The No. 11/12 Hobart College hockey team edged No. 12/11 Norwich 5-4 tonight in an NEHC game played in Northfield, Vt. The Statesmen extended their unbeaten streak to seven games.
 
Hobart is now 14-5-5 overall and 11-3-3 in conference play. The Cadets fall to 17-6-1 and 13-3-1 in the NEHC. Tonight's game marked the third meeting between the teams this season. The Statesmen hold a 2-0-1 advantage over the Cadets in 2017-18. Hobart's Class of 2018 has now tied the record for most wins by a graduating class with a 76-22-11 four year record.
 
Senior Frank Oplinger made 24 saves in 60 minutes in goal. Oplinger moved into fourth place on the Hobart career saves list, upping his total to 1628. Junior Jonas Toupal notched two assists in the win. Sophomore Will Harrison recorded a goal and an assist. First-year Andrew Longo scored what proved to be the game-winning goal with 6:28 left in regulation.
 
Norwich took a 1-0 lead just 3:49 into the game on a goal by Jordan Hall set up by Alec Brandrup. Harrison evened the score for the Statesmen with 2:45 left in the fist. Senior Andrew Silard earned the assist.
 
Twenty-two seconds into the second, Ryan Lynch gave Hobart a 2-1 lead with a power-play goal on a wrist shot from the blue line after passes from senior Vincent Russo and junior Matt Pizzo. Just 45 seconds later, sophomore Lawson MacDougall extended Hobart's lead scoring off feeds from classmate Julien Denicourt and Toupal. At the 9:32 mark, Kale Kane found the back of the net for Norwich, cutting the Cadet's deficit to one. Carter Cowlthorp and Brandrup set up the play. Just over two minutes later, junior Tanner Shaw gave the Statesmen a 4-2 advantage with a power-play goal on wrist shot into the low right side of the net. Toupal and sophomore Colin Merrill were credited with the assists.
 
Norwich came out strong in the third period with two goals 1:27 apart by Taeron Lewis and Kevin Salvucci. Lewis redirected an initial shot by Jake Erickson through the five-hole of Oplinger to made it 4-3 with his fourth goal of the year.  Salvucci scored on a one-timer blast off a faceoff win by Cowlthorp from the side of the right faceoff circle to tie the game up.
 
However, Hobart answered, taking the lead for good at the 13:31 mark with Longo scoring off a faceoff win by Harrison for the game's final goal. Norwich pulled Tom Aubrun for an extra skater with a little over a minute left, however a penalty forced Aubrun back to the net and the Statesmen held strong for the remainder. Braeden Ostepchuk started and made 12 saves for Norwich. Aubrun came in for the final 27:09 and made 12 saves.
 
The Statesmen finished with a 29-28 advantage in shots. Hobart went 2-for-3 on the power play and killed both of Norwich's power-play chances. Hobart became the first team since 2012-13 and just the second team in Kreitzberg Arena's 20-year history to defeat Norwich twice in the same season on home ice.
 
The Statesmen are back in action tomorrow, Feb. 10, with an NEHC game at Castleton at 7 p.m.