BABSON PARK, MA – The Amherst College men's ice hockey team scored two goals in a pivotal third period to claim a 4-2 victory over host Babson College in a key ECAC East/NESCAC men's ice hockey contest at the Babson Skating Center on Friday night.
With the win, Amherst (12-7-4, 10-5-3 NESCAC) clinched a home game in the upcoming NESCAC Championship quarterfinal round and remained in contention for the top seed, while the Beavers (9-12-3, 7-8-3 ECAC East) will need a win over Hamilton on Saturday to have a shot at a quarterfinal home game in next week's ECAC East tournament.
Junior co-captain Eddie Effinger (St. Louis, MO) gave the Lord Jeffs a 1-0 advantage midway through a fast-paced opening period of play. Senior Matt Rhone (Dedham, MA) carried the puck behind the Babson net and kicked it out to the left side of the crease, where Effinger one-timed a shot into the lower right corner for his 10th goal of the season at 10:32.
Babson answered with a power-play goal later in the first, beginning when junior defenseman Dan Ahern took a pass from senior captain Jason Schneider at the right point and fired it toward the net. The puck deflected off a defender and kicked out to the left side of the crease, where sophomore Ryan Smith directed it inside the left post with a lunging backhand at 16:03. It was Smith's ninth goal of the winter and it evened the contest at 1-1 heading into the first intermission.
The Jeffs regained the advantage on their only power play of the night just under nine minutes into the second session, as first-year Andrew Kurlandski (Kirkwood, MO) redirected junior Jeremy Deutsch's (Lloyd Harbor, NY) shot from the right point through the legs of Babson sophomore goalie Zeke Testa for his sixth of the year at 8:44. The Beavers tied it again less than two minutes later when sophomore Trevor Hines tucked a rebound of first-year Troy Starrett's shot inside the right post for his second goal of the season at 10:02.
Amherst finally put the game away with two spectacular goals in the third period. The go-ahead score came at 9:06, as junior Mark Colp (Wareham, MA) skated up the right side and snapped off a laser that found the upper left corner for a 3-2 Lord Jeff lead. Kurlandski then added a key insurance goal less than a minute later, as he gathered a loose puck in the high slot and lifted a wrister into the upper left corner for his second of the night and seventh of the winter. That gave the visitors a two-goal cushion that they would not relinquish as Amherst claimed the 4-2 victory.
Senior Cole Anderson (Sylvan Lake, Alberta) was outstanding in goal for the Lord Jeffs, finishing with 24 saves, including a breakaway stop on Babson sophomore Jay Haseley in the opening moments of the second period, as well as a magnificent diving glove save on an open look from senior captain Terry Woods moments later. At the other end, Testa amassed a total of 20 stops for the Beavers, including a fantastic kick save on a clean breakaway by Amherst sophomore Nick Brunette (Chaska, MN) with 1:25 remaining in the second.
Amherst is 5-1 in its past six games and has now won four straight against Babson. Hamilton, Middlebury and Williams began the day tied for first place in the NESCAC, but with the Ephs falling to Castleton State and the Panthers tying Skidmore, the Lord Jeffs moved into a tie for second place. For Amherst to overtake Hamilton for the top seed, the Jeffs need to defeat UMass Boston tomorrow, the Continentals have to lose to Babson, and Middlebury has to tie or lose to Castleton State.
