The Hobart College hockey team moved up two spots to No. 3 in this week’s D3hockey.com poll and three spots to No. 6 in the USCHO.com poll. This marks the first time the Statesmen are ranked in the top three in either poll since the 2012-13 season.
Hobart is currently 10-2-2 overall and sits in first place in the ECAC West with a 5-1-0 record. The Statesmen, who are on a six-game unbeaten streak, received a bump in the polls after the offense exploded for 16 goals in two games this past weekend. Hobart scored seven goals against then No. 4/8 Geneseo and then potted nine the next night against Brockport. The nine goals against the Golden Eagles were the most by a Statesmen team since they hung 10 on Salve Regina in October of 2012. Senior Ben Gamache posted a team-high seven points (1g, 6a), while junior Nick Bingaman posted six points (3g, 3a), and junior Bobby Sokol collected five points (2g, 3a) to lead the Statesmen.
Hobart currently leads the ECAC West and is ninth in the nation in scoring defense (2.00 G/GM) and is third in the conference and 10th in the nation in scoring offense (4.07 G/GM). The Statesmen also have the nation’s 12th best penalty kill. Hobart has killed off 89.2 percent of its opponent’s power-play opportunities and have scored three short-handed goals this season, including two over the weekend.
Gamache earned a spot on the ECAC Men’s West Weekly Honor Roll after his seven-point performance this weekend. Against Brockport, Gamache tied a Hobart game record with four assists. He leads the team and the ECAC West with 14 assists and is fourth in the nation in assists per game (1.08). Gamache is tied for second on the team and fifth in the conference with 16 points through 14 games.
Sophomore Frank Oplinger also earned a spot on the weekly honor roll after collecting his first two wins of the season. He posted a .921 save percentage stopping 35 of the 38 shots he faced. After allowing a first period goal to the Knights on Friday, Oplinger slammed the door making 16 saves. He made 19 stops against Brockport the next day. Oplinger currently has a 2.71 goals against average and a .885 save percentage.
Hobart will conclude the non-conference portion of its schedule this weekend when it travels to Oak Bluffs, Mass., for the 2016 Vineyard Classic. On Friday, Jan. 15, the Statesmen will face off against Curry at 7:30 p.m. The following day, Hobart will square off against Salve Regina, which is receiving votes in the latest D3hockey.com poll, at 5 p.m.
