BOX SCORE

BRUNSWICK, Maine -- Jeff Fanning scored the eventual game-winning goal at 14:35 of the third to lift the Bowdoin College Polar Bears to a 4-2 win over visiting Babson College in an ECAC East/NESCAC season opener on Friday night. Senior goalie Skylar Nipps (Orlando, Fla.) finished with 25 saves in net for the Beavers, who received goals from junior Ian Goodwin (Cooper City, Fla.) and first-year Mike Hoban (Medfield, Mass.).

Babson (0-1-0) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Goodwin scored just 2:23 into the game. Junior Chris Sabo (Wellesley, Mass.) and first-year Sean Roche (Franklin, Mass.) each picked up assists on the play. Bowdoin then tied it when Colin MacCormack scored off a Ryan Blossom feed at 16:52 of the first and later took the lead when MacCormack and Blossom assisted Brendan Reich on the Polar Bears' second goal at 1:36 of the second.

Fanning made it 3-1 when he netted a huge insurance goal for Bowdoin at 14:35 of the third. That would prove vital minutes later, when Hoban scored the first goal of his collegiate career off an assist from junior Chris Wood (Medford, Mass.) at 17:50 to make it 3-2. That would prove to be as close as the Beavers would get, however, as the Polar Bears tacked on an empty-netter at 18:47 to claim the 4-2 victory.

Babson returns to action with another tough road game on Saturday afternoon, as the Beavers visit Colby College at 3 p.m.