Endicott Downs No. 2/4 Nationally Ranked Babson, 3-2

BABSON PARK, Mass. – Freshman forward Cam Bleck (Lake Forest, Ill.) scored the game-tying and game-winning goal in the third period to lift Endicott to a 3-2 victory over No. 2/4 nationally ranked Babson College on Sunday evening in the championship game of the Holiday Classic.

Trailing 2-1 in the third, Bleck tied up the contest just 4:45 into the final period with his fifth goal of the season from the left face-off circle on a slick feed by Ross Olsson (Billerica, Mass.).

Freshman netminder Kevin Aldridge (Beverly Hills, Mich.) followed with six saves to keep the score even at 2-2 before Bleck eventually potted the game-winner through traffic on the power play at 16:38 to push the Gulls ahead, 3-2. Ryan Dougherty (Sterling Heights, Mich.) and Carter Horwitz (Tustin, Calif.) were both credited with assists on the game-winning tally by Bleck.

Endicott then withstood a frantic final push by Babson, who pulled senior goaltender Jamie Murray (Scituate, Mass.) for an extra skater with 2:24 left, to preserve the win. During that 2:24 stretch, Aldridge made seven saves for the Gulls.

Aldridge finished the matchup with 41 saves to move his record to 8-3-2, while Murray turned away 20 shots in the loss (9-2-1).

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Babson is ranked No. 2 in the latest USCHO.com national poll and No. 4 in the D3hockey.com national rankings.
• Endicott is now 1-0 all-time against nationally ranked opponents in program history.
• The Gulls snapped Babson's three-game winning streak today.
• Endicott also handed Babson its first loss at home this season (4-1), and its first loss at home against a non-conference opponent since January 5, 2013, snapping their 11-game winning streak.
• The Green and White lost for the first time this season and just the second time in 72 games since the start of the 2011-12 season when leading after two periods.
• Both of Babson's losses in 2015-16 have come when allowing the first goal.
• Alexander Bonito (Buffalo, N.Y.) scored his first career collegiate goal at 6:24 of the first period to give the Gulls an early 1-0 advantage at the time.
• Aldridge is 5-1-1 when he records 30 or more saves in a game for the Gulls this season.
• Endicott went 39-for-76 at the face-off circle.
• The Gulls are now 2-0 in 2016 following yesterday's 3-2 victory over Salem State.

FOR THE FOES

• Jimmy Magrath (Medfield, Mass.) and Matt Brazel (Hingham, Mass.) scored at 3:37 and 18:46, respectively, in the second period to claim a 2-1 lead for Babson headed into the final 20 minutes of play.
• The Beavers outshot Endicott, 43-23, but went 0-for-3 on their power play chances.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (8-3-2) hosts Tufts University in a non-conference tilt on Saturday, January 9 at 4 p.m. No. 2/4 Babson (10-2-1) travels to New England College on Friday, January 8 for a conference matchup at 7 p.m. 

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