BOX
SCORE
BABSON PARK, Mass. -- Junior Chris Wood (Medford,
Mass.) scored the game-winning goal with 40.7 seconds left
in overtime to lift the Babson College Beavers to a thrilling 5-4
victory over visiting Trinity College in an ECAC East/NESCAC
matchup at the Babson Skating Center on Friday night. With the win,
Babson improved to 2-2-1 overall and 1-2-0 in the ECAC East, while
the Bantams dipped to 2-3-0 overall and 1-2-0 in the NESCAC.
Four goals of the game's nine goals were scored during a wild
first period of play. Trinity struck first when junior Naoto
Hamashima (Tokyo, Japan) converted a feed from sophomore Benjamin
Shellington (Hanover, Mass.) at 2:00. Babson answered with a
powerplay goal at 4:08, as senior captain Brad Baldelli
(Northborough, Mass.) put back a rebound of classmate
Alex DiPietro's (Winthrop, Mass.) shot at the tail
end of the Beavers' first man-up opportunity. The Bantams then
regained the lead with a powerplay score of their own when senior
Riley Hicks (Calgary, Alberta) collected a rebound of classmate
Chris Diozzi's (Belmont, Mass.) deflected shot on the left side and
found an open net at 12:11. However, Babson would knot the contest
again when sophomore Terry Woods' (Duxbury,
Mass.) bid from the left circle found its way through
the legs of Trinity goalie Wesley Vesprini (Lexington, Mass.) at
15:19.
The Beavers grabbed their first lead of the game early in the
second, as DiPietro took pass at the right point from first-year
Mike Hoban (Medfield, Mass.) and ripped a slapper
into the upper left corner at 3:53. Trinity rallied with its third
goal late in the session, when senior Josh Rich (Palmyra, Pa.)
tucked in a rebound after Diozzi's initial shot from the left point
was saved by Babson senior goalie Skylar Nipps (Orlando,
Fla.) at 18:46.
Junior Jason Schneider (Littleton, Mass.) once
again put Babson in front when he scored out of a scramble in front
of the net at 5:05 of the third. However, Trinity responded with a
powerplay goal by Diozzi, as he placed a perfect screen shot from
the right circle inside the right post at 10:42. The Bantams then
nearly came away with the victory in the final minute of
regulation, but junior Michael Mortimer's (Spencer, Mass.) rocket
from the left point hit the upper left post and caromed away with
45 seconds remaining.
Trinity had another golden opportunity just under two minutes
into the overtime session, as a Beavers turnover behind their own
net gave Hamashima a wide-open look from the left circle. However,
Nipps robbed the Bantams' forward with a tremendous glove save on
the ensuing wrister to keep the contest even. Moments later,
Trinity was whistled for a tripping penalty after junior defenseman
Casey Fazekas (Montreal, Quebec) was taken down
trying to advance the puck out of his own zone, giving the hosts
another powerplay with 2:07 left to play.
The Beavers finally secured the victory in the final minute,
beginning when Fazekas fired a shot on Vesprini from the left
point. The Trinity goalie made the initial stop, and then denied
two more attempts by Wood on the left side of the crease. After
taking the puck behind the net and finding teammate Woods for a
one-timer that was again saved by Vesprini, Wood gathered yet
another rebound and slipped it past the Trinity goaltender for the
game-winning powerplay goal at 4:39.3. It was his third score of
the season - all coming in the team's last two contests - as Babson
earned its first conference win of the year.
Nipps finished with 37 saves in net for the Beavers, while
Vesprini stopped 28 shots in goal for Trinity. Both teams will
return to action tomorrow. Babson will host Wesleyan at 4 p.m.,
while the Bantams visit UMass-Boston at 6 p.m.
