Box Score Box Score

ELMIRA, N.Y.—The Hobart hockey team fell 5-3 to host No. 11 Elmira in an ECAC West game played tonight. The Statesmen are now 2-4-0 overall and 1-3-0 in conference play.

The Soaring Eagles improved to 4-2-0 and 4-0-0 in the ECAC West. Jesper Strale led Elmira with two goals and an assist. First-years Tommaso Traversa and Terrence O'Neill led Hobart each recording a goal and an assist.

Junior Nick Broadwater finished with 30 saves in goal for the Statesmen. Ryan deMelo stopped 29 shots for the Soaring Eagles.

Just 4:15 into the opening period, Colin Hoey put the Soaring Eagles on the scoreboard. Strale and Kevin Willer earned the assists. The Statesmen answered at 11:26. O'Neill collected a pass from classmate Traversa and tied the game at one. It was O'Neill's second goal this season.  Just eight seconds before the first break, Strale put Elmira up 2-1. This time Hoey set up the play.

Strale took a pass from Wes Consorti and struck again 1:35 into the second period. Eric David capitalized on a power play at 14:09 in the second stanza to make it 4-1. Michael Kirby logged the assist.

With 3:09 left in in the second, Traversa scored his second goal of the year to cut the Hobart deficit to two. Sophomore Tommy Fiorentino and first-year Bronson Kovacs were credited with the assists.

The Soaring Eagles came out strong again in the final period. At 3:54 Brendan Sanders put Elmira back up by three. He took a pass from Rick Acorn and then found the back of the net to make it 5-2.

At 9:17 senior Greg Ciciola recorded his second goal of the season to get Hobart back within two. O'Neill and junior Frank Salituro tallied the assists. Hobart pulled Broadwater with 37 seconds remaining. After an Elmira penalty, the Statesmen earned a power play with 30 seconds left. deMelo came up with three saves in the final seconds of the game.

Elmira held a slight 35-32 edge in shots. Both Hobart and Elmira were 1-for-4 on the power play.

The Statesmen will be back in action when they travel to take on Babson in the 2011 Cape Cod Lighthouse College Hockey Invitational Tournament on Nov. 26 at 5 p.m.