BABSON PARK, Mass. - Sophomore goaltender Ryan
Klingensmith made 29 saves to earn his first collegiate shutout as
11th-ranked Norwich defeated No. 13 Babson in a matchup of two
nationally-ranked ECAC East ice hockey teams at the Babson
Skating Center on Friday night.
With the win, the Cadets improve to 11-3-0 (7-1-0 ECAC East),
while the Beavers fall to 8-3-2 (5-2-1 ECAC East). NU continues to
lead the conference with a league-best 14 points.
The game was halted just 30 seconds into the first period, as a
shattered pane of glass resulted in a 29-minutes delay. Once play
resumed, Norwich took the lead at 8:15 of the first, as junior
Nikita Kashirsky made a move to get free in front of the net and
fired a hard wrist shot past Babson goaltender Skylar Nipps and
inside the left post for his 11th goal of the season. Seniors Eric
Oullette and Raphael Robitaille each picked up assists on the play.
Both teams had great chances in the second period, but Nipps and
Klingensmith each came up with spectacular saves to keep it a 1-0
game. Nipps came up big with 4:30 remaining in the period, as he
denied a wide open attempt by Kashirsky on a breakaway. The Beavers
had a golden opportunity with 1:09 left in the second, but
Klingensmith made the play of the game to keep the Beavers off the
board. After a Babson player dumped the puck in along the boards,
an odd carom sent it drifting out to charging Brad Baldelli,
who hammered a slap shot onto a wide-open net. However,
Klingensmith came from behind the net and knocked the shot down
with a tremendous diving glove save on what proved to be Babson's
best chance of the contest.
The Beavers came out firing in the third period, registering
eight unanswered shots on their way to an overwhelming 16-1
advantage in the frame. Klingensmith was equal to the task,
stopping all 16 shots to preserve the shutout victory.
Babson outshot Norwich, 29-19, for the game. In a relatively
cleanly played contest, each team was assessed just one penalty,
with both squads going 0-for-1 on the power play.
The Cadets will conclude their four-game road swing on Saturday,
Jan. 19, when they take on UMass-Boston at 4 p.m. The game can be
heard on the radio (WDEV: AM-550, FM-96.1) and on the internet (http://www.cadetsradio.com/),
with George Commo calling the action.
