Hockey Headed to NESCAC Championship Game After 1-0 Win Over Hamilton

HARTFORD, CT (March 2, 2024) - The Tufts University hockey team will play in its first-ever New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championship Game after earning a 1-0 win over Hamilton College in the conference semifinals on Saturday at Trinity College.

Head Coach Pat Norton's Jumbos were led today by a stellar defensive effort featuring 45 saves from senior goalie Peyton Durand. Tufts also blocked 23 shots, which matched a season-high. Senior defenseman Sam Miller led with four blocked shots, while senior Jack Hughes and sophomore Max Resnick both had three.

The Jumbos (14-9-3), who got the game's only goal from junior All-Conference first-teamer Tyler Sedlak, will now face fourth-ranked Trinity in the conference final tomorrow at 2 PM. Tufts is attempting to win its first NESCAC championship.

Hamilton College (17-8-1), which out-shot Tufts 45-38 in the game, will hope for an at-large berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Durand earned his third shutout of the season and sixth of his career, making 18 saves in the third period to finish it off. He had six stops down the stretch when Hamilton pulled its goalie for the last 2:24 of play.

The Continentals also had a third-period power-play which the Jumbos defended well, putting more shots on goal than Hamilton did during the penalty-kill (4-2).

Tufts almost caught a lucky break in the first period which would have given them a lead. With Hamilton pulling its goalie during a delayed penalty, a pass by the Continentals from deep in the Tufts zone got by the defenseman and headed towards the open net. It missed wide left, but not by much.

The Jumbos killed two penalties in that first period, and Hamilton nullified one man-advantage by the Jumbos. Durand made 14 saves and Hamilton senior Jack Grant had 12 (37 total).

Tufts would get the game's only goal after a face-off on the right side of Hamilton's end. Resnick won the draw back to Hughes at the right point. He skated down to the outside of the face-off circle and then sent a pass across the zone to Sedlak who was waiting for it and one-timed a shot past Grant into the net at 7:30 of the middle stanza. The goal was Sedlak's 15th of the season.

Tufts would not be denied with their defensive effort in the third, when they were out-shot 18-13. Playing in their third conference semifinal ever, the Jumbos achieved their first victory in the final four round.

The win comes against a Hamilton team that Tufts had been struggling against recently. The Jumbos were 0-1-1 versus the Continentals for the regular season and were 1-9-1 against them since February 2018.

The challenge will be even greater tomorrow against a Trinity team that will enter the game with a 22-3-1 record.