BABSON PARK, Mass. – Castleton suffered its second consecutive loss to a ranked team on Saturday afternoon, falling at No. 9 Babson, 3-0.

With the loss, the Spartans fall to 3-4 overall and 3-3 in the conference, while the Beavers remain unbeaten with a 5-0 overall record (4-0 ECAC East). In the contest, Castleton was outshot by its opponents 39-23 and failed to convert on any of its four power play opportunities. 

The Spartans were able to hold Babson scoreless for more than 47 minutes before the hosts took control of the game with three goals in the final 13 minutes of regulation. 

Tim Searles propelled the Beavers in front at the 7:23 marker in the third period when he found the back of the net for the first time this season. Michael Phillips fired a shot from the point that deflected off Searles and past Castleton's goalie, Ryan Mulder, to give Babson a one-goal lead.

Less than six minutes later, Andrew Bonazza doubled the hosts' advantage when he netted a shorthanded goal to make it 2-0, and with 3:34 remaining in the final stanza, the senior forward tacked on his second score of the game to extend Babson's lead to three. 

In net, Mulder moved to 2-3 overall after stopping 36 shots in just over 56 minutes of action. Jamie Murray, who is now 5-0, maintained his perfect start to the season by producing 23 saves.

Castleton resumes its season next weekend when it hosts the Rutland Herald Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Spartan Arena. The Spartans open the tournament when they face Manhattanville on Friday evening at 7 pm.