Box Score #5 Babson Blanks Southern Maine 8-0
GORHAM, Maine -- Junior Dan Casey (Chatham, N.J.) had two goals and an assist to lead a balanced offense as the fifth-ranked Babson College Beavers shut out the University of Southern Maine Huskies 8-0 in New England Hockey Conference action Friday evening at the USM Ice Arena.
The win was the fifth straight for the undefeated Beavers (5-0, 3-0), and their third straight in league play. The Huskies (3-3, 2-2) had a two-game winning streak snapped and fall back to .500. The two sides will meet again at Babson on January 30.
Babson finished the game with a 37-18 advantage in shots on goal. Seven different players scored goals, and 12 of the 18 skaters had at least one point.
Casey ignited a four-goal second period that blew the game open. Casey netted his fourth of the season at 4:09 after tic-tac-toe passing combination by junior line mates Tim Searles (Chesapeake, Va.) and Bill Seligman (Toronto, Ontario). The threesome would combine again at 11:56 for Casey's second of the night. Casey picked up an assist when he and Seligman set up Searles for the final goal of the game late in the third period.
The Beavers got the only goal they would need at 15:03 of the opening period as sophomore Jake Donahue (Groveland, Mass.) beat USM sophomore goalie Matt Michals (Needham, Mass.) from 40 feet out for his first goal of the season. The Beavers took a 2-0 lead in the final minute after a USM turnover as sophomore Charlie Ackerman (Bradenton, Fla.) beat Michals for his fourth marker of the season.
Senior Jimmy Magrath (Medfield, Mass.) and junior Michael Phillips (Richmond Heights, Ohio) joined Casey on the scoresheet in the second period. Senior Max Franklin (Wrentham, Mass.), who assisted on the Donahue goal, had a goal at 14:22 of the third period.
Babson senior goalie Jamie Murray (Scituate, Mass.) stopped 18 shots to record his third consecutive shutout. Murray has not allowed a goal in the last 207:14 since giving up a second-period goal against Curry College on October 31.
Michals had 17 saves in two periods of play. Sophomore Kyle Shapiro (Ocean, N.J.) came on to play the final period and made 12 saves.
Southern Maine looks to rebound tomorrow afternoon (4:00 p.m.) taking on 10th-rank UMass Boston. Babson will look to sweep its two-game trip to the state of Maine when it plays the University of New England on Saturday (4:00 p.m.).
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