BOSTON, MA – The Amherst College men's ice hockey team ended its regular season with a 7-2 loss at the University of Massachusetts Boston Saturday afternoon at the Clark Athletic Center.

The Lord Jeffs (12-8-4, 10-6-3 NESCAC) will return to action Saturday, Feb. 26, as the No. 4 seed in the NESCAC Championship. They will host fifth-seeded Bowdoin at 1 p.m. in a rematch of the Feb. 4 meeting that saw Amherst come away with a thrilling 3-2 victory.

Senior forward Eric Tufman potted two goals and added a pair of assists to spearhead the Beacons (15-10-0), who had been 0-14-2 against the Lord Jeffs in the previous 16 meetings.

UMass Boston struck at 16:28 for the only score of the opening period. After senior forward David Lun and sophomore forward Tim Richter had their shot attempts turned away, first-year forward Mark Grinhaus tallied his fourth goal of the season when he put back the rebound.
 
The Beacons' offense was clicking in the second period as the home team scored four times to build a 5-1 advantage going into the final intermission. The Lord Jeffs got on the scoreboard 17:42 into the second on a goal by senior forward Matt Rhone (Dedham, MA) that came just after their power play had ended. First-year forward Andrew Kurlandski (Kirkwood, MO) and sophomore forward Nick Brunette (Chaska, MN) were credited with the assists.
 
In the third period, Amherst controlled the puck for a large portion of the 20-minute segment but was unable to capitalize. The Lord Jeffs did cut into the lead, 5-2, at 12:44 when junior defenseman Mike Baran (Duxbury, MA) took a shot from the point that was redirected into the net by sophomore forward Dylan Trumble (Calgary, ALB). However, the Beacons quickly answered with a pair of scores to pull away for the 7-2 victory.

Amherst was 0-for-7 on the power play, while UMass Boston went 1-for-4 with the man-advantage. Senior goaltender Thomas Speer made 24 stops to earn the victory. For the Lord Jeffs, Cole Anderson '11 (Sylvan Lake, Alberta) played the first 40 minutes and made 22 saves while allowing five goals. Sophomore Nathan Corey (Anchorage, AK) played the final period and stopped nine shots. The seven goals were the most allowed all season by Amherst, with the previous high being five.

2011 NESCAC Championship
Quarterfinal Round – Saturday, Feb. 26
No. 6 Colby at No. 3 Middlebury – 1 p.m.
No. 5 Bowdoin at No. 4 Amherst – 1 p.m.
No. 8 Wesleyan at No. 1 Hamilton – 3 p .m.
No. 7 Trinity at No. 2 Williams – 4 p.m.

Semifinal Round – Saturday, Mar. 5
(Played at Highest Remaining Seed)
Highest Remaining Seed vs. Lowest Remaining Seed – 1 p.m.
Remaining Quarterfinal Winners – 4 p.m.

Championship Game – Sunday, Mar. 6
Semifinal Winners – 2 p.m.