The Hobart College hockey team moved up one spot to No. 4 in both the USCHO.com poll and the D3hockey.com poll this week.
The Statesmen earned an at-large bid and a first round bye in the NCAA tournament. Hobart will host a quarterfinal game on Saturday, March 19, in The Cooler at 7:30 p.m. The Statesmen will face the winner of the Trinity vs. UMass-Boston first round game which will be played in Hatrford, Conn., on Saturday, March 12.
Tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for students, $3 for children 3-12 and children 2 and under are free. This will be Hobart’s sixth NCAA tournament appearance and second straight. The Statesmen are 21-4-2 this season, tying the record for wins in a season. Hobart is 3-5 all-time in the NCAA tournament, advancing to the semifinals in 2006 and 2009.
The Statesmen earned their second straight and fourth overall ECAC West Tournament title with a 5-0 victory over Utica on Saturday night. Hobart ranks second in the nation on the penalty kill (90.5%), tied for third in team win percentage (.815), fifth in scoring defense (1.85 ga/gm), and tied for sixth in scoring offense (4.11 g/gm).
Senior Brad Robbins (Murrieta, Calif.) leads the team with 32 points and 19 goals. He’s tied for eighth in the nation in goals per game (0.70). Senior Mac Olson (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) is right behind him with 27 points on 13 goals and 14 assists. Senior Ben Gamache (Longlac, Ontario) has dished out a team-high 19 assists and added seven goals for 26 points. He is tied for 12th in Division III with 0.86 assists per game.
Senior Lino Chimienti (Montreal/Quebec) and sophomore Frank Oplinger (Sewickley, Pa.) have split time in goal this season. Chimienti is 11-2-2 in goal and has a 1.68 goals against average and a .947 save percentage. Oplinger is 10-2-0 in goal and is sporting a 1.81 goals against average and a .936 save percentage. Chimienti ranks second in the nation in save percentage, eighth in goals against average and win percentage (.795), while Oplinger is tied for fifth in win percentage (.833), ranks 10th in save percentage and 13th in goals against average.
