BOX SCORE
BABSON PARK, Mass. -- Senior captain Jason Schneider
(Littleton, Mass.) scored the game-winning powerplay goal
just 53 seconds into overtime to lift the Babson College Beavers to
a 5-4 win over the visiting University of New England Nor'easters
in an ECAC East men's ice hockey matchup at the Babson Skating
Center on Friday night. With the win, the Beavers improved to 8-7-0
overall and 6-4-0 in the conference, while the Nor'easters fell to
2-12-0 overall and 0-10-0 in ECAC East play.
Sophomore PT Donato (Arlington, Mass.) scored
two goals and junior Mike Hoban (Medfield, Mass.)
added three assists for the Beavers -- all of which came during a
3-0 run late in the second period that helped Babson turn a 2-1
deficit into a 4-2 advantage.
Sophomore Russ Franey (York, Maine) and sophomore Tyler Fleurent
(Biddeford, Maine) each scored two goals for the Nor'easters, who
rallied from two goals down in the third to force the overtime
session.
UNE scored on its first shot of the contest, as Franey ripped a
slapshot from the left point inside the near post for his first
goal of his collegiate career at 3:09 of the first. Freshman Matt
Del Giudice (Oakland, Maine) and junior Ted Fabian (Oakland, Maine)
each picked up assists on the tally, which put the Nor'easters in
front 1-0.
Babson evened the contest at the midway point of the opening
session, as sophomore Ryan Smith (Lynnfield,
Mass.) took a pass from first-year Shayne
Anderson (Dorchester, Mass.) at the top of the left
faceoff circle and hit a slapper past UNE goalie Connor Brogan
(Hershey, Pa.) for his fifth goal of the year at 10:02. The
Nor'easters would regain the lead later in the period, however,
when Fleurent took a lead pass up the middle of the ice over the
Babson blue line and wristed a shot into the lower right corner at
18:20. Fleurent's team-leading fifth goal of the year gave the
visitors a 2-1 lead that they eventually carried into the first
intermission.
The Beavers turned the game around with a big finish in the
second period, scoring three unanswered goals in the final five
minutes to take a 4-2 lead after two. The first came during a
Nor'easter powerplay, as Donato converted a Hoban feed from behind
the net for his ninth goal and first short-handed tally of the
season at 15:02. The Babson sophomore then potted his second of the
game and team-best 10th of the season on a Beaver powerplay at
16:53, as he stuffed home a rebound off Hoban's shot to give the
hosts their first lead of the night, 3-2. With the two goals,
Donato extended his streak of seven consecutive games with at least
one point.
Babson capped off the three-goal outburst just over a minute later,
as Hoban again posted the primary assist when he found freshman
Connor Berto (Lake Forest, Ill.) open near the
left post. The rookie forward then knocked home his first
collegiate goal at 17:56 to give the Beavers a 4-2 advantage
heading into the second intermission.
The Nor'easters cut their deficit in half midway through the
third period, as Fleurent beat Babson junior goalie Andrew
Peabody (Marblehead, Mass.) on a breakaway for his second
of the contest and sixth of the campaign to make it 4-3 at 9:00.
Franey then tied the game with his second of the evening at 16:08,
as he blasted another slapper from the left circle into the upper
right corner to knot the score at 4-4.
The Beavers finally put the game away on the powerplay in the first
minute of overtime, beginning when Smith fed the puck along the
boards to junior Dan Ahern (Melrose, Mass.) at the
blue line. Ahern's blast from the right point was stopped by
Brogan, but Schneider was there to flick the rebound into the open
net for the game-winner at :53. It was the fifth goal of the year
for Babson's senior captain.
Brogan finished a valiant effort in net for UNE, making 38
saves, including a huge glove stop to deny Donato the hat trick at
8:23 of the third. Peabody finished with a total of 16 saves to
earn his fourth win of the year for Babson.
