MALDEN, MA. – Goals late in each period doomed the Amherst College men's ice hockey team on Saturday, Jan. 18. Traveling to the Boston area for the second game of their NESCAC weekend, the Mammoths took on Tufts, dropping a tough contest to the Jumbos by a score of 5-2.

With the loss, the Mammoths fall to 7-6-1 overall, while the Tufts moves to 5-7-1 this season. Amherst will continue their run of conference games with a rematch against No. 9 Hamilton, who defeated the Mammoths 5-2 in their season opener, on Friday, Jan. 24. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
 
* The game started off relatively even, with neither team finding an edge. Despite spending significant time in the offensive zone and earning multiple power plays, the Mammoths were unable to convert on their opportunities. The Jumbos, however, found their chance on the final rush of the period, finishing a two-on-one with one second left on the clock to put Amherst down a goal heading into the break.
 
* The second period began much like the first, with the teams trading opportunities to score. Tufts got on the board again with 6:40 to go, netting another two-on-one opportunity to widen their advantage to two goals. This time, though, the Mammoths were able to get one back almost immediately --- about 90 seconds later Zachary Murray picked up the puck in the low slot and fired a laser that put Amherst within one.
 
* But again, the period ended much like the first, with the Mammoths giving up a goal with just 0:18 left in the second frame. This time, it was a cross-ice pass that created a one-on-one opportunity that the Tufts forward fired to the back post and put the Jumbos up 3-1 heading into the final frame.
 
* With their backs against the wall, Amherst found a way to pull the game back to within one. After a hooking penalty put them on the power play, Zach Jesse ripped a shot from the point. Multiple Mammoths had chances to tap the puck home, with Booby Luca eventually finding the net off assists from Ryan Corcoran and Oliver Flynn.
 
* However, this was as close as they would get, as Tufts scored twice more --- once off a face-off and the second coming via an empty-netter late in the period --- to seal the win. When the final horn sounded, the Mammoths left the ice having fallen to the Jumbos by a 5-2 score.
 
 
BY THE NUMBERS:
 
* Amherst led 45-35 in shots on goal in the contest.
 
* Murray was again the best Mammoth at the dot, winning 15 of the 23 faceoffs he took. Cristobal Tola and Matt Toporowski also posted faceoff win rates above 50 percent, with Tola going 11 for 19 and Toporowski winning 10 of 18.
 
* Connor Leslie started in net for the Mammoths and made 18 saves in two periods in the loss. Andrew Palena played the third period and made 12 stops of his own.