BABSON PARK, Mass.— Senior
Jimmy Fallon (Milton, Mass.) registered his fifth career hat trick and classmate
Mason Rosado (Weddington, N.C.) recorded his third career shutout at Babson College blanked Keene State College, 5-0, in the Little East Conference opener for both schools Friday evening inside the Babson Skating Center.
With the victory, Babson earned its first win of the season, improving to 1-0-1 overall and 1-0-0 in the LEC. Keene State dropped its second straight contest and dipped to 0-2-0 overall and 0-1-0 in conference play.
First-years
Griffin Bucci (North Andover, Mass.) and
Declan Grenache (Sutton, Mass.) potted goals for the Beavers, junior
Evan Brown (Little Silver, N.J.) matched his career high with three assists, and first-years
David Coughlin (Burlington, Mass.) and
Nolan Russell (Arlington, Mass.) chipped in with two assists each.
Rosado finished with 23 saves in the victory, while junior Ben Skelton (Roanoke, Va.) made 22 saves in the setback for Keene State.
Grenache put the Beavers on top at the 14:18 mark of the first period, snapping a wrist shot from the top of the right circle inside the far post for his second goal of the young season. Fallon scored a power play goal less than three minutes later, burying a shot from the edge of the left circle on a feed from Brown to give the hosts a 2-0 lead after one period.
The Beavers extended their lead late in the second period when Russell sent a pass from the right faceoff dot to Fallon on the back post, who converted his second of the game to give Babson a 3-0 lead after two periods.
The Green and White pulled away in the third period. Bucci produced his first collegiate goal at the 5:07 mark, deflected a shot from the point by sophomore
Brian Grant (Mansfield, Mass.) near the right circle to make it 4-0, and Fallon completed the hat trick at 14:59, putting in a rebound near the left post.
Babson finished with a 27-23 advantage in shots on goal while scoring on its only power play attempt and killing off two Keene State opportunities with a man advantage.
Both teams wrap up an LEC weekend on Saturday at 4 p.m. as Babson hosts Western Connecticut and Keene State plays at Southern Maine.
GAME NOTES
• Babson has won all three games against the Owls in the career series that started last season.
• Fallon has scored five goals in his three career outings against Keene State.
• Brown has two goals and seven assists in his last seven games going back to last season.
