BRUNSWICK, Maine – The sixth-ranked Bowdoin College men's ice hockey team scored five unanswered goals in the second period to run away with a 7-3 victory over the visiting Babson College Beavers in an ECAC East/NESCAC men's ice hockey matchup at Bowdoin's Watson Arena on Saturday afternoon. With its second win in as many days, Bowdoin improved to 2-0-0 overall and 2-0-0 in league play, while Babson saw its record even out at 1-1-0 overall and 1-1-0 in the conference.
Bowdoin grabbed an early 1-0 lead at 5:40 of the opening period, as senior Jeff Fanning won a draw deep in the Babson zone. Junior Jordin Lalor then tipped the puck to first-year Erik Bertin, who ripped a snapshot into the upper right corner for his first collegiate goal and a 1-0 Polar Bear lead. Babson answered less than two minutes later, when junior Cody Carlson took a pass and snapped a shot inside the near post from the right circle at 7:20. It was Carlson's first goal of the season.
The Beavers took their first lead of the contest at 12:23 of the first, beginning when junior Mike Hoban fired a wrist shot from the left side that was saved by Bowdoin first-year goalie Steve Messina. A Polar Bear defenseman then attempted to push the loose puck out of the crease, but his attempted clear trickled just over the goal line near the right post to give the visitors a 2-1 lead. Hoban was credited with his second goal of the season on the play.
The Polar Bears put the game away with a monster second period, beginning with back-to-back powerplay goals. They knotted the game at 2-2 when Lalor gained possession on the left side and sent a cross-ice pass to junior Aaron O'Callahan, who blasted a slapshot from the right point inside the near post for his first goal of the season at 5:48. Bowdoin then took the lead for good with another powerplay score, as sophomore Daniel Weiniger gathered a rebound of first-year Ollie Koo's shot and backhanded it past sprawling goalie Zeke Testa for his second of the year to make it 3-2 at 11:22.
Weiniger struck again later in the second, as he converted a pass from senior Kyle Shearer-Hardy on the right side for his second of the game and third of the season at 14:09. Shearer-Hardy's feed came off a rebound of Lalor's shot off the left post, earning the junior defenseman his third assist of the afternoon. Bowdoin then tacked on goals by sophomore Robert Toczylowski at 17:20 and Shearer-Hardy at 18:29 to take a commanding 6-2 lead into the second intermission.
Toczylowski would net his second of the game at 11:52 of the third to make it 7-2 before sophomore Jay Haseley finally snapped the Polar Bears' run with his first goal of the season off a pass from first-year Ryan Heavey at 13:41. That cut Babson's deficit to 7-3 but the visitors would get no closer as Bowdoin held on for the four-goal victory. Testa made 14 saves in just over 34 minutes in net for Babson before giving way to junior Andrew Peabody, who stopped 11 shots the rest of the way. Messina finished with a total of 20 saves in goal for the Polar Bears.
- Release courtesy of Babson College Sports Information
