The No. 6 Hobart College hockey team dropped an ECAC West game 4-2 to No. 7 Utica College tonight in The Cooler. The Statesmen are now 5-2-1 overall and 4-2-0 in conference play, while the Pioneers improve to 8-0-0 and 6-0-0 in the ECAC West.
 
The Statesmen made it a one-goal game with 8:27 left in the third period on a goal by sophomore Brandon Bistodeau, but the Pioneers registered an empty net goal for the final score. Utica's Shawn Lynch logged the insurance goal with 33 seconds left in the game.
 
The Pioneers built a 3-1 lead in the first period. Just 2:21 into the first, Anthony McVeigh gave Utica a 1-0 lead after passes from Kevin Kirisits and Jarrod Fitzpatrick. First-year Zach Sternbach answered with a goal for Hobart at the 10:11 mark. Sophomore Brandon Bistodeau and senior Connor Simon were credited with the assists.  Just under two minutes later, Roman Ammirato took back the lead with a power-play goal for the Pioneers. McVeigh and Connor Schmidt set up the play. With 4:12 left in the first, Zach Borsoi found the back of the net after passes from Kevin Valenti and Vince Stefan.
 
The second period proved scoreless, but the Statesmen were able to kill off a five-minute major penalty. Hobart even had a chance to score shorthanded but clanged a shot off the post.
 
At 11:33 in the third, Bistodeau cut the Utica lead to one. Senior Carl Belizario and sophomore Jack Macnee earned the assists. The Statesmen pulled sophomore goalie Frank Oplinger for the extra skater with 59 seconds remaining, but Lynch got the empty net goal for Utica to secure the win for the Pioneers.
 
Hobart finished with a 42-33 advantage in shots, out-shooting Utica 16-5 in the third period. The Pioneers were 1-for-5 on the power play, while the Statesmen went 0-for-6.
 
Oplinger finished with 29 saves in goal for Hobart. Henry Dill made 40 saves in 59:57 in goal for Utica.
 
The Statesmen are back in action on Monday, Nov. 28, when they host Cortland for a non-league game at 7 p.m. in The Cooler.