Feb. 1, 2008

Box Score

BABSON PARK, Mass. - Castleton State College junior goalie Jeff Swanson (Grand Haven, Mich.) made 27 saves and Babson College junior Skylar Nipps (Orlando, Fla.) stopped 17 shots as the Spartans and Beavers played to a 1-1 overtime tie in an ECAC East men's ice hockey matchup at the Babson Skating Center on Friday night. With the deadlock, Babson, ranked 13th in the nation, moves to 11-4-3 overall and 7-3-2 in the conference, while Castleton State goes to 6-10-2 overall and 4-6-2 in the ECAC East.

Castleton State got on the board just 38 seconds into the contest, as sophomore Kirk Bolduc (Lewiston, Maine) broke free on a 2-on-1 down the right side and lifted a shot over Nipps' outstretched glove into the upper right corner. Babson nearly tied things up six minutes later when first-year Terry Woods (Duxbury, Mass.) fed sophomore Jason Schneider (Littleton, Mass.) on the right side on a 2-on-1 break, but Spartans' junior goalie Jeff Swanson (Grand Haven, Mich.) made a spectacular kick save with his left blocker to preserve the 1-0 lead.

Despite Swanson's stellar play in the first, the Beavers eventually knotted the contest at 1-1 when senior Mike Venit (Ridley Park, Pa.) snapped off a quick shot from the right side of the crease inside the near post at 9:01 of the first. That would prove to be all the offense either team would allow, as the two goalkeepers played brilliantly the rest of the way.

After both squads struggled to mount many strong scoring chances in the second and third periods, the action picked up in the final moments of regulation and continued throughout a thrilling overtime. Babson had a flurry in front with 37 seconds left in the third, but Swanson denied senior co-captain John Geverd's (Hookset, N.H.) back-hand attempt from the top of the crease to send the contest into OT.

In a furiously paced extra session, Castleton got an open look early but sophomore Evan Romeo's (Kanata, Ontario) drive from the middle of the Babson zone sailed just wide of Nipps one minute in. Babson then had a chance of its own at the other end, but Swanson successfully handled a shot attempt from the right circle by sophomore Gabriel Chenard-Poirier (St. Augustin, Quebec) with 3:45 remaining.

The Spartans' best chance of the overtime came with 2:15 left to play, as junior Marlin Froese (Winkler, Manitoba) corralled a loose puck in front and appeared to have an open look at Nipps. However, sophomore Casey Fazekas (Montreal, Quebec) and junior Alex DiPietro (Winthrop, Mass.) converged on the Castleton State forward and knocked the puck away to prevent a shot attempt.

Babson followed with its best chance of the period, but Fazekas' snap shot from the right side glanced off the right post and was covered by Swanson with 1:45 on the clock. The Beavers then had two more shots by junior co-captain Brad Baldelli (Northboro, Mass.) during a flurry in front with just over a minute to go, but the first went just wide and the second was stopped by Swanson. Babson's final shot of the overtime was a quick bid by Fazekas off a faceoff with 42 seconds remaining, but Swanson again handled it to keep the Beavers off the board. Castleton State would manage its only attempt on net with a few seconds to go, but Nipps easily blocked junior Ryan Bartlett's (Brunswick, Maine) bid from deep in the right corner as the horn sounded, ending the game in a 1-1 tie.

Both teams return to action with conference games tomorrow afternoon. Babson will host Skidmore College at 4 p.m., while Castleton State will play at UMass-Boston at 3 p.m.