The top-seeded Hobart hockey team begins its quest for a third straight Mariano Cup when it returns to The Cooler this Saturday, March 1, for the first round of the New England Hockey Conference Tournament. The Statesmen will host eighth-seeded Albertus Magnus in a quarterfinal contest. Faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
Tickers for the game are $5. All Hobart and William Smith students, faculty and staff, youth hockey players and Geneva High School students will be admitted free.
 
The Statesmen wrapped up the regular season with a 23-1-1 overall record and an 18-1-1 mark in NEHC play. Hobart earned the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, finishing the year with 56 points, 19 clear of second place Norwich.
 
The Falcons, who are the only team to beat the Statesmen this year, clinched the eighth seed with a win over New England College on the final day of the regular season. Albertus Magnus is 12-12-1 overall with a 9-10-1 mark in conference play. The Falcons have lost five of their last six since beating the Statesmen.
 
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ABOUT THE STATESMEN

• The NEHC Player of the Year, junior Tanner Daniels leads the Statesmen with 15 goals and 19 assists, totaling 34 points.
• Senior captain Luke Aquaro is second on the team with 14 goals and 30 points.
• Juniors Damon Beaver and Mavrick Goyer have split time in net for the Statesmen. Beaver, the NEHC Goaltender of the Year, has a 1.00 GAA, a .955 save percentage, and five shutouts. Goyer has a 0.91 GAA, a .953 save percentage, and six shutouts. They both earned spots on the All-NEHC team.
• Hobart had nine players earn All-NEHC recognition on Thursday.

 
ABOUT THE FALCONS

• All-NEHC third team selection Tyler Ignazzitto leads the Falcons with 20 points on six goals and 14 assists. He scored in both games against Hobart this season.
• Sam Anderson has a team-high 15 assists.
• Chace Hale has played the majority of the minutes in goal for the Falcons. He has a 2.56 GAA and a .919 save percentage. He made a career-high 45 saves in a win against the Statesmen back in January.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• This Saturday will be just the third meeting between the Statesmen and the Falcons.
• The series is tied 1-1-0 with both meetings taking place in New Haven, Connecticut.
• The Falcons are new to the NEHC and in just their sixth year of existence.