The No. 15 Hobart College hockey team scored an extra-man goal in the final minute, but dropped a non-league game to Potsdam 5-4 tonight in Potsdam, New York.
The Statesmen are now 1-1 this season, and the Bears (1-1) picked up their first win of the season. Senior Bronson Kovacs (Sault Ste Marie, Ontario) and junior Ben Gamache (Longlac, Ontario) led Hobart with a goal and an assist each. Kenny Simon logged three assists for Potsdam, and goalie Jon Hall played all 60 minutes and finished with 53 saves.
Junior Mac Olson (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) put Hobart on the scoreboard 8:01 into the game. His second goal of the season came off an assist from Kovacs. With 1:43 left in the opening period, Nick Casacci evened the score for Potsdam. Simon earned the assist.
There were five goals scored in the second period. Just 36 seconds in, Vander Esch gave the Bears a 2-1 lead after a pass from Todd Thomas. But 2:33 later, junior Bo Webster (Aurora, Ontario) tied things up at 2-2 for the Statesmen. First-years Jordan Haskell (Stansbury Park, Utah) and Kevin Loppatto (Alpharetta, Ga.) notched their first collegiate points, assisting on the play. At seven minutes into the second, Kovacs capitalized on a power play to give Hobart a 3-2 lead. Senior Ryan Michel (Camillus, N.Y.) and Gamache set up the goal. At 9:51, the Bears tied up the game for the third time. This time it was on a goal by Dan McCamey and Simon with the assist. With 3:35left in the second, Billy Pascalli logged an unassisted goal to five the Bears a 4-3 advantage.
With 4:38 left in the third, Max Fogel stretched Potsdam’s lead to 5-3. Simon earned the assist. In the final minutes, the Statesmen pulled junior goalie Lino Chimienti (Dorval, Quebec) for an extra attacker. Gamache scored with 40 seconds remaining to make it 5-4, but that was as close as Hobart could get.
Chimienti finished with 16 saves in 58:30 in goal. The Statesmen finished with a 57-21 advantage in shots. Hobart went 1-for-9 on the power play and killed all three of the Bears’ power play attempts.
The Statesmen will be back in action on Friday, Nov. 7, when they travel to take on Manhattanville in their ECAC West opener at 7 p.m.
