BABSON PARK, Mass.- After opening their season on home ice, the Norwich Men's Ice Hockey team took to the road for the first time this season Friday night when they continued Little East Conference (LEC) play against longtime rival Babson.

Out of the gate, the Beavers held the upper hand before Jimmy Fallon opened the scoring just under four minutes in. As Babson continued to press, they extended their lead to two with four and a half minutes left in the opening period. It remained a two-goal game at the break with Sami Molu (Toronto, Ont.) making nine saves in the period to keep the game within striking distance.

Immediately out of the locker room, the Cadets drew within one. Niko Benjamin (Surprise, Ariz.) found Nick Cordeiro (Mississauga, Ont.) as Norwich broke out of their defensive zone on a two-on-two. Cordeiro slid the puck cross-ice to Zach Ophoven (Burlington, Ont.), tapping it by Beaver netminder Nate Mueller, making it a one-goal game.
After Molu came up with several saves, Norwich tied the game 1:07 later. Samuel Larsson (Stockholm, Sweden) kept the play alive at the left point and rimmed the puck around the boards. The puck ricocheted to the front of the net, where Mueller went to swat it away, but Dave Overbeeke (Wilton, Conn.) poked it off his stick right to Kyle Kudrna (Bartlett, Ill.), who knotted the score.

With the momentum, Norwich went to their first man advantage of the contest, which turned into a five-on-three where the Babson penalty kill held them off the scoresheet. The two sides traded chances in an up-and-down frame before the Beavers jumped ahead on a Joseph Kramer power-play goal. Two minutes later, Fallon completed the hat trick, regaining Babson's two-goal lead by the second intermission.

Five minutes into the third, Norwich closed the deficit. From the defensive zone, Jed Brazo (Homer, N.Y.) outletted the puck to Owen Sclisizzi (Milton, Ont.) to start the rush. Sclisizzi dropped it to Matt Harvey (Fort Covington, N.Y.), who jumped into the rush and sent a shot by Mueller's blocker to draw the Cadets to within one.
Seeking the equalizer, Norwich poured the pressure on Mueller but could not break through. In the final two minutes, Molu went to the bench for the extra attacker, while the Cadets went to the man advantage. However, the Beavers preserved the victory, with Mueller making 17 stops in the final frame to cement the result.

Norwich's road trip through the LEC continues Saturday afternoon when they visit Southern Maine for a 4:00 p.m. puck drop.