Box Score
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA - The Williams College men's hockey team completed a weekend sweep on Saturday afternoon with a solid 5-0 win over NESCAC foe Tufts.
Forwards Eric Rubino '13 and Connor Olvany '11 each netted two goals for the Ephs, while Ben Contini '11 and John Wickman' 13 added two assists apiece. Contini's two assists gives the senior forward five points in Williams' first two games.
After being held without a goal in the first period by Conn. College the previous night, Williams wasted no time getting on the board on Saturday. Picking up right where they left off, the Ephs took a 1-0 lead with a quick strike only 15 seconds into the game. After a face-off win by Contini, the puck was passed behind the net to Wickman, who swung it to Contini on the right side. Contini fired a tape-to-tape pass across the crease to a wide-open Rubino, who put the puck in the top left corner for the goal.
Tufts responded to Williams' aggressive play with several scoring chances of their own. After a Williams penalty, Tufts got off a series of hard shots on goaltender Ryan Purdy '12, but Purdy kept the puck out of the net.
Purdy was strong all afternoon, tallying 24 saves in 60 minutes of action while holding the Jumbos scoreless. His counterpart, first-team All-NESCAC goalie Scott Barchard, made 35 saves in 60 minutes while allowing 5 goals.
The Jumbos' best chance came at the end of the first period, when the puck squirted loose in front of an open net after Purdy made a save on the right side of the crease. With a Tufts attacker converging on him, defender Justin Troiani '12 got his stick on the puck and poked it out to keep the score at 1-0 heading into the locker room.
Taking their cue from the first period, Williams came out firing in the second, scoring within the first 20 seconds to extend the lead to 2-0. The goal was set up by Contini, who made a great spinning pass across the ice to find Wickman in the neutral zone. Wickman skated up the right side and fired a pass to Rubino on the left side, who deposited the puck in the net for his second goal of the afternoon.
Both teams started to pick up their intensity after Williams' second goal. Physical play and hard checking resulted in a number of penalties for the Ephs, but their penalty-killing unit stepped up big with several good forechecks to keep the puck out of the zone and minimize shots from the Jumbos.
This strong forecheck also led to offensive chances for Williams. Midway through the period, the penalty killing unit slapped the puck out of the zone to a streaking Olvany. The senior forward carried the puck in on a breakaway, made a quick juke to his left, and flipped it toward the net. Barchard made the initial stop, but the puck squirted free and slid across the line to make the score 3-0 Ephs.
The penalties continued to pile up in the late second and early third periods for the Ephs, who committed a total of thirteen penalties on the afternoon. The penalty-killing team remained strong, however, clogging up passing lanes and forcing the Jumbos to take bad shots. Those shots that made it to the net were handled capably by Purdy, who improved to 2-0 and picked up his first shutout of the season.
Williams made their fast start count with a strong finish, scoring two goals in the last five minutes of action to put the game out of reach. The Ephs' fourth goal of the night was set up by a huge slapshot by Bryden McGhee '14. Barchard made a good stick save, but the puck bounced out in front of the net, where Olvany was able to fight off a Jumbo defender and score.
"[Olvany's goal] was a grinding goal, but it is those kinds of little plays that will win you games," noted Coach Bill Kangas.
Williams made its share of both little plays and big plays Saturday afternoon, finishing with a total of 40 shots compared to Tufts' 24.
The Ephs capped off their strong effort with a goal by co-captain Matt Masucci '11 late in the third period that widened the lead to 5-0. The goal was set up nicely by Evan Dugdale '13, who controlled the puck near the left circle and whipped a sharp pass in front of the net, where Masucci was waiting to chip it in.
Kangas was proud of the way his team played, remarking that "any time you go 2-0 in league play, it's a big accomplishment."
After a two days of rest, Williams will take to the ice again to face non-conference opponent Westfield St. on Tuesday. The Owls are 1-3-1 on the season after dropping a close game to UMass Dartmouth Thursday night. The puck drops at 4:30 PM at Lansing Chapman Rink.
