The Hobart College hockey team used a four-goal second period and a three-goal third period to secure a 7-2 victory over Nazareth in an ECAC West game played tonight at the Golden Flyers' Bill Gray's Regional Iceplex.
 
The No. 3/5 Statesmen extended their unbeaten streak to 12 games. Hobart is now 15-2-3 overall and 7-2-0 in the ECAC West. Nazareth falls to 6-13-2 and 5-5-0 in conference play. First-year Zach Sternbach and sophomore Jonas Toupal led the way for the Statesmen with three points each. Sternbach tallied two goals and an assist, while Toupal dished out three assists.
 
Senior Connor Simon and junior Tyler Wolf both registered two assists in the win. Senior Bobby Sokol, first-year Lawson MacDougall, and senior Carl Belizario each notched a goal and an assist. Junior Frank Oplinger played all 60 minutes in goal for the Statesmen and made 23 saves. He improves to 6-2-1 this season.
 
Hobart posted a 23-11 advantage in shots in the first period, but it was Nazareth that scored first. C.J. Murray gave the Golden Flyers a 1-0 lead 6:28 in after passes from Owen Kuhns and Marcus Moles.
 
The Statesmen rallied in the second period, scoring two goals in the opening 1:51. MacDougall found the back of the net first at 1:37, with Simon and Belizario earning the assists.  It was his fourth goal this year. Just 14 seconds later, Sternbach gave Hobart is first lead. Toupal and Simon were credited with the assists. At 6:15, Dominik Gabaj tied things up for Nazareth at 2-2. Justin LaCorte and Oliver Janzen notched assists on the play.
 
The Statesmen then took control and closed out the game scoring five straight goals. At 8:03 first-year Colin Merrill scored his first collegiate goal to make it 3-2 after an assist from Sternbach. Sokol registered his 10th goal of the season after a pass from Wolf with 1:04 left in the second period.
 
Belizario opened the third period with his third goal of the year, a power-play tally, at 6:11. MacDougall and Toupal notched the assists. Bingaman made it 6-2 just under a minute later. Wolf and Sokol set up his team-leading 15th goal. Sternbach closed out the scoring with his eighth goal of the season at 12:02. Senior Jon Neal and Toupal picked up the assists.
 
Hobart went 1-for-6 on the power play and killed off all three of Nazareth's power-play attempts. The Statesmen finished with a 49-25 advantage in shots. Brandon Lane started the game in goal for Nazareth and made 36 stops. Michael Tilford came in for 12:39 and made six saves.
 
Hobart will be back in action tomorrow, Feb. 4, with an ECAC West game at Utica at 7 p.m.