The top-ranked Hobart College hockey team starts the 2024 portion of its schedule this weekend, Jan. 5-6, when it begins a four-game road trip. On Friday, the Statesmen head to Saratoga Springs, New York, to face 10th-ranked Skidmore College at 7 p.m. The next day Hobart will take on Vermont State Castleton in Rutland. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.
The Statesmen enter the second half of the season with an 11-2-0 overall record. Hobart is 5-1-0 in New England Hockey Conference play and is second in the standings with 15 points, one behind the Thoroughbreds. On New Year's Eve, Hobart extended its winning streak to seven games, defeating Middlebury College 8-1. Sophomores
Tanner Daniels and
Tanner Hartman each scored twice. Classmate
Kahlil Fontana had four assists. Sophomore goalie
Damon Beaver made 29 saves in 60 minutes of work.
The Thoroughbreds are 9-1-2 overall on the season with a 5-0-1 mark in NEHC play. Skidmore has been idle since Dec. 8 when Geneseo handed the Thoroughbreds their first loss of the season. The Knights won 5-2 snapping Skidmore's 11-game unbeaten streak.
The Spartans enter the weekend 5-8-0, including a 2-4-0 mark in league play. Castleton will take on third-ranked Elmira on Friday at 7 p.m.
MEDIA COVERAGE
ABOUT THE STATESMEN
- Hartman leads the Statesmen with 12 goals, 10 assists and 22 points.
- Sophomore Ignat Belov is second on the team with 14 points on six goals and eight assists.
- First-year Chris Duclair is second on the team with 10 goals.
- Beaver has played a majority of the time in net for the Statesmen. He has a GAA of 0.75 and a save percentage of .969 with four shutouts.
NATIONAL NUMBERS
- Hartman enters the weekend ranked fourth in the nation in goals per game (0.92) and sixth in points per game (1.69). He is third with three game-winning goals.
- Duclair is third in the nation in power-play goals (6) and is eighth in goals per game (0.83).
- Beaver is first in GAA and shutouts and is second in save percentage.
- Defensively, the Statesmen are first in the nation in GAA (0.77), having allowed a mere 10 goals. Hobart's penalty kill unit is 36 – for – 36 in killing off power-play opportunities, one of just two teams in all of college hockey to have not allowed a power-play goal.
- Offensively, the Statesmen are first in the nation in scoring margin (+4.15) and second in scoring offense (4.92).
ABOUT THE THOROUGHBREDS
- Skidmore is third in the nation in scoring margin (2.75), fourth in scoring defense (1.58), and sixth in scoring offense (4.33).
- The Thoroughbreds are led by Kaeden Patric, who has nine goals and 17 points.
- Everett Wardell is second on the team with 16 points, including a team-leading 10 assists.
- Tate Brandon has played a majority of the minutes in goal. He is 9-1-2 with a 1.52 GAA, a .945 save percentage and three shutouts. Brandon is second in the nation with three shutouts, fifth in GAA and ninth in save percentage and winning percentage.
SERIES HISTORY
- Friday's game will be the 24th meeting between the Statesmen and the Thoroughbreds.
- Hobart leads the series 18-4-1, including a 7-1-1 mark in Saratoga Springs.
- In the last meeting, the Statesmen defeated the Thoroughbreds 1-0 in the semifinals of the NEHC Tournament. Zach Tyson '22, MSM '23 had the lone goal. Beaver stopped all 26 shots he faced.
ABOUT THE SPARTANS
- Andrew Stefura leads Castleton with eight goals and 17 points.
- Bryce Irwin leads the Spartans with 11 assists and is tied for the team lead with 17 points
- Dominic Rodrigue has the edge in minutes played in the Spartan goal. He has a GAA of 3.85 and a save percentage of .888.
SERIES HISTORY
- Saturday's game will be the 13th time that the Statesmen take on the Spartans.
- Hobart leads the series 12-0-0, including last season's 7-3 come from behind victory in the quarterfinals of the NEHC Tournament.
