The third-ranked Hobart College hockey team will hit the road this weekend, Dec. 6-7, for a pair of New England Hockey Conference contests. On Friday, the Statesmen will take on 15th-ranked New England College at 7 p.m. in Henniker, N.H. On Saturday, Hobart will be in Portland, Maine to take on Southern Maine at 4 p.m.
 
The Statesmen, who were idle last week, are 6-1-1 overall on the season and 3-1-0 in NEHC play. Hobart is first in the nation in scoring margin (+2.88 gpg), sixth in scoring offense (4.62), seventh in scoring defense (1.75), eighth in winning percentage (.812), and 10th in penalty kill (90.3%).
 
Seventeen different skaters have recorded at least a goal and 24 players have at least one point this season. Individually, Hobart is led by senior Lawson MacDougall's 11 points on four goals and seven assists. He shares the team lead in goals with senior Zach Sternbach, junior Alec Robitaille, sophomore Jake Gresh and first-year Brenden Howell. MacDougall shares the team lead in assists with junior Mike Faulkner. Sophomore Joe Halstrom has played every minute in goal for Hobart this season. He is 6-1-1 with a 1.74 goals against average and a .930 save percentage.
 
The Pilgrims broke into the USCHO.com poll for the first time this week. New England College is 6-2-1 overall and 5-1-0 in NEHC play. The Pilgrims are coming off a 2-2 tie with Salem State last weekend. New England College's offense is off to a strong start. The Pilgrims are 10th in scoring offense (4.11), 19th in scoring margin (+1.33), 20th in winning percentage (.722) and 24th in power play percentage 20.9%). Nikita Pintusov leads the team with 14 goals and 16 points. His 1.56 goals per game are best in the nation. Carlos Fonais has a team-high 14 assists. His 1.63 assists per game is tops in the nation. Anthony Pupplo has played a majority of the minutes in goal. He is 5-1-1 with a 2.71 GAA and a .910 save percentage.
 
Friday's game will be the seventh meeting between Hobart and New England College. The Statesmen hold a 4-1-1 edge in the series. The series is deadlocked at 1-1-1 in Hennkier.
 
The Huskies bring a 2-6-1 overall record into the weekend and will host Skidmore on Friday night. Southern Maine is averaging 2.11 goals per game while allowing 3.38. Cody Braga leads the team with seven points on four goals and three assists. Maverick Lynes is right behind him with six points on a team-high five goals. Anthony D'Aloisio has played a majority of the minutes in goal. He is 2-4-1 with a 2.54 GAA and a .917 save percentage.
 
Saturday's game will be the seventh meeting between Hobart and Southern Maine. The Statesmen lead the all-time series 6-0-0, including both games in Portland.