BOX SCORE
BABSON PARK, Mass. – Host Babson College scored three
goals in the final period to snap a 1-1 tie and defeat visiting
Wesleyan University, 4-1, in an ECAC East/NESCAC men's ice
hockey contest at the Babson Skating Center on Friday night. With
the victory, the Beavers improved to 3-3-0 overall and 2-1-0 in the
ECAC East, while the Cardinals dropped to 2-2-1 overall and 1-2-0
in the NESCAC.
Babson scored the only goal of the first period on a powerplay,
as sophomore PT Donato (Arlington, Mass.) received
a pass from behind the net and snapped a wrister from the right
circle inside the near post for his team-leading fourth goal of the
season at 15:33. First-years Ryan Heavey (Andover,
Mass.) and Matt O'Neill (Norwell,
Mass.) each picked up assists on the goal, which came with
27 seconds remaining on the Beavers' first man-advantage of
the night.
Wesleyan tied the game with a powerplay goal of its own early in
the second period, beginning when first-year Keith Buehler
(Skaneateles, N.Y.) took a pass from sophomore Chris MacDonald
(Hanover, Mass.) at center ice and carried it into the Babson zone.
The freshman forward then wristed a shot from the right circle that
deflected off the upper right post and into the net for his
team-leading second goal of the year at 4:54.
The Beavers caught a break that enabled them to regain the
advantage on yet another powerplay in the opening minutes of the
third period. Junior Dan Ahern (Melrose, Mass.)
gained the red line and fired the puck into the Wesleyan zone along
the right boards, drawing Cardinals' sophomore goalie Glenn
Stowell (Hadley, Mass.) out of net. However, the puck glanced off
an official and caromed back into the slot, where Babson senior
captain Jason Schneider (Littleton, Mass.) blasted
his second goal of the year past a diving Stowell at 3:42.
It would remain a one-goal affair until the final two minutes of
regulation, when Babson rattled off two quick insurance goals to
seal the 4-1 victory. The first came when sophomore Ryan
Smith (Lynnfield, Mass.) stuffed home a rebound of
Schneider's shot for his third of the season at 18:01, and
the second came when Donato potted his second of the night and
fifth of the winter into an empty net at 18:23.
Babson junior goalie Andrew Peabody (Marblehead,
Mass.) turned in another stellar effort in net for the
Beavers, stopping 29 of the 30 shots on net that he faced. At the
other end, Stowell made a total of 24 saves while playing all but
29 seconds in the contest.
