The top-ranked Hobart hockey team hits the road this weekend, Feb. 2-3, as it heads east for two New England Hockey Conference showdowns. On Friday night, the Statesmen head to Attleboro, Massachusetts, to take on Johnson & Wales at 7 p.m. at the New England Sports Village. The following day Hobart will face UMass Boston at the Edward T. Barry Rink. Puck drop is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
The Statesman enter this weekend with an overall record of 18-2-1 and 12-1-1 mark in conference play. Hobart is first in the NEHC with 37 points. This past weekend the Statesmen swept third-ranked Elmira, by a combined score of 12-2. On Friday Hobart defeated the Soaring Eagles in Elmira 7-2. Seven different Statesmen scored in the win and sophomore Damon Beaver made 20 saves for the win. Saturday, sophomore Mavrick Goyer earned his sixth shutout of the season when Hobart beat Elmira 5-0. 
 
The Wildcats are 5-14-2 overall with a 2-11-1 record in NEHC play.  Johnson and Wales is ninth in the standings with eight points. The Wildcats are looking to bounce back from losses to Southern Maine and Babson.
 
The Beacons are 8-11-2, and 6-8-0 in league play. UMass Boston is currently sixth in the NEHC standings with 26 points. The BeBeacons will take on Elmira on Friday.
 
COVERAGE

• FRIDAY:  Live Stats / Video
• SATURDAY:  Live Stats / Video

 
 
ABOUT THE STATESMEN

• Sophomore Tanner Hartman leads the Statesmen with 30 points and 17 assists. He is tied for the team lead in goals with junior Luke Aquaro.
• Sophomore Ignat Belov is second on the team with 26 points on 12 goals and 14 assists.
• Seniors Jonah Alexander and Artem Buzoverya and first-year Bauer Morrissey have 16 assists each.
• Beaver and Goyer have split time in net for the Statesmen. Beaver has a 0.99 GAA and .961 save percentage. Goyer has a 0.50 GAA and .969 save percentage. 

 
NATIONAL NUMBERS

• Hobart is first in the nation in scoring offense (5.38), scoring defense (0.81), scoring margin (+4.57), goals (113), assists (198) and points (311). The Statesmen also have the nation's best penalty-killing percentage (.985). Hobart has allowed just one power-play goal this season.
• Hobart is second in the nation winning percentage (.881) and third in power-play percentage (.310).

 
ABOUT THE WILDCATS

• Brendan Doyle leads Johnson & Wales and the NEHC with 16 goals. He also leads the team with 24 points.
• Brendan Shandley has a team-high 14 assists and is second with 20 points.
• Three goalies have played eight games in goal for Johnson & Wales. Jacob Perrin has the best numbers with a 2-5-0 record, with a 4.19 GAA and a .903 save percentage.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• Friday will be the 10th meeting between the Statesmen and the Wildcats.
• Hobart leads the all-time series 9-0-0, including 4-0-0 mark in Attleboro.
• On Dec. 2, 2023, the Statesmen shutout the Wildcats 8-0. Hartman scored four times, Cooper Swift had three assists, and Goyer stopped all 26 shots as he earned the shutout.

 
ABOUT THE BEACONS

• Jude Kurtas leads UMass Boston with 12 points on six goals and six assists.
• Conor Foley, who also has six assists, is second on the team with 11 points.
• Sam Best has the edge in goalie minutes played for the Beacons. He has a 2.88 GAA and a .915 save percentage.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• Saturday will be the 19th meeting between the Statesmen and the Beacons. 
• Hobart leads the series 9-6-3, but UMass Boston holds a 4-3-1 edge in Boston.
• On Dec. 1, 2023, the Statesmen defeated the Beacons 6-1. Hartman factored into all six goals, finishing the game with five assists and six points. Damon Beaver made 22 saves.