The No. 5 Hobart College hockey team scored all four of its goals in the second period to defeat Manhattanville 4-2 in an ECAC West game played in the Valiants' Playland Ice Casino tonight. With the win, the Statesmen clinched the ECAC West regular season title.
 
It's the fourth time in program history and second year in a row that Hobart has earned the conference regular season title. The Statesmen are now 18-4-2 overall and 11-3-0 in the ECAC West. The Valiants are 11-11-1 and 7-6-0 in conference play.
 
Junior Carl Belizario led Hobart with two goals. Sophomore Tyler Wolf added a goal and an assist and first-year Jonas Toupal chipped in two assists. Sophomore goaltender Frank Oplinger played all 60 minutes and finished with 22 saves.
 
After a scoreless first period, first-year Trevor Poirier put the Statesmen on the scoreboard just 58 seconds into the second. He scored top shelf on the power play and immediately after a faceoff won by classmate Brandon Bistodeau. At 5:04, a one-timer by Belizario with Hobart on the power play made it 2-0. Wolf and Toupal set up the goal.
 
Just under three minutes later, Charlie Ryde cut the Manhattanville deficit to one with a power-play goal after passes from Stephen Gaul and Nolan Marshall. However, Hobart closed out the middle period with two more goals to take a 4-1 lead into the second intermission. Wolf scored off an assist from junior Nick Bingaman with 2:27 on the clock, and with 32 seconds left in the period, Belizario notched another power-play goal. This time Toupal and junior Bobby Sokol logged the assists.
 
Just 58 seconds into the final period, Nigel Slade produced a short-handed goal for the Valiants, but that was as close as Manhattanville would get. The Valiants pulled their goaltender, Tyler Feaver, for an extra skater for the final 2:11, but were unable to capitalize. Feaver finished with 33 saves.
 
The Statesmen went 3-for-8 on the power play, while the Valiants were 1-for-4. Hobart registered a 37-24 advantage in shots.
 
The Statesmen will host Elmira for an ECAC West contest and their final game of the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. in The Cooler.