The top-ranked Hobart College ice hockey team begins a four-game road trip this weekend, Jan. 6-7 when it returns to New England Hockey Conference play at New England College and 10th-ranked Norwich. The Statesmen will take on the Pilgrims Friday at 7 p.m. and the Cadets Saturday at 4 p.m.
 
Hobart wrapped up the first half of its schedule with a 13-0-0 overall record and a 6-0-0 mark in conference play. The Statesmen are first in the NEHC. It is the longest winning streak and matches the longest unbeaten streak in program history. Hobart concluded 2022 with a pair of 2-1 victories last weekend over then No. 14 Colby and Salve Regina. The Statesmen jumped out to a 2-0 lead and held on to beat the Mules Friday evening and needed overtime to beat the Seahawks Saturday afternoon.
 
New England College is 7-6-0 overall and has been idle since Dec. 10, a 6-3 loss to Plymouth State. The Pilgrims are 4-3-0 in NEHC play and are fifth in the conference standings. Norwich is 9-3-1 overall and is looking to bounce back from a 3-1 loss to Curry Saturday. The Cadets are 5-1-1 in conference play and are second in the conference.
 
Fans unable to make the trip can follow all the action online with live stats and video. Friday's game will be carried on athletics.nec.edu and Saturday's game will be covered by norwichathletics.com.
 
ABOUT THE STATESMEN

• Junior forward Jonah Alexander leads the team with 18 points on eight goals and 10 assists. He is tied with sophomore forward Shane Shell for the team lead in assists.
• Sophomore forward Luke Aquaro is right behind Alexander with 17 points. He leads Hobart with nine goals.
• First-year Damon Beaver and Mavrick Goyer have split time in goal this season, combining for a nation's best 1.00 GAA.  Beaver is 7-0-0 with a 0.71 GAA and a .969 save percentage. Goyer is 6-0-0 with a 1.33 GAA and a .931 save percentage.
• The Statesmen are one of just two teams in all of college hockey to not have a blemish on their record heading into the weekend.

 
ABOUT THE PILGRIMS

• Anthony Cinato leads NEC with 12 points on five goals and seven assists.
• Alex LaPlante is right behind him with 11 points on seven goals and four assists.
• Andrew Kormos and Spencer Kozlowski have split time in goal this season. Kormos is 4-3-0 with a .949 save percentage and a 2.16 GAA. Kozlowski is 3-3-0 with a .912 save percentage and a 3.52 GAA.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• Friday's game will be the 12th meeting between Hobart and New England College. The Statesmen hold an 8-2-1 lead in the series, including four straight victories.
• The series is tied 2-2-1 in Henniker, New Hampshire.
• On Feb. 11, Hobart rallied from a 4-1 deficit after 20 minutes to knock off the Pilgrims 8-5. Fifteen Statesmen recorded a point in the victory.

 
ABOUT THE CADETS

• Norwich will host Elmira on Friday.
• Clark Kerner leads Norwich with 11 points on seven goals and four assists.
• Phillip Elgstam (5g, 5a) and Patrick O'Neal (1g, 9a) are right behind him with 10 points each.
• Drennen Atherton has played a majority of the minutes in goal. He is 8-3-0 with a 1.56 GAA and a .937 save percentage.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• Saturday's game will be the 15th meeting between Hobart and Norwich. The Cadets hold a 7-6-1 edge in the series, but the Statesmen won both of last year's meetings.
• The series is tied 5-5-0 in Northfield, Vermont.
• Hobart concluded the 2021-22 regular season with a 2-0 victory over Norwich at Kreitzberg Arena. Liam Lascelle '22 stopped all 23 shots he faced in the shutout.