MALDEN, Mass – The Tufts men's ice hockey team broke a 3-3 tie late in the third period to take their first home win of the season against Bowdoin on Saturday evening.
The Polar Bears conclude their regular season at 14-8-2 (9-8-1 NESCAC) and await the outcome of two Middlebury games to decide their final standing in NESCAC postseason action. The Jumbos end their season at 4-19-1 (2-15-1 NESCAC).
Mitch Barrington put Bowdoin on the board early, just 35 seconds into action, after taking a feed in the slot from Colin Downey and beating a pair of defenders before wristing a shot right side. Tufts came back with a goal at the 13:52 mark to tie the game. Tyler Voigt's initial shot was stopped by Steve Messina in net, but a crowd pressured the goalie allowing Kyle Gallegos to corral the puck for a tap in score.
Bowdoin capitalized on a pair of matching penalties in the second period, with Kyle Lockwood netting the team's second of the game at 12:39. The play started as Barrington fired a cross-ice pass to a waiting Lockwood, who ripped a slap shot in from the left side. Just as in the first period, the Jumbos scored an equalizer one minute later from Patrick Lackey.
The third period followed the same pattern as the opening two with Bowdoin breaking the stalemate at 10:40. John McGinnis entered the offensive zone near the right boards, snaked through the Tufts defense, and lifted a wrist shot from the left circle to the opposite corner. Less than two minutes later, the Jumbos tied it back at 3-3 with Brian Ouellette collecting a rebound and beating Messina for the team's third of the game. Tufts took their only lead of the game as Matt Pugh found Stewart Bell in the neutral zone. Bell's shot found the five-hole to give the Jumbos a late lead and eventual win.
Messina stopped 21 shots for Bowdoin, while Greg Jenkins made 42 stops for Tufts.
The Polar Bears postseason position depends on the outcome of a pair of Middlebury games being played Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. The Panthers need to win both games to take the four seed and earn hosting rights for a quarterfinal playoff, while a loss or tie hands Bowdoin the four spot.
