Big-time upset
Babson pulled one of the biggest upsets of the season on Saturday as it used three first-half goals and a strong goaltending effort by Zeke Testa to knock off top-ranked Norwich, 4-1, at Kreitzberg Arena.
It marks the first time since 2007 that Babson has beaten Norwich.
The Beavers were outshot, 26-5, in the final two periods, but Testa was able to step up, tallying 33 saves in the victory. He has always played tough against the Cadets, taking them to overtime in four of his previous five starts, but had registered an 0-2-3 record against them.
Babson took control early, as Mike Driscoll, Ryan Smith, and Connor Berto all scored goals in the opening period. The lead held up as Babson improved to 9-3-2 overall and to 5-2-1 in the ECAC East.
Norwich is 13-2 overall and 8-1 in the league, and Travis Janke scored the only goal for the Cadets, putting the puck in the back of the net in the third period.
The Cadets have dropped two of their last three games, both at home, after opening the season with 11 consecutive wins.
Panthers on a roll
Plymouth State has showed no signs of slowing down lately, picking up its seventh consecutive win on Saturday with a 7-1 win over Framingham State in MASCAC action at home.
The Panthers were fueled by Kyle Greco, who scored three goals in the opening period to set the tone. Plymouth State led 4-0 after one period and owned a 7-0 lead in the second.
Plymouth State dominated on both ends of the ice, taking 49 shots while limiting Framingham State to 16 shots. Peter Baldwin scored a goal in the third period for the Rams, who fell to 2-11 overall and to 0-8 in the conference.
Greco has scored nine goals this season and the Panthers are now 11-4 overall and 7-1 in the league. Plymouth State scored twice on power plays, while Framingham State was 0-for-4.
Bulldogs still unbeaten in conference
Adrian maintained its unbeaten record in the MCHA by forging a 4-4 tie with Lawrence on Saturday. The two teams had skated to a 5-5 tie a night earlier.
Andrew Dovey tied the game at 1-1 with his eighth goal of the season. He has now scored a goal in four consecutive games for seventh-ranked Adrian
The two teams were tied at 3-3 entering the third period.
Ryan Gieseler, Chris Leone, and Justin Basso also scored goals for the Bulldogs, who outshot the Vikings, 48-34, and improved to 12-1-2 overall and to 8-0-2 in the conference. Zach Graham dished out three assists and James Hamby racked up 17 saves for the Bulldogs.
Fabian Sivnert racked up 44 saves for Lawrence, which is 5-8-2 overall and 4-4-2 in the MCHA.
Blugolds work overtime
Wisconsin-Eau Claire played in its second consecutive overtime game on Saturday, as it skated to a 2-2 tie with St. Olaf in a nonconference affair.
The Blugolds were beaten 2-1 by Concordia in OT last weekend.
Wis.-Eau Claire fell behind 2-0 after one period, but battled back in the second as Mark Pustin and Devin Mantha both scored to tie the game at 2-2.
The Blugolds stepped up defensively the rest of the way and limited St. Olaf to just two shots in the extra session. Wis.-Eau Claire held a 34-22 edge in shots, and Brandon Stephenson came through with 20 saves. The Blugolds are now 12-3-2 overall.
Mark Rath and Jeff Harris scored goals for the Oles, who fell to 5-8-2 on the season.
Bowdoin bounces back
After suffering its first loss of the year, Bowdoin didn’t waste much time getting back on track, as it knocked off Trinity, 5-2, on Saturday in a NESCAC game.
The Polar Bears, ranked fourth in the nation, got a big lift from Ollie Koo, who scored twice in the win. Bowdoin is 13-1-1 overall and 8-1-1 in the conference.
Bowdoin was in front 4-1 after two periods and never looked back, as it racked up 36 shots while holding Trinity to 27 shots.
Max Fenkell nailed down the win in goal as he tallied 25 saves. Benjamin Coulthard took the loss despite making 22 saves. Chris Menard and Jordan So both scored goals for the Bantams, who fell to 6-4-3 overall and to 3-2-3 in the league.
Geneseo steps up at home
Geneseo overcame a 1-0 deficit by scoring four goals in the third period to earn a 4-1 nonconference win over Franklin Pierce on Saturday.
The Knights won for the seventh time in eight games as Kaz Iwamoto, Zachary Vit, Nate Brown, and Ryan Donnelly all scored goals to fuel the rally. Brown and Vit both scored power-play goals.
Geneseo finished with a 41-18 advantage in shots, and Jack Caradonna tallied two assists and now has 14 on the season. His total ranks among the best nationally in assists for a defenseman. Justin Scharfe also came through with two assists.
Nick Horrigan made 17 saves in the win as Geneseo improved to 10-5-1 on the year. Franklin Pierce fell to 4-7-2. Anthony Chighisola scored the lone goal for the Ravens in the opening period.