Box Score
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Shane Joyce (Pembroke, Mass.) stopped all 25 shots he faced and Brendon Kerrigan (Boston, Mass.) scored the lone goal of the game as Saint Anselm College defeated #4 Babson College, 1-0, on Saturday afternoon in men's New England Hockey Conference action at Sullivan Arena in Manchester, N.H.
The Hawks snap a two game skid with the victory and improve to 7-4-1 overall and 5-3-1 in the NEHC. Babson, who was ranked #4 in the country according to the USHCO.com Coaches Poll, falls to 10-3-2 overall and 6-1-1 in conference matchups.
Vin D'Amato (Sutton, Mass.) nearly gave the Hawks the first goal of the game as he took a pass from Justin Longo (Wakefield, Mass.) down the right side and fired a low shot through his defender that hit the pipe. Longo eventually had a chance from the slot, but Jamie Murray was there for the save.
After Babson was called for a holding penalty 12:16 into the first period, the Hawks took advantage of the extra man opportunity as Brandon Kerrigan converted the eventual game-winning goal off passes from Mark Meads (Middleton, Mass.) and Bryan Sullivan (Burlington, Mass.).
Meads cycled the puck to the blue line over to Sullivan, who played a back-handed pass over to Kerrigan. Kerrigan wound up and took a slap shot that snuck through a pair of defenders and a screen in front and into the back of the net to give the Hawks a 1-0 advantage.
Joyce kept the Beavers off the scoreboard over the final 47:44, turning away all 14 shots he faced – including nine in the third period – to grab the win. He improved to 6-3-1 on the season with the victory and earned his first shutout of the year. Jamie Murray stopped 19 of the 20 shots he faced on the night in the setback.
Babson held a 25-20 advantage in shots and went 0-for-2 on their power play chances. Saint Anselm converted their lone power play of the day.
The Hawks head out on the road for a four-game road trip starting with a 7:00 p.m. meeting with Connecticut College on Tuesday night.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news, including game previews and recaps, directly from the Saint Anselm College athletic department by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter @STAHawks.
