Middlebury (7-7-3; 4-4-3 NESCAC) 1
Tufts (7-9-1; 4-6-1 NESCAC) 2
Box Score Recap
Middlebury outshot Tufts 14-4 in the third period to put on the pressure but Tufts held on to the 2-1 lead they carried into the final frame. Mason Pulde (G, '17) made 31 saves on the night to improve to 5-7-1 while Liam Moorfield-Yee (G, '16) stopped 20 shots to fall to 1-2-2. Stephen Klein (G, '18) had played nearly all of the last 11 games in net for the Panthers headed into the evening. Brian Brown (F, '18) scored his team leading tenth goal for the Jumbos.
It was the fourth straight home win for the Jumbos, who were playing in Malden, MA for the first time since a December 6th OT win over Bowdoin. Tufts has now almost doubled their NESCAC output from last season with seven games still left in the regular season. For Middlebury, they remain an enigma of mediocrity mixed in with that weekend when they beat the #3 Plattsburgh and #2 Norwich teams in the D-III nation.
Trinity (14-2-1; 9-1-1 NESCAC) 2
Amherst (12-3-2; 8-3-0 NESCAC) 3
Box Score Recap
Amherst goalie Danny Vitale (G, '15) stopped 33 shots to hand #3 Trinity their first loss in conference this season. Aaron Deutsch (D, '15)'s tally in the final minute of the second period to make it 3-1 turned out to be the eventual game winner. Midway through the second, Trinity got on the Board with a Paul Burns (D, '15) power play goal. The Bantams had their chances on the evening - as they are wont to do as the leading penalty drawers in the 'Cac - but were only able to convert on one of their six power play opportunities.
Williams (11-4-2; 7-3-1 NESCAC) 1
Conn College (8-7-2; 5-5-1 NESCAC) 3
Box Score Recap
Tom Conlin (G, '16) stopped 30 of 31 shots to power the Camels to their first win over the Ephs since 2007. The losing goalie in that game over half a decade ago? Marc Pulde (G, '10), brother of current Tufts goalie Mason. Ephs leading scorer Craig Kitto (F, '15) had his tenth of the year in defeat for Williams, while Brian Belisle (F, '17) of Mount Saint Charles Belisle fame had his first goal of the season for the Camels.
Wesleyan (2-15-0; 1-10-0 NESCAC) 3
Hamilton (7-6-4; 5-4-2 NESCAC) 5
Box Score Recap
Special teams were the difference in a contest between the two most penalized teams in the NESCAC. The Cardinals and Conts combined for 16 penalties, including matching game misconducts in the second for two of the top players for their respective teams: Wesleyan leading scorer James Kline (F, '17) and Hamilton senior Pat Curtis (F, '15). MMA fighting is not a call in hockey, so each were called for grabbing the facemask after a scrum on the ice following Wesleyan goalie Nolan Daley (G, '16) freezing the puck. Daley put in a yoeman's effort in a loss stopping 43 shots as the Conts held the SOG advantage 48-26.
Evan Buitenhuis (G, '18) stopped twenty three shots to move to 2-1-1 on the season. The freshman - who missed ten straight due to a concussion before returning in a loss to Amherst last week - is now eligible for the NESCAC stats list and leads 'Cac goalies in GAA (1.48) and Save Percentage (.955) in conference games.
Back to the penalties. Hamilton scored three power play goals to Wesleyan's none, including two third period man advantage tallies to overcome a 3-2 lead Wesleyan took 5:47 into the third. Robbie Murden (F, '17) paced the Continentals with his team leading ninth and tenth goals. Hamilton who missed the NESCAC playoffs last year with a ninth place finish - tentatively has sole possession of fourth place while the Cardinals are alone in the 'Cac cellar.
There were several upsets, but ultimately all the home teams won tonight. So you get a little dose of classic rock with Led Zeppelin "Bring It On Home"
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