GENEVA – Winning a team three times is the hardest thing to do in a season in any sport. If the Hobart University hockey team is going to hoist the New England Conference trophy for the second year in a row, they will have to do just that.
The Statesmen, ranked No. 1 both nationally and in the conference tournament, will host No. 9 Skidmore Thoroughbreds for the NEHC championship today at 7 p.m.
Hobart (24-2-1) is the No. 7 seed in the tournament and is coming off a 4-1 semifinal victory over the University of Southern Maine, which upset Norwich in the opener. Junior Cooper Swift had two assists for the Statesmen. Sophomore Damon Beaver played the full 60 minutes and made 21 saves. This is Hobart's fifth trip to the league finals in the six years since the Statesmen have been members of the NEHC.
Hobart is led by sophomore Tanner Hartman, who has been a constant source of offense with 17 goals and 25 assists for 42 points. His classmate Ignat Belov is right behind him with 35 points with 16 goals and 19 assists. Hartman ranks sixth in the nation in points per game (1.56), eighth in assists per game (0.96) and 17th in goals per game (0.63). Hartman and Belov are tied for 11th in game-winning goals (4), and freshman Chris Duclair is ninth in power-play goals (7).
Freshman Bauer Morrissey and senior Artem Buzoberia are tied for second on the team with 22 assists each.
Head coach Mark Taylor will be in net for the Beavers again this postseason. He has the edge in playing time in goal for the Statesman. He is 14-1-1, second in the nation in 1.00 GAA, first in save percentage (.961) and first in winning percentage (.906). He also recorded five shutouts.
Hobart entered the conference championship game ranked first in the nation in offensive scoring (5.44), defensive scoring (0.96), scoring margin (+4.48), winning percentage (.907) and penalty kill percentage (.964). Additionally, Hobart ranks fourth in the nation in power play percentage.
The Statesmen have destroyed 80 of their opponents' 83 power-play chances so far this season.
For Skidmore, Kayden Patrick (14g, 14a) and Danny Magnuson (10g, 18a) share the team lead with 28 points. Patrick led Skidmore with 14 goals, while Magnuson was a playmaker with a team-high 18 assists.
Everett Wardle is the third Thoroughbred to score 25 or more points. He has eight goals and 17 assists.
Tate Brandon plays most of his minutes in net for Skidmore. He is 19-4-2 with a 1.66 GAA, .939 save percentage and four shutouts.
Saturday will be the 26th meeting between the Statesmen and Thoroughbreds. Hobart leads the series with a 20-4-1 record, including 12-2 in Geneva.
This will be the third consecutive year that the Statesmen and Thoroughbreds will meet in the NEHC tournament. The teams split their matchups, with Skidmore (3-2 in the semifinals) winning in 2022 and Hobart (1-0 in the semifinals) winning in 2023.
On February 10, the Statesmen defeated the Thoroughbreds 5-1 to close out the regular season. Hartman had two goals and one assist, and his senior, Matthew Wuth, had two helpers to lead Hobart. Beaver made 32 saves in the win.
The third-seeded Thoroughbreds enter the weekend with an overall record of 19-6-2. On Saturday, Skidmore defeated fourth-seeded Elmira 4-1 at Saratoga Springs. Defenseman Jayden York scored twice and Tate Brandon made 23 saves in the win. Skidmore will be making its second trip to the NEHC title game in the past three seasons.
