BABSON PARK – Babson College junior goalie Andrew Peabody (Marblehead, MA) stopped 28 of the 30 shots that he faced and freshman Troy Starrett (Bellingham, MA) tallied a goal and an assist to lift the Beavers to a 4-2 victory over visiting Tufts University in an ECAC East men's ice hockey matchup at the Babson Skating Center on Friday night. With the win, Babson upped its record to 5-5-0 overall and 4-2-0 in the ECAC East, while the Jumbos fell to 4-4-1 overall and 3-3-0 in the NESCAC.
Babson dominated the opening period of play, scoring two unanswered goals while mounting a 13-5 shot advantage. Junior Mike Hoban (Medfield, MA) netted the first goal of the contest and his third of the season when he one-timed a pass from sophomore PT Donato (Arlington, MA) into an open net from the lower left circle at 7:07. Sophomore Matt Leer (Edina, MN) then scored his first goal of the year when he stuffed home a snapshot from the bottom of the slot at 15:31, giving the hosts a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
Tufts got one goal back early in the second session, as senior captain Dylan Cooper (Colorado Springs, CO) netted his fifth goal of the campaign at 1:30. The Beavers then pushed their lead back to two midway through the period, beginning when Starrett fired a breakaway feed up the middle to streaking junior Cody Carlson (Peterborough, NH). Carlson's ensuing bid was denied by Jumbos' junior goaltender Evin Koleini (Clarence, NY), but the junior forward fed the rebound back to sophomore Jay Haseley (Rochester, NY), who lifted it into the upper left corner for his fourth of the year at 12:55.
The Jumbos would strike again just a minute and a half later, as freshman Kyle Gallegos (Westminster, CO) tallied his team-leading seventh goal of the winter on the powerplay at 14:30 to pull the visitors back to within one, 3-2, heading into the final period of play. Starrett then potted a huge insurance goal when he gained control behind the net and wrapped a shot around the right post for his second goal of the season at 12:24 of the third, giving Babson a 4-2 advantage.
Tufts pulled Koleini in favor of an extra skater with two minutes remaining, and a Babson penalty gave the Jumbos a two-man advantage with 43 seconds left. However, senior captain Terry Woods (Duxbury, MA) won two key faceoffs in his own zone in the closing moments to help the Beavers secure the 4-2 victory.
Peabody was outstanding in net for Babson, as he improved to 3-1-0 on the season. Among his 28 stops was a brilliant glove save on Gallegos' screened shot bound for the upper right corner with 10:52 left in the second, as well as a nice kick save on a quick backhand in front by senior Zach Diaco (Rumson NJ) with 9:31 remaining in the third.
Koleini played all but two minutes between the pipes for the Jumbos, finishing with 27 saves in defeat.
Game Box Score
#
Game release courtesy of Babson College
