Babson Clinches Berth in Second Straight Conference Championship Game

NORTHFIELD, Vt.— Senior goalie Nolan Hildebrand (Penticton, B.C.) stopped all 34 shots he faced for his third career shutout and four different players scored goals as third-seeded Babson College blanked second-seeded and fifth-ranked Norwich University, 4-0, in a New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) men's ice hockey semifinal game inside Kreitzberg Arena.

With the victory, Babson won its third straight game to improve to 17-8-2 overall and advances to the NEHC Championship game for the second straight season. Norwich drops to 19-6-2 overall and will have to wait to see if it receives a possible NCAA Tournament at-large berth.

The Beavers got goals from junior Thomas Kramer (Bridgewater, Mass.), first-years Egan Schmitt (Schuylerville, N.Y.) and Will Holland (Charlotte, N.C.) and sophomore Wyatt George (Mount Lebanon, Pa.) in the win. First-years Ryan Murphy (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.) and Brendan Kennedy (Georgetown, Ontario), seniors James Perullo (Revere, Mass.) and Andrew Holland (Winchester, Mass.), and graduate student Max Torrez (Framingham, Mass.) all registered assists for the Beavers.

Senior Drennen Atherton (Winter Haven, Fla.) made 31 saves in goal in the setback for the Cadets.

Kramer scored the first goal of the game at 13:44 of the first period when he took a pass in the slot from Murphy behind the net and ripped shot just inside the right post past Atherton. That was the only goal of the first period as Babson had a 13-9 shot advantage.

The Beavers doubled their lead at 11:52 of the second period after Perullo intercepted a clear attempt along the board near the left circle and fired a shot on goal. Atherton made the save but Schmitt pounced on the rebound along the left end line and lifted a shot over Drennen for a 2-0 lead. Each team killed off its only penalty of the night later in the period to head into third frame with Babson up 2-0.

Norwich had a 14-7 shot advantage in the third period but Will Holland delivered a blow to the Cadets at 7:25 when he pinched in at the blue line on the right side to intercept a clearing attempt and snapped a wrist shot from the right circle that snuck over Drennen's shoulder. Norwich pulled Atherton for an extra skater with more than three minutes remaining but George added an empty net goal on a shot from his own defensive zone with 2:46 to play to seal the win.

The Green and White finished with a 35-34 margin in shots on goal but Hildebrand was equal to the task to post his second shutout of the season.

The Beavers will travel to top-seeded and second-ranked Hobart for the NEHC Championship game next Saturday, March 4, at 7 p.m. The Statesmen won their semifinal contest over fifth-seeded Skidmore on Saturday, 1-0.

GAME NOTES
• The Beavers are 28-47-8 all-time against Norwich in a series that dates back to the 1975-76 campaign.
• Babson and Norwich have met in the playoffs 16 times since 1984 and each team has won eight times. The Beavers have eliminated the Cadets two years in a row and five of the last seven post-season meetings.
• The Green and White are headed to the conference championship game for the second straight year and the 10th time in 16 seasons going back to 2007.
• The Beavers are 15-2-1 this season when scoring the first goal and 17-2-1 when scoring three goals or more.
• Hildebrand has surrendered two goals or fewer in 14 straight games, 17 of his last 18, and 20 of his 22 starts this season.