For the fourth straight week, the Hobart College hockey team is ranked 12th in both the USCHO.com and D3hockey.com polls. The Statesmen will hit the road for a pair of New England Hockey Conference matchups this weekend.
 
Hobart will be back in Boston on Friday, Dec. 7, when it takes on Suffolk. Faceoff against the Rams is scheduled for 7 p.m. On Saturday, Dec. 8, the Statesmen will take on Johnson and Wales in Providence, R.I. Faceoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
Hobart was 1-1-0 in the Boston area last week. The Statesmen were edged by then No. 9 UMass Boston 4-2 on Friday night. Junior Will Harrison and senior Jonas Toupal scored for Hobart. Junior Alexander Connal made 32 saves in goal. The Statesmen bounced back with a 6-3 win over Babson on Saturday. Six different players scored in the win. First-year Liam Lascelle made 20 saves as he improved to 3-0-0 in his career.
 
Entering the weekend, Toupal leads the team with nine goals and seven assists for 16 points. Junior Zach Sternbach has a team-high eight assists. Entering the weekend, Toupal leads the NEHC with 16 points. He is 11th in the nation averaging 1.78 points per game. His nine goals are also the most in the conference this year.  The Statesmen are 10th in the nation in scoring offense (4.00 gpg). Connal has seen a majority of the minutes in goal for this season. He is 2-3-0 in his five starts with a 3.04 goals against average and a .898 save percentage. Lascelle is 3-0-0 in his three starts, posting a 2.00 GAA and a .933 save percentage.
 
Suffolk enters the weekend with a 3-6-0 overall record and a 1-5-0 mark in conference play. The Rams are coming off a 1-0 win over then No. 13 Norwich on Saturday. Suffolk is led offensively by Jack Kelly who has four goals and three assists for seven points. Mikhail Bryan is right behind him with six points on two goals and four assists. Michael Levine has played a majority of the minutes between the pipes for Suffolk. He is 3-5-0 with a 2.56 GAA and a .922 save percentage.
 
The Wildcats are 3-5-2 overall and 1-4-1 in the NEHC entering this weekend's action. Johnson and Wales will host Skidmore on Friday evening. Connor Bechtel leads the team with nine points on five goals and four assists. Matt Bernot is one of three players with five points. He has a team-best two game-winning goals. Mike Rockwelll has played most of the minutes in goal. He is 1-4-2 with a 3.48 GAA and a .898 save percentage.
 
This weekend will be Hobart's first meeting with the Rams and the Wildcats. Suffolk and Johnson and Wales joined the NEHC this season.