MALDEN, MA (February 22, 2025) – The Tufts University men's hockey team finished its regular-season with a convincing 5-0 victory over Bowdoin College in front of a full house at Valley Forum on Senior Day Saturday afternoon.
With the victory, the Jumbos earn the #5 seed in the upcoming NESCAC Tournament. Tufts (8-10 in NESCAC) and Amherst College (8-8-2 in the league) both had 26 points in the final conference standings, but the Jumbos won the tie-breaker due to their eight regulation wins in league play compared to seven by Amherst (one of whose wins was in OT).
Tufts (10-12-1 overall) will turn around and head up to #4 seed Bowdoin (9-12-3) for the quarterfinal round next Saturday. The game time is 6:00 PM.
Tonight's five-goal margin of victory is the most for Tufts since they won the Boston Landing Tournament final over Nichols College 5-0 at Warrior Ice Arena on January 7, 2024. It's their most decisive win in NESCAC since a 5-0 score against Middlebury College on December 3, 2022.
Tufts' power-play, which had been ineffective entering the weekend, scored twice today adding to an extra-man goal last night against Colby College for three in the two games.
The Jumbos' first goal today came on a man advantage in the opening period. Junior
Brendan Fennell, who was involved in Tufts' offense all night, sent a pass from the right side across to classmate
Max Resnick at the left post for a goal just 15 seconds into the Jumbo power-play at 13:23 of the first.
Fennell then forced a turnover in the neutral zone leading to Tufts' second strike four minutes later. Freshman
Rory Andriole snapped a shot from the left circle past Bowdoin freshman goalie Jake Fillion and it was 2-0 with a little more than two minutes remaining in the opening stanza.
Tufts' second power-play goal in the second period was scored with just four seconds remaining in the opportunity. After sophomore
Trace Norwell picked the puck away from a Bowdoin player in the Polar Bear end, sophomore
Marcus Sang from behind the goal line on the left side ripped a pass over to senior
Brennan Horn at the right post. He had open netting to score into at 9:15 of the middle frame for a 3-0 advantage.
The Jumbos would build their margin to 4-0 at 11:53 of the second. Fennell was leading a rush, passing up to freshman
Jameson Klein entering the Bowdoin zone. His shot was saved by Fillion, but junior
Cole Dubicki scored on the rebound.
Tufts would complete its offensive output in the middle of the third period. Senior
Harrison Bazianos passed to Resnick who sent the puck through a Bowdoin defender to senior
Tyler Sedlak. He went in alone on the left side and scored five-hole at 10:34 for the 5-0 advantage.
Tufts junior Gus Bylin had 26 saves in 55 minutes of play for the Jumbos.
Spencer Rose, one of seven Jumbo seniors honored before the game, played the final five minutes making two stops to preserve the shutout. It's the third shutout of the season for Tufts.
Fillion recorded 32 saves at the Bowdoin end as the Jumbos outshot the Polar Bears 37-28. Eleven Jumbos had points in the game led by a goal and assist from both Resnick and Sedlak, and two assists to Fennell.
In addition to Bazianos, Horn, Rose and Sedlak,
Clark Bolin,
Sami Hakkarainen and
Marek Pechr were the Jumbo seniors saluted today.
--JUMBOS--
