Bates (0-2) led 9-8 through three quarters of action but the Beavers (2-0) tallied three unanswered goals to grab an 11-9 lead. Allen got the scoring underway for Babson (2-0) in the fourth quarter with a man-up goal on an assist from Matthew MacCune. Chi Chi Price followed with back-to-back goals of his own and the Bobcats found themselves trailing by two with 5:32 remaining.

Bates answered in a big way down the stretch, with sophomore Oliver Allen (Portsmouth, N.H.) cutting the deficit to one on an assist from senior Brendan Mullally (Baltimore, Md.) with 3:20 left. Then in a man-up situation, Mullally dished out another assist, connecting with junior Jack Scribner (Falmouth, Maine) for the equalizer with 2:25 to go in regulation.

Both teams had opportunities in the final two minutes but the defenses held strong and the game went to overtime.

The Beavers won the face-off but senior goalkeeper Rob Strain (Montclair, N.J.) denied Price's shot and the Bobcats countered quickly, only to have Babson keeper Christopher Aranalde deny a Bobcat shot attempt. Scribner got a shot attempt off as well before a Bates turnover set up the Beavers with another possession.

Babson called timeout with 1:24 left and set up a play for Allen, who tallied his third goal of the night for the game-winner.

Allen and Mason O'Hanlon paced Babson with three goals each. The Beavers also got two goals and three assists from MacCune. Price added a pair of goals of his own. 

Scribner led the Bobcats with four goals on the night. Mullally dished out three assists and seniors Curtis Knapton (Westbrook, Maine) and Otis Klingbeil (Powell, Ohio) added two goals each. 

The Bobcats won most of the statistical categories, recording 39 ground balls to Babson's 31. And Bates also won 17 of 27 face-offs on the night, with junior Chris Costello (Ridgefield, Conn.) winning 16 of 24 by himself, recording a game-high 10 ground balls along the way.

However, Bates still felt the absence of pre-season first team All-American and senior captain Matt Chlastawa (Westfield, Mass.), as the Bobcats struggled most of the night on the attack. Of their 47 shots, only 24 were on goal. Babson's 38 shots were mostly accurate, with 27 ending up on goal. The Bobcats also turned the ball over 24 times to Babson's 20 turnovers. 

Strain finished with 15 saves between the pipes and Aranalde recorded 12 saves for the Beavers.

The whole game was tight, with neither team leading by more than two goals at any point during the contest. The Beavers led 4-3 at the end of the first quarter and 6-5 at halftime.

Bates looks to bounce back Saturday when the Bobcats visit conference foe Wesleyan for their NESCAC opener. Face-off is set for 1pm.