BOSTON, Mass.—Sophomore Kolye Bankauskas (Coventry, R.I.) scored two goals, including the game-sealing empty-netter in the final minute as the University of Massachusetts Boston knocked off No. 12 Babson College, 3-1, Saturday afternoon in a New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) men's ice hockey contest inside the Edward T. Barry Ice Rink.

With the loss, the Beavers drop to 12-6-2 overall and 7-4-2 in the NEHC while the Beacons captured their third straight victory to improve to 9-10-0 overall and 6-6-0 in league play.

Junior Thomas Kramer (Bridgewater, Mass.) scored the lone goal for Babson in the third period to pull the Beavers to within a goal, with assists from first-years Nolan Dion (Marshfield, Mass.) and Egan Schmitt (Schuylerville, N.Y.). Senior goalie Nolan Hildebrand (Penticton, B.C.) made 17 saves in goal in the setback.

First-year Jazz Krivtsov (Santa Clarita, Calif.) also scored for the Beacons, junior Jacob Banks (Westminster, Mass.) added a pair of assists and sophomore Ty Mathews (Auburn, Mass.) chipped in with one helper. First-year transfer goalie Darius Bell (Miami, Fla.) made 27 saves for his second win in as many starts for the Beacons.

Babson outshot the hosts 9-5 in the first period but Krivtsov scored the only goal of the frame for UMB. Banks fired a shot from the hashmark along the right boards that was kicked out by Hildebrand but Krivtsov buried the rebound top shelf to put the Beacons up 1-0 at 10:21.

The Beavers had a pair of power play opportunities in the first period and another early in the second but could not convert a tying goal. The Beacons then doubled their lead in the final minute of the second on an odd-man rush. Mathews fired a wrister from the right circle that was saved by Hildebrand but Bankauskas pounced on the loose puck rebound and flipped a backhander into the goal to give UMB a 2-0 heading into the third.

The Green and White sliced the deficit in half at 10:55 of the third period on a power play as Kramer fired a shot that beat Bell just inside the post for his seventh goal of the season. UMB survived two more minor penalties in the third, and Babson pulled Hildebrand late to create a 6-on-4 opportunity but Bell made a pair of saves and Bankauskas sealed the deal with a breakaway empty netter with 27 seconds remaining.

Babson finished with a 28-20 advantage in shots and killed on three UMB power play chances but went just 1-for-7 with the man advantage.

Both teams will be back in action next Friday at 7 p.m. as the Beavers return home to host Castleton and UMB travels to top-ranked Hobart in Geneva, N.Y.

GAME NOTES
• UMB and Babson split the two games this season, but the Beavers have a 49-22-6 lead in the all-time series that dates back to the 1978-79 season.
• The Beavers lost for just the third time in 13 games this season (9-3-1) when scoring a power play goal.
• Kramer has collected a point in four straight games (2g, 2a) and six of his last seven outings (4g, 5a). Dion has at least one assist in five of his last seven games, producing six assists in that span.