MALDEN, MA (February 9, 2024) – In a back-and-forth NESCAC game, Amherst College got an overtime goal from sophomore Joshua Burke to take a 5-4 victory at Tufts University on Friday night at Valley Forum.
Despite the loss, the Jumbos pick up a point and remain third in the league with 28.5 points. Tufts is now 11-8-2 overall and 8-6-1 in the NESCAC. Amherst takes two points with tonight's OT win to remain fifth in the conference with 21.5 points (12-8-1 overall, 7-7-1 NESCAC).
Amherst had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 tonight before the Jumbos tied the score at 1-1 and then 2-2 heading into the third.
Tufts then took its first lead 3-2 when junior
Harrison Bazianos took the puck on a strong forecheck and wrapped around the net for a shot that rebounded nicely to junior
Tyler Sedlak who scored at 8:17 of the period.
Less than four minutes later, after Amherst junior Bobby Luca forced a turnover in the Jumbo end, the Mammoths remained persistent on the attack. Freshman Vincent Velocci then skated out from behind the goal line and scored his second goal of the game from the right circle to tie it 3-3.
Barely 30 seconds later, Tufts was back in front on a Bazianos goal. After a face-off win by sophomore linemate
Max Resnick, Bazianos got the puck on the right wing and fired a shot that trickled through Amherst junior goalie Connor Leslie for a 4-3 Tufts margin.
However, Amherst freshman Matt Vander Vort tipped a shot from the left point by sophomore Andrew Carmody and the game was knotted up again at 4-4 at the 4:46 mark.
The Mammoths would win it quickly in overtime. After the visitors won the opening face-off, senior Tyler Bourque entered and exited the Tufts zone. He passed the puck back Burke in his own end and Burke took off up the left side. Moving in on goal, he took a shot that Tufts senior goalie
Peyton Durand couldn't glove with the puck bouncing up over the goalie and into the net.
Early on, Velocci's first goal had given the visitors a 1-0 lead 4:39 into the action. Tufts tied it on freshman
Trace Norwell's tally five minutes later. Within the next minute though, senior Ryan Tucker scored for Amherst giving them a 2-1 advantage. Jumbo sophomore
John Mulvihill's goal with 3:21 remaining in the second period tied the game to set up the exciting third frame.
The Jumbos would finish with a 40-36 advantage in shots for the game, but Leslie made 36 saves while improving his season record to 7-2-1. Durand saved 31 shots in the Tufts goal. Neither team capitalized on the few power plays that were available, with Tufts going 0 for 3 and Amherst 0 for 2.
Tufts will host Hamilton College in their last regular-season home game at Valley Forum on Saturday. Puck drop for the Senior Day tilt is 4 pm. Amherst moves along to play at Connecticut College tomorrow.
--JUMBOS--
