BABSON PARK, Mass. – Babson College scored five goals over the final two periods and senior captain Zeke Testa (Wellesley, Mass.) made 19 saves as the Beavers defeated the visiting Wentworth Institute of Technology, 6-1, in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament at the Babson Skating Center on Wednesday night.
With their first NCAA Tournament victory since 1992, the Beavers (18-6-5), ranked ninth in the nation by D3hockey.com and 10th by U.S. College Hockey Online, advance to the National Quarterfinals for the first time since 2007.
With the loss, Wentworth, ranked 15th in the country by USCHO, sees its outstanding season come to a close with a record of 16-9-3.
Babson opened with a dominating first period, outshooting the Leopards 13-2 and netting the game's first goal. Taking a blue line pass from junior Ben Kravitz (Huntington, N.Y.), junior defenseman Matt Furey (Quincy, Mass.) ripped a shot from the left point that was tipped inside the right post by junior Troy Starrett (Bellingham, Mass.) at 7:45. The Beavers then killed a Leopard powerplay late in the period thanks to three straight blocked shots by junior defenseman Shayne Anderson (Dorchester, Mass.).
The hosts continued to pour on the offense in the first nine minutes of the second period, netting two more goals to increase their lead to 3-0. Senior PT Donato (Arlington, Mass.) scored the first when he redirected first-year Mike Vollmin's (Wilmington, N.C.) shot from the right point past Wentworth goalie Joel Miller (Calgary, Alberta) at 3:58, and Starrett potted the second when he tipped in a shot by classmate Connor Berto (Lake Forest, Ill.) at 8:36.
The Leopards gained some momentum over the remainder of the second, culminating with their first goal of the night at 17:53. Taking a pass from sophomore Mike Domsodi (Kirkland, Quebec), sophomore Beau Burgau (New Ulm, Minn.) fired a wrister from the left point that was saved by Testa. First-year Adam Frank (Clarkston, Mich.) then collected the rebound in the middle of the right circle and fired a shot past the senior goaltender to make it 3-1.
That would be the lone blemish of the night for Testa, who stopped all six shots that he faced in the third. Meanwhile, Babson tacked on three more goals, as first-year Max Franklin (Wrentham, Mass.) scored on a shot from the left point at 2:15 and senior Jay Haseley (Rochester, N.Y.) tallied back-to-back scores at 14:49 and 19:19.
Testa finished with 19 saves on the night, while Miller made 27 stops in goal for Wentworth.
Watch head coach R.J. Tolan and senior Shaun Jameson's post-game press conference here
(Recap Courtesy of Babson College Sports Information)
March 14, 2013
Shaun Jameson Named First Team All-America
March 6, 2013
Hockey Falls to Babson in NCAA Tournament
March 4, 2013
Hockey to Travel to Babson for NCAA Tournament
March 3, 2013
Hockey Wins Second Straight ECACNE Title
February 27, 2013
Hockey Marches Into ECAC Northeast Title Game, 4-1
February 23, 2013
Jameson Named ECAC Northeast Player of the Year; Five Others Honored
February 22, 2013
ECAC Northeast Tournament Pairings Announced
February 18, 2013
Miller Earns ECAC Northeast Weekly Honors
February 16, 2013
Hockey Clinches ECACNE Regular Season Championship
February 14, 2013
Hockey Ties With Curry, 1-1
February 11, 2013
Yarber, Miller Help Hockey Win Third Straight
February 6, 2013
Hockey Holds on For 3-2 Win Over Becker
February 3, 2013
Hockey Cruises Past Johnson & Wales, 8-3
January 30, 2013
Hockey Ties Nichols, 2-2
January 29, 2013
Jameson Named ECAC Northeast Player of the Week
January 28, 2013
Hockey Edged by Williams, 1-0
January 26, 2013
Hockey Works Overtime for Third Straight Win
January 24, 2013
Hockey Rallies Past Western New England
January 23, 2013
Miller Earns ECAC Northeast Weekly Honors
January 20, 2013
Hockey Picks Up First Home Win, 3-1 Over Curry
January 15, 2013
Hockey Shut Out by Tufts, 2-0
January 8, 2013
Cobbold Named ECAC Northeast Rookie of the Week
January 6, 2013
Hockey Edges Fitchburg State, 2-1
January 5, 2013
Hockey Falls to UMass Boston, 5-2
December 31, 2012
Hockey Holds Off Middlebury, 3-2
December 30, 2012
Manhattanville Tops Hockey, 4-1
December 6, 2012
Hockey Falls to Wesleyan, 3-1
December 1, 2012
Hockey Bounces Back With Win at Becker
November 29, 2012
Sides Set to Make AHL Debut
November 29, 2012
Hockey Falls to Nichols in Overtime, 4-3
November 19, 2012
Hockey Edged by Plymouth State, 2-1
November 17, 2012
Hockey Wins Second Straight
November 14, 2012
Hockey Rolls Past Johnson & Wales
November 8, 2012
Late Goal Lifts Western New England Past Hockey Team
November 7, 2012
Hockey Rallies Past Salem State, 3-2
November 3, 2012
Hockey Overpowers Worcester State, 7-2
November 2, 2012
Jameson's Late Goal Helps Hockey Open With a Tie
October 31, 2012
Hockey Picked as Preseason Favorite in ECAC Northeast