SPRINGFIELD, Mass. â€" Freshman attacker Jake Beebe (Sudbury, MA) scored six goals, including the game-winner with 26 seconds remaining in the second overtime period to lead visiting Springfield College to a thrilling 12-11 victory over No. 17 Western New England College in the championship game of the Pilgrim League Tournament.

This was the fourth straight Pilgrim League title (and third by one-goal) for the Pride who avenged a 10-5 home loss to the Golden Bears during the regular season.

Springfield had captured the last two tournament crowns over Western New England College winning 8-7 last year and 12-11 in 2004. SC posted a 14-4 victory over WNEC in the 2003 Pilgrim League championship contest to regain the title after the Golden Bears defeated the Pride 17-16 in 2002.

Western New England College took an early 2-0 lead in the opening three minutes after goals by senior attacker Joe Cassani (Barre, VT) and sophomore midfielder Jon Hayes (Waltham, MA). Springfield scored the next four goals, the last two by Beebe, including a man-down goal, to take a 4-2 lead after the opening period. Both teams tallied three times apiece in the second quarter as the Pride went into halftime with a 7-5 advantage. Beebe then added two goals in the third quarter to give Springfield a 9-5 lead.

The Pride appeared headed for an easy victory when senior attacker Taylor Brown (Portsmouth, RI) scored his only goal of the game with 9:15 remaining to put SC ahead by an 11-6 margin.

With a large crowd urging them on, Western New England College staged a remarkable comeback by scoring five times in the final 5:22, including two in the last minute. Sophomore midfielder Travis Brown (Montpelier, VT) won several key face-offs to key the comeback. Sophomore midfielder Brody Savoie (Wilbraham, MA) pulled the Golden Bears within one at the 51-second mark before Hayes tied the contest (with an assist from Savoie) with 17 seconds left in regulation.

WNEC sophomore goalie Chris Body (Newtown, CT) and SC junior goaltender Kyle Cloutier (South Hadley, MA) each made six saves in the first overtime period to keep the game deadlocked. Body finished with 26 saves while Cloutier stopped 29 shots in outstanding performances.

Springfield thought it won the game with 1:28 left in the second overtime when freshman attacker Pat Cavanaugh (Wayland, MA) fired a shot that hit both pipes and bounced down. One official signaled a goal and the Pride players ran on the field to celebrate. The officials then discussed the play and the goal was disallowed setting the stage for Beebe’s winning shot. Beebe also had two assists to cap an eight-point afternoon.

Junior attacker Adam Cherry (Westfield, MA) had another great performance for Western New England College with three goals and four assists. Savoie finished with three goals and two assists, while Cassani had three goals and Hayes two. Sophomore attacker Bryan Cofrin (Londonderry, NH) contributed two assists.

With the victory, Springfield (13-4) receives an automatic invitation to the NCAA Division III Championship that begins next Wednesday (May 10) at campus sites. Western New England College ends its campaign with a 14-3 that ties a school record for wins previously established both last year and in 2004. The Golden Bears captured ECAC Division III New England Tournament titles the last two seasons, but declined to play in the tournament this season.

Scoring Summary
Springfield (13-4) - 4-3-2-2-0-1---12
Western New England College (14-3) - 2-3-0-6-0-0 - 11

Springfield Pride
Goals â€" Jake Beebe 6, Brandon Asplundh, Travis Brown, Pat Cavanaugh, Chris Jez, Steve Krasco, Greg Welch
Assists â€" Jake Beebe 2, Chris Sharpe 2, Pat Cavanaugh, Jake Jones, Paul Voegeli
Saves â€" Kyle Cloutier 29

Western New England College Golden Bears
Goals â€" Joe Cassani 3, Adam Cherry 3, Brody Savoie 3, Jon Hayes 2
Assists â€" Adam Cherry 4, Bryan Cofrin 2, Brody Savoie 2, Zack Sondrini
Saves â€" Chris Body 26 (11 goals, 67 minutes 11 seconds), James Ells 0 (1 goal, 23 seconds)