LPfan2004: Tufts-Endicott, Part Deux

Our junior correspondent,LPfan2004, is back with Tufts-Endicott, part deux.       

Tufts 2, Endicott 2 FINAL OT (Box Score) 

The Tufts Jumbos men’s hockey team sought revenge when the Endicott Gulls made the trip to Malden Valley Forum for a regular season game on Tuesday. In the consolation game of the W.B. Mason Winter Classic on Saturday, both team’s most recent game, the Gulls embarrassed the Jumbos with an 8-1 stomping. Tuesday  was also the last non-conference game of the 2017-18 season for Tufts, so a win here would have been huge for the 1-9-1 Jumbos, especially against the 14-1-1 nationally ranked Gulls (#2 in both polls), who came into the contest with a 15-game unbeaten streak. A win here would have given Tufts huge momentum and confidence going into their NESCAC games. Starting in net for Endicott was Justin Ketola, while Nik Nugnes got the nod for Tufts.

In the first period, Endicott won the opening faceoff, and no major action occurred until aJack Musil interference penalty six  minutes in, which gave Tufts their first power play. After not converting their power play, Tufts gave one back with 7:48 left because of an Andrew Hadley hooking call. Tufts defended well on the power play, and used this momentum to score a goal less than a minute after their penalty ended. The goal was scored by Brian Brown, his fourth of the season; Tyler Scroggins and Cory Gottfried picked up the helpers. The last major event of the period came on a Bump Lisk holding with 1:16 left, which would give the Jumbos a 2-minute power play that would continue in the second period.

With 2 seconds left on the power play - only 42 seconds into the period - Brown scored his second tally of the game. A Charley Borek hooking call came less than two minutes after this, giving Endicott their second power play of the game. Ross Olsson converted the penalty for Endicott, scoring his ninth goal of the season and putting Endicott within one goal of Tufts. There were a couple more penalties in the period, including a Craig Uyeno cross-checking that would give Endicott a minute of power play going into the third period.

Endicott did not convert their power play, however a few more came in the period. The last one, a Craig Uyeno hooking, gave Endicott a 2-minute power play with three minutes left in regulation time. With less than a minute and a half left in the game, Daniel Kucerovy converted Endicott’s power play with his 16^th goal of the season. This goal was assisted by Josh Bowes and Logan Day, and it sent the game into overtime. The overtime period was very boring, however, with neither team scoring a goal or earning a power play. The game ended in a 2-2 tie, with both sides feeling like that was a game they could have and should have won. 

Tufts stays at home (well, at Malden Valley Forum, at least) this weekend against Amherst and Hamilton on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. 

"Always workin' OT, overtime and outta town" - Drake

Only two more Tuesdays of non-conference play before it is NESCAC only the rest of the way. In honor of this Tuesday, overtime game in which Tufts almost pulled off the huge upset, here's iLoveMakonnen(featuring Drake) with Tuesday (the clean version, of course, we got kids reading - and writing - here)