MEDFORD, Mass. (February 27, 2024) – Enjoying its best season in more than 20 years, the Tufts University hockey team travels to Trinity College on Saturday (March 2) to host the New England Small College Athletic Play conference (NESCAC) tournaments. The semi-final match will be against Hamilton University. Puck drops at 4:30 p.m.
2024 NESCAC Men's Ice Hockey Semi-Finals:
Saturday, March 2, 2024
vs. Hamilton College, 4:30 p.m.
Location: Hartford, CT – Keppel Community Sports Center (175 New Britain Ave, Hartford, CT 06106)
Coverage: Live Video – Live Statistics – Championship Website
head coach Pat NortonThe Jumbos, seeded third in the tournament, advanced to the semifinals with a 5-3 victory over sixth-seeded University of Connecticut last Saturday. Tufts was hosting the conference quarterfinals for the first time since 2012, and the first time they won at home in the conference quarterfinals. Hamilton defeated Amherst College 4-3 in the quarterfinals.
This Saturday will be the third time Tufts will play in the NESCAC semifinals. In both 2015 and 2016, No. 8 seed Tufts defeated the No. 1 seed in the quarterfinals, defeating Trinity 2-1 in 2015 and Williams 2-1 in 2016. In both cases, the Jambos lost in the semifinals.
Tufts will play for its first-ever NESCAC championship this weekend. In Saturday's other semifinal, host and No. 1 seed Trinity College will face No. 7 seed Middlebury College at 1 p.m. Saturday's winners will compete for the title on Sunday at 2 p.m.
The Jumbos (13-9-3)'s 13 total wins are the program's most since joining the NESCAC in the 2001-2002 season. Excluding an 0-4-1 start this year, the team is 13-5-2 in its past 20 games dating back to early December. They have only lost twice in regulation during this period.
But the fourth-seeded Hamilton College team Tufts will face Saturday (17-7-1) is 1-1 against the Jambos this season, with both games going to overtime. The Continentals, who are receiving votes in the US College Hockey Online poll, rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the third period to tie the game 3-3 against Tufts in New York on January 13th. Ta. And on February 10 at the Malden Continental, Devon de Vries scored in overtime to lead the visiting team to a 3-2 victory.
Statistically, both teams are similar this year. Hamilton enters Saturday with 82 goals in 25 games (3.28 goals per game), ranking third in the NESCAC, with Tufts right behind them in fourth place with 75 goals (3.00 goals per game). Defensively, the Jumbos are third in the conference with 58 points allowed (2.32 points per game), while the Continentals are fourth in the league with 61 goals allowed and an average of 3.44 points per game.
jumbo top line Tyler Sedlak (14 goals – 16 assists – 30 points), Max Resnick (9-18-27) and harrison bagianos (10-14-24) are all in the top five in NESCAC overall points.Tufts will rely on veteran defense with his seniors. sam miller, Jacob Iida, cam newton and jack hughes.Senior Peyton Durand He had a great season in goal, appearing in 23 games and posting a 2.16 points average and a .937 save percentage.
Hamilton freshman Luke Cho is the league's leading scorer with 13 goals and 21 assists for 34 points. The Continentals also have sophomore Jackson Kroc, who ranks in the top five in the conference with 11 points, and sophomore Max Brauca (8-15-23), who is also a dangerous player up front. On D, junior James Philpott (3-16-19) ranks among the league's top 10 scorers. Senior Jack Grant led the team in goalie minutes, playing in 14 games and posting a .913 save percentage and 2.82 goals against average.
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