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WILLIAMSTOWN, MA - In a game dedicated to the men's hockey
seniors, the Ephs came out of the gate with intensity and purpose
that remained visible for the full sixty minutes, as they dominated
conference rival Babson College in earning a 5-1, near shut-out
victory this afternoon.
With one weekend of regular season games remaining, Williams
(14-6-2) stands alone in third place in the conference behind
Amherst and Middlebury (both 13-2-1) with a 12-3-1 division mark.
Babson (9-12-1), who according to Eph head coach Bill Kangas is
"one of the hottest teams in the league," is 8-9 in the conference
with back-to-back losses to division foes, the other coming in
yesterday's 3-2 loss to Middlebury.
Prior to the start of today's action, the Williams seniors and
their parents were individually introduced and, in the spirit of
Valentine's Day, each player was handed a rose to give to their
respective parents, who received the flower and their son at center
ice. Proud mothers and fathers came from such far corners as
Minnesota and California to support the team, and the Ephs did not
disappoint, as their five-goal offensive barrage delighted related
and non-related spectators alike.
"I thought we moved the puck much better today," said Kangas in
reference to a comparison of yesterday's win against UMass Boston.
"Yesterday it was a game of puck position and defense and I feel we
didn't respond well to that. Babson plays a transition
game...they're a tough team who pressures well, but we definitely
matched their intensity and played a more consistent game."
The scoring began early in the first period. Williams skated
hard and kept the puck deep in the Babson zone in the opening
minutes, and their pressure was rewarded at 4:13 when senior
forward Octavian Jordan banked a pass behind the net to sophomore
forward Ryan Young, who tried to center a pass, regained control,
and wrapped the puck around the far side of the net under the
outstretched legs of Beaver goaltender Andrew Peabody for his
8th on the season. Much later in the period, the Ephs
again sustained pressure in the Babson zone and created a 2-on-1
down low. Sophomore forward Matt Masucci found senior forward Matt
Draheim who slapped in the game-winning one-timer for his
8th of the year.
Freshman goalie Ryan Purdy had his best period of the game in
the first twenty minutes, making a slew of tough saves and smart
plays, including a timely poke-check that disrupted a Babson
forward's wide-open look in front of the net.
"Purdy made some big saves early on," acknowledged Kangas. "That
gave the rest of the team a lot of confidence and swung the
momentum heavily in our favor. There was a lot of defensive support
for him, and we got better in our own zone as the game progressed."
The Ephs added two more in the middle period, beginning with
another wrap-around goal by freshman forward Sasha Voloshin, whose
fierce forechecking caused the Babson defense to turn the puck over
behind their own net. He muscled it past Peabody unassisted for his
2nd of the year. A Babson timeout was unsuccessful in
slowing down the Eph's momentum, when less than 90 seconds later, a
Ryan Young shot gives a screened Peabody problems. The loose puck
trickled behind him, and Jordan was there on the side of the crease
to slide it into the wide open net for his 7th score
this season. This goal knocked the freshman Peabody out of the
game.
Senior forward Brett Haraguchi capped the offensive barrage at
3:48 of the final period, when he received freshman defenseman
Stephen Maier's feed from the point and stickhandled between the
circles. His top-shelf power-play score was also his 8th
of the year. Young, Draheim, and Haraguchi all hold the team lead
in goals with eight.
"We've lost some key players to injury this season, namely
[Alex] Smigelski and [Andrew] Lepore," commented Kangas, "but guys
have stepped into roles and everyone has been contributing. That's
just the nature of our team."
The shutout was spoiled by Babson senior forward JT Balben with
just 1:10 left in regulation. Ryan Purdy made 29 saves in an
exceptional performance. Williams went 1 for 5 on the power play
while the Beavers were unable to find net on four man-advantages.
Senior day marked the last regular season home game of the year.
Next weekend will be one of the toughest two-game stretches of the
Eph's campaign, as they will battle Hamilton on Friday and Amherst
on Saturday to conclude their year. The puck drops at 7pm in
Clinton, NY.
