NEW LONDON, Conn. – Will McEvoy (Ottawa, Ontario) stopped all 41 shots faced to record his first career shutout, as the Connecticut College men's ice hockey team defeated visiting Tufts University 1-0 on Friday night from Dayton Arena. With the win, Conn improves to 7-11-1 overall and 5-8 in conference play, while Tufts falls to 7-10-1 on the year and 5-8 in NESCAC action.
Tufts opened the game on the front foot, recording the first four shots of the contest, but McEvoy looked sharp early. Quinn Kennedy (Silver Springs, Md.) responded for Conn, as the Camels first shot was stopped by Gus Bylin. With just under six minutes left in the period, Conn earned a power play and capitalized with the man advantage. Steven Ardagna (Roswell, Ga.) and Kennedy played catch on the far side before Kennedy rifled a pass to Jack Luca (Milton, Mass.) on the backdoor who fired home to put the Camels up 1-0 at 14:40. Conn killed off a late penalty in the period to lead 1-0 after one.
Final 40 minutes was a defensive battle, with neither side giving an inch. The teams traded opportunities with Tufts having the better looks in the middle frame, but McEvoy stayed strong, as Conn remained in front 1-0 heading to the third.
The Jumbos upped the pressure in the final period, looking for the tying marker. Again both goalies kept the game as it was, before Conn had a golden opportunity to extend the lead. Matt Lewis (Pembroke, Mass.) flipped a pass across the crease to Ardagna, but the latter was robbed by a brilliant save from Bylin with just over three and a half minutes remaining.
Tufts had one final look at tying the game, pulling Bylin with 1:55 to play, before also earning a power play with a minute and a half left. The Jumbos peppered McEvoy over the final 90 seconds, but the netminder stopped everything thrown at him, as Conn earned the 1-0 win.
Tufts outshot Conn 41-24, while holding a slim 38-32 edge on face-off wins.
McEvoy was brilliant earning his first career shutout stopping all 41 shots faced. Luca tallied the lone Camels goal, while both Ardagna and Kennedy picked up one assist. Jack Houser (Arlington, Mass.) led the way with five shots on goal, while Conn blocked 17 shots, with five different Camels blocking two each. John Russo (South Windsor, Conn.) led the way in the circle winning 13 draws, while Conn finished 1-4 on the power play and 5-5 on the penalty kill.
Bylin got the start in goal finishing with 23 saves. Tyler Sedlak and Trace Norwell paced Tufts with five shots on goal each, while the Jumbos finished 0-5 on the power play and 3-4 on the penalty kill.
Conn wraps up the home-and-home series with Tufts tomorrow afternoon, as the Camels travel to Medford, Mass. with puck drop slated for 4:00 p.m.
