Purple Knights limit Babson until late in ECAC East men's ice hockey setback
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College men's ice hockey team trailed a streaking Babson College squad just 1-0 until midway through the third period on Friday before falling by a 4-1 count during an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) East contest in Cairns Arena.
The Purple Knights slipped to 6-16-2 overall and 3-13-1 in the league, while the Beavers moved to 6-1-3 since mid-January, improving to 9-12-3 and 9-5-3.
Junior Michael Jangro (Reading, Mass./Valley Jr. Warriors) tallied for the hosts, while classmate Eric McGuirk (Rehoboth, Mass./Bridgewater Bandits) ended with 26 saves.
Freshman Mike Driscoll (Milton, Mass./Boston Advantage) had a goal and an assist for Babson, while three others scored goals. Senior Andrew Peabody (Marblehead, Mass./Saint Paul's School) made 26 stops.
Senior Cody Carlson (Peterborough, N.H./Portland Jr. Pirates) broke a scoreless deadlock a little more than midway through the opening period, at 11:30, while McGuirk made 13 stops to otherwise limit the Beavers. Neither team scored again until midway through the third.
During the second stanza, Babson penalties led to the Purple Knights playing at least one man up for a 3:30 stretch in the middle of the period, but of the seven shots the hosts fired toward the net in that stretch, two hit the pipe and five were stopped by Peabody, including one by junior Josh Geary (Wellesley, Mass./Phillips Exeter Academy) that was heading toward the upper left-hand corner before being snared by the goaltender.
Driscoll made it 2-0 at 9:34 of the third period on the power play, but Jangro answered 50 seconds later, deking Peabody out front following a pass from Geary. However, junior Ryan Smith (Lynnfield, Mass./Boston Bulldogs) tallied an insurance marker with 5:58 left, slipping a shot under the left arm of McGuirk, who was prone on his back on the ice. Senior Mike Hoban (Medfield, Mass./Saint Sebastian's) added an empty netter in the final minute.
Saint Michael's completes its regular-season slate tomorrow at 4 p.m. by hosting the University of Massachusetts at Boston for a Senior Day match-up.
