The season is winding down and the team is still looking for its first win.

Although the weather outside was frightful, the UMass Boston men’s ice hockey team tied up the Camels of Connecticut College 5-5 at the Clark Athletic Center on Friday February 7. The next day, however, the Beacons found themselves once again on the losing end, suffering a 9-0 defeat to Jumbos of Tufts University. UMB’s overall record now stands at 0-17-2, and their conference record is currently 0-14-1.

The game against the Camels started well for the Beacons. UMB scored three first period goals, a seemingly high output considering the team had been shut out in back-to-back games. Michael Ciarletta, Jason Wisely (who scored his first goal of the year), and Steve Marek did the honors for UMB. The Beacons allowed two goals to the Camels in the first and took a one goal lead into the intermission.

Connecticut College eventually took the lead in the second period when Camel Jason Montecalvo and Zach Harris scored eight minutes apart. UMB, however, retied the game when Bruce Niemiec took a feed from Dan Noonan with a little more over two minutes left.

UMB’s Dan Costa popped in his third goal of the season thirty seconds into the final period. Yet, the Beacons relinquished their one goal advantage when Tim Doherty found the back of the net midway through the period. Overtime produced no goals.

Craig Paster had a Herculean effort in net, registering 63 saves on 68 shots.

Any positive momentum that might have been built up in the Connecticut College was erased in the game against Tufts University. The Jumbos scored five times in the first period and then four more in the second to skate away with the shutout victory. Paster recorded 12 saves in half a game’s work and Jeff Riley stopped four shots in relief duty.

The Beacons will be at Massachusetts College for a Valentine match-up on Friday February 14 and then will be on the road the following day to face Skidmore College.