MEDFORD, MA (March 9, 2025) - Tufts University and Hamilton College will play for the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) men's hockey championship on Sunday. The opening face-off is at 2 PM.
Game Details - Championship Website
NESCACÂ Championship Game at No. 1 seed Hamilton College (19-6-1)
Date: Sunday, March 9, 2025
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Clinton, NYÂ - Sage Rink
Live Coverage:
LIVE STATSÂ -
LIVE VIDEO
Tufts, which is in the title game for the second straight season, is seeking its first conference championship. Head coach
Pat Norton's Jumbos won their semifinal game against Colby College 6-2 on Saturday to advance to the final. The Jumbos (12-12-1) scored four third-period goals and were led by a goal and two assists from junior
Cole Dubicki and 39 saves by junior Gus Bylin.
Hamilton went to two overtimes yesterday to defeat Middlebury College 3-2 in the semifinals on a goal scored by sophomore Noah Leibl. Like Tufts, the Continentals (19-6-1) are in the NESCAC final for the second time and strive to win their first-ever conference crown. They were last finalists in 2017.
The teams split their season series this winter. Tufts took their worst loss of the season against the Continentals, 6-1, in Malden on January 17. However, the Jumbos rebounded for a 2-1 win at Hamilton on February 14. Tufts eliminated Hamilton from the NESCAC Tournament in the semifinals last year, 1-0. The series is very tight since the start of the 2022-23 season, with both teams having 3-3-1 records in that span.
Last year's meeting in the semifinals was the only game between the teams in conference playoffs history. In the 25 years of the NESCAC Tournament, Hamilton has qualified 22 times with a 14-21 record and Tufts is in its 15th appearance with a 7-14 mark.
Hamilton earned the #1 seed in NESCAC for the 2024-25 season with a 13-4-1 record, while Tufts was fifth at an 8-10 mark. The 2025 All-Conference team is loaded with Hamilton players, including Player of the Year Luke Tchor. The Continentals have five of the eight first-team sports including goalie Charlie Archer, defensemen Nick Kent and James Philpott and forward Jackson Krock along with Tchor. Rob Haberbusch of Hamilton was the Coach of the Year. Second-team forward
Max Resnick is the only Jumbo on the All-Conference teams.
Hamilton also dominates the stat categories, as they lead the league both offensively (3.81 goals per game) and defensively (1.88 goals against per game). Tchor is NESCAC's leading scorer with 15 goals and 32 points. Krock's 14 goals and 28 points are second in both categories. Archer tops the primary goalie stats with a 1.44 goals against average and .939 save percentage.
Tufts is fifth in both categories at 2.88 goals for and 2.64 goals against. After a slow start to this season, Bylin has been elite in the second semester and carries a 2.33 GAA and .925 save percentage overall. Senior
Harrison Bazianos had his 11th goal of the year in the semifinal against Colby, which is tied for third in NESCAC. Resnick is at 10-12-22 for the season, top 10 in the league for goals and points.
The winner of Sunday's game will earn NESCAC's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
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--JUMBOS--
