PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — The No. 2/3 nationally ranked Endicott men's ice hockey program skated to a 1-1 overtime tie against Babson College on Friday evening in game one of the W.B. Mason Winter Classic, hosted by Plattsburgh State. The Beavers advanced to the championship game of the tournament, however, after winning the shootout over Endicott, 2-1.
Tied 0-0 late in the third period, Endicott forward Cam Bleck (Lake Forest, Ill.) buried his second goal of the season from the slot at the 12:19 mark off a feed from Logan Day (Seminole, Fla.) to go up 1-0.
Babson responded just 1:16 later on a rebound goal from Nick Rosa (Birmingham, Mich.) to even things up and the rest of the game belonged to both goalies.
Endicott sophomore netminder Justin Ketola (Esko, Minn.) finished with 41 saves, while Babson goalie Matt Pompa (Palm City, Fla.) concluded the contest with 50. Both totals were career-highs for Ketola and Pompa.
Meanwhile, in the shootout, Rosa made the only attempt for either team to advance the Beavers to the championship game of the W.B. Mason Winter Classic.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott is 1-0-1 all-time against Babson.
- The Gulls defeated Babson, 3-2, in their first-ever meeting on January 3, 2016. At the time, the Beavers were ranked No. 2 (USCHO) / No. 4 (D3hockey.com) in the country.
- It also marked Endicott's first-ever win over a nationally ranked opponent (first try).
FOR THE FOES
- The Beavers ended Endicott's 13-game winning streak with tonight's tie. The Gulls 13-game winning streak was the longest active winning streak in the country.
- Babson is 2-2-1 in its last five games.
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 2/3 Endicott (13-1-1) takes on the loser of Plattsburgh State and Tufts tomorrow in the consolation game at 4:00 PM. Babson (7-4-1) plays the winner of Plattsburgh State and Tufts tomorrow in the W.B. Mason Winter Classic championship game at 7:00 PM.
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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)
