Williams Ephs Down Tufts Jumbos 5-4 on Senior Day

 
Williamstown, MA - The Williams Ephs (3-2-0, NESCAC 3-0-0) defeated the Tufts Jumbos (1-5-1, NESCAC 1-2-1) 5-4 on senior day in Lansing Chapman Rink.
 
In the exhilarating match-up, the Ephs set the tone in the first period leading by one, then extended their lead to 3 in the second period. The Jumbos made a surging come back in the second and third period, posting 4 consecutive goals. Down one with seven minutes remaining, senior Mitchell Pelletier scored the equalizer and sophomore forward Jacob Monroe posted the game winning goal at 16:43 in the third period.
 
Today was the first matchup between the Jumbos and the Ephs. In their last meeting, Williams defeated Tufts 5-3 in Williamstown. In the net today, was senior Cosimo Lazzarino, who made 26 saves. For the Jumbos, Josh Sarlo was guarding the net. He made total of 40 saves in today's game.
 
Coming fresh into the weekend, the Ephs came into the first period aggressive and ready to score. Five minutes into the first period, senior forward Nick Altmann, picked up a connecting pass from teammate Sean Clarke, and found the five hole on Sarlo for his first goal of the season. Down early in the period, the Jumbos increased their offense, making more and more aggressive plays. Consequentially, three penalties were given to the Jumbos in the second half of the period, opening three power play opportunities for the Ephs. However, the Jumbos geared up and successfully killed off all three penalties. Outshooting their opponents 20-4, the Ephs were in control throughout the first period.
 
Taking this momentum into the second period, the Ephs continued their reign of offense, scoring twice more in the first 10 minutes of the second period. While successfully killing off Eph forward Jack Sabre's penalty for roughing, the Ephs smoothly converted their defense to offense, clearing the puck with 3 seconds left on a Jumbo power play. Senior captain Niko Karamanis, assisted by Henry Muller and Sean Clarke, picked up a deflected shot and fired it past Sarlo to put the Ephs up 2-0.  
 
Less than two minutes later at 7:26, sophomore forward Sean Clarke, assisted by Nick Altmann and Niko Karamanis, broke away from the defensive crowd on the left side of Sarlo to fire a backhanded shot and give the Ephs a 3-0 advantage.
 
The momentum of the game shifted at 12:06, when Eph defenseman Jarin Sutton was sent to the penalty box. Twenty-three seconds later, Eph defenseman Ben Lawrick was also sent to the penalty box. Down two skaters, the Ephs were at a heavy disadvantage allowing the Jumbo's to score at 13:27. Tufts defenseman Sam Miller, assisted by Justin Brandt and Tom Tresca, slapped the puck into Lazzarino's net.
 
The Jumbo's second goal came at 15:45 by Tufts defenseman Cam Newton, assisted by Fisher Shea. Newton picked up a deflected shot from Shea, slipping the puck past Lazzarino. Newton's goal decreased the Eph's lead by one going into the third period.

Taking the same energy from the second half of the second period, the Jumbos scored the equalizer at 4 minutes into the third period. A penalty on Ephs Henry Muller, gave the Jumbos a crucial power play opportunity. With a one-man advantage, Jumbo forward Angus Scott, assisted by Justin Brandt, was quick to take advantage and snuck a shot in from the left side of the goal.


 
Not long after scoring the equalizer, Tufts Tyler Sedlak, assisted by Justin Brandt extended the lead for the Jumbos. Brandt passed the puck to Sedlak, who slapped the shot past Lazzarino's left glove, giving Tutfts a 4-3 lead..
 
With six minutes left in the period, the Ephs were searching to level the score. The equalizer came at 13:35, when senior forward Mitchell Pelletier, assisted by Jack Forrest and Henry Muller, from the back of the net, wrapped around and snuck the puck right past Sarlo.
 
Tied at 4-4 and with only six minutes left in the period, every shot and penalty became more crucial to the end result of the game.
 
While both teams skated hard and fast, the game winning goal was made by the Ephs, when Henry Muller came flying out of the box and intercepted a pass from the neutral zone. Muller then passed the puck to Monroe who tipped it by Sarlo. With only three minutes left in the game, the Jumbos pulled their goalie to put six skaters on ice. While the Jumbos pressed hard, Lazzarino did not lose a beat, making save after save. Ultimately, the Ephs would prevail after a hard-fought game.
 
"I thought the push from the guys was really good. The energy was positive, and the guys didn't think twice [about getting it back] when we went down," commented Eph head coach Bill Kangas. "We have some things to work on, but to have a comeback and win this early in the year is something we are excited about and hope we can continue to do."
 
Next up for the Eph is a 5pm contest tomorrow on the road versus the Middlebury Panthers.