GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart College ice hockey team scored the first four goals of the game and held on to defeat Cortland 4-2 in a non-league game played tonight in The Cooler. The Statesmen are now 6-2-1 this season, while the Red Dragons fall to 3-5-0.
 
First-year Alexander Connal improved to 3-0-0 this season making 20 saves in all 60 minutes in goal for Hobart. Junior Jordan Haskell led the Statesmen with a goal and an assist. Four different Statesmen scored a goal and nine earned a point in the win.
 
Midway through the first period, senior Nick Bingaman gave Hobart a 1-0 lead. Senior Carl Belizario started the play pushing the puck out of Hobart's defensive zone to classmate Bobby Sokol who carried the puck across the blue line. He found Bingaman who faked the Cortland goalie and scored his sixth goal this season. With 4:55 left in the first, sophomore Matt Pizzo fired a shot from the blue line that found the back of the net after a faceoff win by classmate Brandon Bistodeau. It was Pizzo's second goal this season.
 
Just 3:38 into the second, junior Andrew Silard stretched the Statesmen lead to 3-0 with his second goal this year after passes from sophomore Tanner Shaw and Haskell. Haskell posted his second goal this year with 6:04 left in the second. He took a pass from senior Jon Neal and slid his shot from right in front, under the Red Dragon goalie's pads.
 
With 5:44 left in the second, Darren McCormick put Cortland on the board. Dougie Elgstam and Sean Perichak earned the assists. Nico Gonzalez capitalized on a 4-on-2 break out with 2:44 left in the middle period to cut the Red Dragon deficit to two, but that proved to be as close as they could get as neither team scored in the third period. Wilson Vershay and Tommy Nolan were credited with the assists on Cortland's second goal.
 
Drew Weigman played all 60 minutes in net for the Red Dragons and made 41 saves. Hobart held a 45-22 advantage in shots. The Statesmen were 0-for-4 on the power play and killed the Red Dragons' two power-play attempts.
 
Hobart will be back in action on Friday, Dec. 2, when they travel to take on Skidmore in a non-league game at 7 p.m.