BOX SCORE
BABSON PARK, Mass. – The Amherst College Lord Jeffs scored
two goals in a pivotal third period to claim a 4-2 victory over
host Babson College in a key ECAC East/NESCAC men's ice
hockey contest at the Babson Skating Center on Friday night.
With the win, Amherst (12-7-4 overall, 10-5-3 conference)
remained in contention for the top seed in the upcoming NESCAC
tournament, while the Beavers (9-12-3 overall, 7-8-3 conference)
will need a win over Hamilton on Saturday to have a shot at a
quarterfinal home game in next week's ECAC East Tourney.
Junior captain Eddie Effinger (St. Louis, Mo.) gave the Lord
Jeffs a 1-0 advantage midway through a fast-paced opening period of
play. Senior Matthew Rhone (Dedham, Mass.) carried the puck behind
the Babson net and kicked it out to the left side of the crease,
where Effinger one-timed a shot into the lower right corner for his
10th goal of the season at 10:32.
Babson answered with a powerplay goal later in the first,
beginning when junior defenseman Dan Ahern (Melrose,
Mass.) took a pass from senior captain Jason
Schneider (Littleton, Mass.) at the right point and fired
it toward the net. The puck deflected off a defender and kicked out
to the left side of the crease, where sophomore Ryan Smith
(Lynnfield, Mass.) directed it inside the left post with a
lunging backhand at 16:03. It was Smith's ninth goal of the
winter and it evened the contest at 1-1 heading into the first
intermission.
The Lord Jeffs regained the advantage on their only powerplay of
the night just under nine minutes into the second session, as
freshman Andrew Kurlandski (Kirkwood, Mo.) redirected junior Jeremy
Deutsch's (Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.) shot from the right point
through the legs of Babson sophomore goalie Zeke Testa (Wellesley,
Mass.) for his sixth of the year at 8:44. However, the Beavers tied
it again less than two minutes later, as sophomore Trevor
Hines (Newburyport, Mass.) tucked a rebound of freshman
Troy Starrett's (Bellingham, Mass.) shot
inside the right post for his second goal of the season at
10:02.
Amherst finally put the game away with two spectacular goals in
the third period. The go-ahead score came at 9:06, as junior Mark
Colp (Wareham, Mass.) skated up the right side and snapped off a
laser that found the upper left corner for his eighth of the season
and a 3-2 Lord Jeffs lead. Kurlandski then added a key insurance
goal less than a minute later, as he gathered a loose puck in the
high slot and lifted a wrister into the upper left corner for his
second of the night and seventh of the winter. That gave the
visitors a two-goal cushion that they would not relinquish as
Amherst claimed the 4-2 victory.
Senior Cole Anderson (Eckville, Alberta) was outstanding in goal
for the Lord Jeffs, finishing with 24 saves, including a breakaway
stop on Babson sophomore Jay Haseley (Rochester,
N.Y.) in the opening moments of the second and a
magnificent diving glove save on an open look from senior captain
Terry Woods (Duxbury, Mass.) later in the same
period. At the other end, sophomore Zeke Testa (Wellesley,
Mass.) amassed a total of 20 stops for the Beavers,
including a fantastic kick save on a clean breakaway by Amherst
sophomore Nick Brunette (Chaska, Minn.) with 1:25 remaining in the
second.
