The eighth-ranked Hobart College hockey team defeated Buffalo State 5-3 tonight at The Cooler. The Statesmen improved to 1-1-0 overall, while the Bengals fell to 1-3-0 on the season.

Senior defenseman Mike Steiner (Shaker Heights, Ohio), senior forward Jason Merritt (Chapel Hill, N.C.), and junior forward Nick DeCroo (Sarver, Pa.) each recorded a goal and an assist to lead Hobart, while junior center Bobby Cahill (Farmington Hills, Mich.) added three helpers.

Steiner put the Statesmen on the board 5 minutes, 39 seconds into the game, with a shorthanded goal on a Cahill assist. Less than four minutes later, junior forward Aleksey Koval (Kiev, Ukraine) gave Hobart a 2-0 advantage after finishing off a power play. Steiner and sophomore forward Matt Wallace (Skaneateles, N.Y.) assisted.

The Bengals struck seven minutes into the second stanza. Tyler Soehner and Kerry Barchan set up Nick Petriello to make the score 2-1.

DeCroo and sophomore forward Christopher Bower (Chevy Chase, Md.) answered with goals in the ninth and 11th minutes, respectively, to give the Statesmen a commanding 4-1 lead. DeCroo was assisted by Merritt and Cahill, while Bower's eventual game-winner was set up by Cahill and DeCroo.

Buffalo State capitalized on two power play opportunities to cut its deficit to 4-3. The first came in the 15th minute of the second period, thanks to Joe Curry, Jason Hill, and Ryan Ramage. The second power play tally was scored in the fourth minute of the third period, by Barchan. Petriello and Joel Sheppard assisted.

Merritt and Wallace connected for an insurance tally for the Statesmen at 6:05, and the Bengals would get no closer.

Hobart senior goalie Keith Longo (Hopedale, Mass.) picked up 27 saves, while Buffalo State goaltender Zach Grasley collected 32 stops. The Statesmen out shot the Bengals 37-30.

Hobart will be back in action on Oct. 28, when it hosts Cortland State for a non-league contest at 7 p.m.