Tufts explodes past CSC
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Castleton State College goalie Seth McNary extends his right leg pad to block a puck aimed inside the right post by Tufts' Igor Federov (21) during the championship game of the Rutland Herald Invitational at Spartan Arena in Rutland on Sunday. CASSANDRA HOTALING / RUTLAND HERALD |
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By Carleton Laird STAFF WRITER - Published: November 30, 2009
The third time wasn't the charm for the Castleton men's hockey team.
They have made the championship game of the Rutland Herald Invitational all three years but are still bridesmaids. For Tufts, 5-2 is the magic number. The Jumbos beat Neumann by that score on Saturday and duplicated it against Castleton on Sunday to claim the RHI title at Spartan Arena.
A three-goal second period blew open a 1-0 game and even when the Spartans answered early in the third, the Jumbos came right back and made it 5-1, ending any chance of a CSC comeback.
"It was frustrating," Castleton coach Alex Todd said. "We just didn't show up. We didn't have more than two good shifts in a row.
"Give Tufts credit, they beat us soundly."
The Jumbos were patient, sitting back and waiting for the Spartans before counterattacking. Castleton put the pressure on early, but Tufts' sagging defense in front of goaltender Scott Barchard was extremely effective in keeping numerous shots from reaching him.
Those that did, however, were turned aside by the sophomore, who made 48 saves in beating Neumann and 30 more against the Spartans.
"He's a very good goalie but the system in front of him was tight," Todd said. "It was frustrating for me because this is a team in our conference that played systematically perfect."
The Spartans were their own worst enemy. Three times in the game they had power plays negated by taking penalties of their own in the offensive zone. The first time was seven minutes into the first period limited Castleton to seven seconds of man advantage.
Then at 12:35, the Spartans did it again just nine seconds into their power play.
"We worked on the power play a lot this week," Todd said. "We have three power-play units vying for time. The one that did the best all week took all three penalties."
Castleton's fourth and fifth trips to the penalty box proved especially costly as they presented Tufts with 50 seconds of 5-on-3. It only took the Jumbos eight seconds to capitalize.
Lindsay Walker won the draw to Doug Wilson at the right point and he walked across the blue line, blasting a shot from the center that Zach Diaco tipped past Seth McNary at 17:58.
A defensive lapse led to the second goal as Dylan Plimmer was left all alone in front. Matt Amico dug the puck off the left boards and hit Plimmer at the right post. He made a quick move and flipped a backhand under the crossbar at 6:43.
It nearly happened again at 7:20 when Tom Derosa found himself alone in the slot, but McNary slid across quickly and stoned him.
The Spartans had a chance to cut the lead in half with a power play at 7:52 but instead gave up a shorthanded tally. Conor Pieri blocked Stuart Stefan's shot at the blue line and broke down the left side. With defensive help coming down the middle, Pieri wristed a shot stick-side inside the left post at 8:59.
The Jumbos finished off the period's scoring at 16:20. Joe Rosano sent the puck from the left point to a wide-open Walker at the bottom of the right circle and he chipped it over McNary's shoulder to make it 4-0.
Freshman Arthur Hollinger replaced McNary (13 saves) to start the third period and the Spartans quickly got a goal back. Jonathan Lafrance worked the puck from behind the net to Eric Curtis on the left boards and he gunned it across to Evan Romeo at the right circle for the one-timer at 2:15.
But Tufts capitalized on Castleton's 10th penalty to make it 5-1 at 7:48. Derosa made a nice drop pass to Dylan Cooper, who deked Hollinger (seven saves) to get him down and then moved to the right and slipped the puck behind the CSC goaltender.
Lindsey Gullett scored Castleton's final goal at 16:45 when he poked in the rebound of his backhanded wraparound. The Spartans pulled Hollinger with 2:36 to play and penned the puck in the Tufts end, but could not score.
Neumann defeated, Becker 9-0 in the consolation game.
The Spartans now depart on a six-game road trip, not returning to Spartan Arena until Jan. 8.
ICING: The all-tournament team included David Gervais of Neumann, Gullett of Castleton and Pieri, Walker and Barchard of Tufts.
carleton.laird@rutlandherald.com
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