AMHERST, MA. – A three-goal second period and a two-goal third lifted the Amherst College men's ice hockey to their second win in three games on Sunday, Dec. 1. Taking on familiar out-of-conference opponent Babson College on home ice at Orr Rink, the Mammoths sealed a dominant victory with a 7-0 win. 

With the win, the Mammoths improve to 2-3-1, while Babson drops to 4-5-1 this season. Amherst will take the ice in just five days, returning to NESCAC play taking on bitter rival Middlebury on Friday, Dec. 6 at home. Puck drop versus the Panthers is scheduled for 7 p.m.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
 
* After a slow start from both teams on the offensive end, the Mammoths were the ones to get on the board first. After a penalty from a Babson player put the Mammoths on the power-play, Amherst collected the puck off a rebounded shot attempt and worked it back to the blue line. Murray skated centrally with the puck, dumping it behind him to Zach Jesse. Jesse got his defender to commit before sending a cross-ice pass to Ben Kuzma. The Mammoths' captain made no mistake, burying a one-timer for the 1-0 lead.
 
* Amherst took that 1-0 lead into the second period and extended that lead just 4:38 into the frame. The Mammoths were able to keep the puck in their offensive zone for an extended period, and Zachary Murray capitalized to double the advantage. The junior collected the puck on the right side and took it behind the net, warding off a defender and finishing a wrap-around opportunity to net his second goal of the season.
 
* That momentum carried later in the period, as Cristobal Tola stole the puck at the blue line, fired a shot in on net, and stuffed his own rebound past the Babson netminder to give the Mammoths a 3-0 lead. Just over a minute later, the Mammoths made it 4-0 on the rush as a clearance bounced past a Beavers' forward and onto the stick of Jacob Pohl. Pohl carried the puck into the zone and fired a shot on net that was saved, but Matt Toporowski followed the miss and slammed it home to score his second goal in as many games.

* The Mammoths led 4-0-goal entering the final period, but that margin didn't last long. After a faceoff win by Toporowski, Josh Burke settled the offense and dumped the puck to Andrew Carmody. The junior defenseman looked up and fired a laser from the left circle that stung the upper-right corner of the net to make it 5-0.
 
* A goal from Vincent Velocci, off an assist from Ben Ritter, and another from Burke off assists from Ben Cook and Tola closed the scoring and put the Beavers to bed, the final margin standing at 7-0.
 
BY THE NUMBERS:
 
* Amherst outshot their opponent for the fifth straight game, besting the Beavers 70-47 in that category, as well as 36-25 in shots on goal.

* First-year defenseman Ben Cook recorded his first collegiate points with his three-assist performance. Classmate Cristobal Tola's goal was his first as a Mammoth.
 
* Senior goaltender Connor Leslie made 25 saves in his first shutout win of the season.