 58 goals (2.32 per game) for third in the conference, and the Continentals have given up 61 for a 3.44 average that is fourth in the league.
The Jumbos' top line of
Tyler Sedlak (14 goals – 16 assists – 30 points),
Max Resnick (9-18-27) and
Harrison Bazianos (10-14-24) are all in the top five for overall points in NESCAC. Tufts relies on a veteran defense featuring seniors
Sam Miller,
Jacob Iida,
Cam Newton and
Jack Hughes. Senior
Peyton Durand has had a great season in goal, playing 23 games and logging a 2.16 goals against average and .937 save percentage.
Hamilton freshman Luke Tchor is the league's leading scorer with 34 points on 13 goals and 21 assists. The Continentals also have sophomore Jackson Krock in the conference's top five for goals with 11, and sophomore Max Bulawka (8-15-23) is also dangerous up front. On D, junior James Philpott (3-16-19) is among the top 10 scorers in the league. Senior Jack Grant leads the team in goalie minutes, having played 14 games with a .913 save percentage and 2.82 goals against average.
--JUMBOS--
