BOX SCORE

BRUNSWICK, Maine – Ryan Blossom scored the game-winning goal early in the third period and Chris Rossi stopped 26 shots to lead the Bowdoin College men's ice hockey team to a 3-2 win over Tufts University on Friday evening. The Polar Bears improve to 9-4-0 (7-3-0 NESCAC) while the Jumbos fall to 8-6-1 (4-5-1 NESCAC).

Bowdoin got on the board first when Leland Fidler won a draw in the offensive zone to Kit Smith, who snapped a shot that slipped through the pads of Tufts netminder Scott Barchard and into the net at 4:55. The Polar Bears capped a strong push midway through the period when Aaron O'Callahan took control of a loose puck in front and ripped a shot top-shelf to give the hosts a two-goal lead. The Jumbos bounced back with a pair of power-play goals late in the frame to even the score. Zach Diaco fed a cross-ice pass to Andy Davis at 17:39 for Tufts before Tom Derosa evened the score at 18:56.

After a second period that saw the Polar Bears pepper the net to no avail, Ryan Blossom put Bowdoin ahead early in the third period when he redirected a shot inside the right post to give Bowdoin a 3-2 advantage at 1:28. Following a Tufts powerplay, the Jumbos had a great chance to tie on an odd-man rush up ice, but Bowdoin's Chris Rossi made a kick save on Conor Pieri's bid to tie the score, maintaining the one-goal lead. In all, Rossi stopped eight shots in the final stanza to seal the win.

Rossi finished with 26 saves for the Polar Bears to run his record to 6-0-0 this season. Barchand kept the Jumbos in the game with 46 saves between the pipes. The Polar Bears held a 49-28 edge in shots overall, including 24-9 in the second frame. Tufts went 2-6 on the power play, but were scoreless on their final four attempts of the evening. Bowdoin went scoreless in their five extra-man opportunities.