The Hobart College ice hockey team is the top seed in the ECAC West tournament and will host No. 4 seed Neumann on Saturday, Feb. 27 in The Cooler at 7:30 p.m. The Statesmen earned a bye to the semifinals and the Knights topped No. 5 seed Nazareth 2-1 on Wednesday night.
The other tournament semifinal will feature No. 2 Manhattanville and No. 3 Utica. The Valiants also earned a first round bye, and the Pioneers defeated No. 6 seed Elmira 3-2 in their first round game.
Tickets to Saturday’s game will be $5 for adults, $3 for students and children 12 and under. HWS students and staff will be admitted free with ID.
The Statesmen bring a 19-4-2 overall record into the postseason. Neumann and Hobart met three times during the regular season, and the Statesmen held a 2-1 advantage in the series. The Statesmen and the Knights rank first and second, respectively in the league in scoring offense. Hobart is averaging 4.12 goals per game, while Neumann is netting 3.54 goals per game. The Statesmen also lead the conference in scoring defense (2.00 ga/gm). The Knights lead the ECAC West on the power play (24.7%), while the Statesmen rank second in the league on the penalty kill (90.1%).
Senior Brad Robbins (Murrieta, Calif.) leads Hobart with 29 points and 16 goals. Senior Ben Gamache (Longlac, Ontario) has dished out a team-high 18 assists and added seven goals for 25 points. Senior Lino Chimienti (Montreal, Quebec) and sophomore Frank Oplinger (Sewickley, Pa.) have split time in goal. Chimienti is sporting a 1.81 goals against average and a .943 save percentage. He’s 10-2-2 this year. Oplinger has posted a 1.97 goals against average and a .931 save percentage. He has a 9-2-0 record this season.
Neumann brings a 15-8-3 overall record to Geneva. Mike Davis leads the Knights with 33 points and 20 goals. Shayne Morrissey has posted a team-high 18 assists and eight goals for 26 points. Mitch Wiebe has played the majority of minutes in goal. He’s sporting a 2.37 goals against average, a .940 save percentage and a 7-5-3 record.
Fans unable to make it to The Cooler can follow the action online with Live Stats and All-Access Video.
