c/o John Mrakovich

In Play(er) of the Week, we highlight Wesleyan athletes or parts of games that deserve extra attention. This week, we will be highlighting a recent moment from the Wesleyan men’s ice hockey team’s Nov. 19 matchup against Tufts.

After opening their season the night before with a definitive 3–0 victory over Conn. College with two goals by Go Uemura ’23 and Wiggle Kerbrat ’23, the Cardinals came into their matchup against the Jumbos determined to keep their momentum going. With last season’s matchups against Tufts being decided in overtime, eventually resulting in a narrow loss and a tie for Wes, the Red and Black were ready to redeem themselves this 2022–2023 season.

The Jumbos got off to a strong start and scored the first goal of the game in less than five minutes. The Cards attempted to take advantage of a number of scoring chances in the second half of the period with two power plays, but were unable to generate shots on goal. 

The second period saw the Jumbos continuing to apply pressure as they racked up 15 shots on goal, but all their attempts were blocked by goalie Marc Smith ’24’s excellent defensive efforts. The Cards registered eight shots on goal of their own during this period but were still unable to find the back of the net. 

Fortunately, the Cards proved themselves resilient despite the best efforts of the Jumbos’ offense, and in the first five minutes of the final period, Colin Cobb ’23 received an outlet pass from Uemura and sent the puck to Kerbrat, who then netted the first Wesleyan goal of the game to tie the score at 1–1. With the stakes immediately heightened, both teams continued to play their hardest. In the last 45 seconds of the game, a power play for the Jumbos started, and it looked like Tufts would be able to secure a victory. But the Cards proved resilient until the very last second. Mike Dunderdale ’23 blocked a shot and then sent the puck to Owen Sweet ’25 in the neutral zone. Sweet went one-on-one with a Jumbos defender and overcame the odds to send a shot through the Tufts goalie’s five-hole, bringing the score to 2–1 with less than 20 seconds remaining. The Jumbos registered two more shots to close out the game, but Smith held strong and turned them both away, allowing the Cardinals to hold on to their narrow lead and win the game. 

The Cards kept their momentum going with two spectacular out-of-conference victories against Post University (7–1) on Nov. 26 and Albertus Magnus College (8–2). The Red and Black suffered their first defeat of the season in a narrow overtime defeat by Amherst on Dec. 2, but shook off the loss the next day to defeat Hamilton 4–3 in a thrilling overtime victory.

Coming up, the Cardinals still have a long season of exciting matchups ahead, with their next matchup being their Dec. 7 matchup against Endicott College. After that, the team has a month off from competition and returns on Jan. 6 to take on NESCAC rival Middlebury in what promises to be an exhilarating battle.

Erin Byerly can be reached at ebyerly@wesleyan.edu.