BABSON PARK, Mass.— Sophomore Jimmy Fallon (Milton, Mass.) notched his first career hat trick and junior Brendan Kennedy (Georgetown, Ontario) added a pair of goals as Babson College outlasted Salve Regina University, 7-6, in a New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) men's ice hockey contest Saturday afternoon inside the Babson Skating Center.

The Beavers snapped a three-game skid to improve to 2-3-0 overall and 1-3-0 in conference games, while Salve Regina suffered its first loss of the season and falls to 4-1-0 overall and 3-1-0 in the NEHC.

Juniors Cam Joslin (Cohasset, Mass.) and Danny Cavanagh (Warwick, R.I.) also scored for the Beavers and senior Wyatt George (Mount Lebanon, Pa.) collected three assists. Junior Will Holland (Charlotte, N.C.) added two helpers as 12 different players recorded at least one point, and sophomore Mason Rosado (Weddington, N.C.) made 28 saves to post the victory in goal.

First-year Arvega Hovsepyan (Glendale, Calif.) scored twice for the Seahawks and classmate Quinn Tavares (Mississauga, Ont.), sophomore Aidan Coupe (Gilbert, Ariz.), and junior Matthew Brunton (Calgary, Alta) contributed a goal and an assist apiece. Senior Damon Zimmer (Camrose, Alta.) also scored as 10 different players showed up on the scoresheet, and sophomore Selby Warren (Toronto, Ontario) and senior Cayden Bailey (Estero, Fla.) combined for 25 saves in the Seahawks goal.

The Beavers jumped on top with a pair of goals in the first five minutes of the game. Fallon snapped a shot from the right circle just 21 seconds after the opening faceoff to put the Beavers on the scoreboard, and Kennedy drove to the net from the left side before tucking a shot through the goalie pads at 4:39 for an early 2-0 Babson lead.

The Seahawks came back with three goals in an eight-minute span before the end of the period. Hovsepyan ripped a one-timer from the left faceoff circle for a power play goal at 10:06, Zimmer fired in a shot from about the same spot two minutes later to tie things up, and Coupe buried a rebound in front with 2:15 to go in the period to give the visitors their first lead of the game.

Babson regained the lead with three second-period goals. Joslin outmuscled a defender on the doorstep before lifting a shot over the goalie to tie the game at 3-3 at 2:15 and Fallon potted the next two to put the Beavers up 5-3. He buried a loose puck in the crease at 5:36 and finished off his hat trick on a delayed penalty with a power play goal at 17:44, snapping a shot through traffic from the top of the right circle.

Hovsepyan needed just nine seconds of the third period to steal a Babson clear and snap a shot through Rosado's pads to pull the Seahawks to with one, 5-4. But the Beavers responded with two goals 11 seconds apart as Kennedy snuck one inside the right post from the slot at 4:30 and Cavanagh fired in a rebound at 4:41 to give the Beavers a 7-4 cushion.

Salve made a late comeback attempt as Tavares beat Rosado from the right circle inside the far post at 6:25, and after pulling the goalie with three minutes remaining, Brunton rounded out the scoring at 19:56, but it was too little, too late.

Both teams play NEHC doubleheaders next week as the Beavers host Southern Maine and the Seahawks return home to host No. 1 Hobart.

GAME NOTES
• Babson earned a split of the two-game weekend series and now has a 5-1 lead over Salve Regina in the all-time series that dates back to 2002.
• The 13 goals were the most in a Babson game since the Beavers defeated Johnson & Wales 11-2 back on February 8, 2020.
• Fallon is the first Beaver to record a hat trick since Wyatt George in a 6-3 victory over Saint Michael's on December 29, 2023.