The Hobart College hockey team will play at top-seeded Utica on Saturday, March 4 at 1 p.m. for the ECAC West tournament title. The Statesmen are ranked No. 6 in this week's D3hockey.com poll and came in at No. 7 in the USCHO.com poll.
 
Tickets for the game are $8 for adults, $4 for students with valid college ID or children 18 and under. Tickets are currently available online (www.empirestatetix.com) and at the Utica Memorial Auditorium Box Office.
 
The Statesmen, the tournament's No. 3 seed, earned a spot in the championship game with their 6-2 win over No. 2 Manhattanville in the semifinals. Utica earned its spot in the final with a 4-3 win over No. 5 Neumann.
 
Hobart (19-4-4) is the two-time defending ECAC West tournament champion and is seeking its fifth tournament title in program history. Senior Nick Bingaman leads the team with 28 points and 18 goals. Junior goaltender Frank Oplinger has played the most minutes. He's sporting a .921 save percentage, a 2.46 goals against average and a 10-4-2 record.
 
The championship game will be the third meeting between Hobart and Utica this year. On Nov. 19, the Pioneers won 4-2 in The Cooler, and on Feb. 4, Utica came from behind for a 3-2 win in the Aud.
 
Utica brings an 18-8-0 overall record into Saturday's game and is seeking its first conference title. Roman Ammirato leads the team with 35 points on 12 goals and 23 assists. Patrik Virtanen has played the majority of minutes in goal. He has a 2.44 goals against average, a .919 save percentage and a 13-5-0 record.
 
Fans unable to make it to the game can follow the action online with Live Stats and Video through Utica's athletics site.