The sixth-ranked Hobart College ice hockey team will hit the road this weekend, Jan. 28-29, for a pair of New England Hockey Conference contests. On Friday, the Statesmen will be in Attleboro, Massachusetts to take on Johnson & Wales at 7 p.m. The next day, Hobart will be in Boston to take on UMass Boston at 4 p.m.
 
The Statesmen are 13-4-1 overall this season with an 8-2-1 record in NEHC play. Hobart is coming off a weekend split with Elmira. The Statesmen lead the conference with 24 points, one ahead of the Beacons. The regular season title race is heating up as the top six teams in the conference are separated by a mere four points.  
 
Hobart enters the weekend ranked in the top 10 in the nation in scoring offense (4th, 4.72 gpg), assists (4th,151) points (4th 236), scoring margin (5th, 2.56) and winning percentage (9th, .750). The Statesmen are also 17th in power play percentage (.247) and 19th in scoring defense.
 
Hobart is led by Luke Aquaro who has 20 points on 10 goals and 10 assists. He has a point in 11 of the last 12 games. Aaron Maguyon leads the Statesmen with 12 goals and Cooper Swift has a team-best 13 assists. Maguyon is fifth in the nation in game-winning goals (3) and seventh in power-play goals (5).
 
Liam Lascelle and Joe Halstrom have split time in goal this season. Lascelle is 7-3-0 with a 2.12 goals against average and a .917 save percentage. Halstrom is 5-1-1 with a 2.32 GAA and a .901 save percentage.
 
The Wildcats are 4-15-0 with a 2-10-0 mark in conference play. Johnson and Wales has lost six straight games and is ninth in the conference standings with five points. Kodi Legassie leads the team with 10 points on six goals and four assists. Four players are right behind him with nine points. Jacob Perrin and Jaxon Friedman have split time in goal. Perrin is 1-8-0 with a 5.99 GAA and a .873 save percentage. Friedman is 3-6-0 with a 4.25 GAA and a .866 save percentage.
 
Friday's game will be the sixth meeting between the Statesmen and the Wildcats. Hobart leads the all-time series 5-0-0, including a 12-1 win at The Cooler earlier this season.
 
Johnson & Wales is asking spectators to be fully vaccinated (including updated booster if available) when attending any indoor athletic event. In addition, masks are required indoors at all times and a safe distance of at least three feet should be maintained between you and other parties during the event. Fans who cannot make the trip to The New England Sports Village can follow all the action with stats and video through the Wildcats' athletic website.
 
UMass Boston brings an 11-7-1 overall record and a 7-4-1 conference mark into the weekend. The Beacons will host Elmira on Friday night at the Edward T. Barry Ice Rink. Chris Peters leads the team with 27 points on eight goals and 19 assists. Ethan Nitkin is right behind him with 24 points on 12 goals and 12 assists. Sam Best has played a majority of the minutes in goal this season. He is 9-3-1 with a 2.73 GAA and a .907 save percentage.
 
Saturday's game will be the 15th meeting between the Statesmen and Beacons. The series is deadlocked 6-6-2 with the Beacons holding a 4-2-0 record in Boston. On Nov. 19 at The Cooler, Hobart scored five goals in the second period as the Statesmen rallied for an 8-4 win.
 
Per UMass Boston's event and visitor guidance, no spectators will be allowed at the Edward T. Barry Ice Rink. Fans can follow all the action with stats and video provided by beaconsathletics.com.