Hobart College sophomore goalie Joe Halstrom was named the New England Hockey Conference Goaltender of the Week by the conference office today. In addition, the Statesmen moved up two spots to No. 2 in the USCHO.com poll.
Halstrom guided the Statesmen to a 2-0-0 overall record against SUNYAC opponents last week. On Friday night, he made 25 saves to lead Hobart past then No. 6 Oswego 4-1 at The Cooler. The next night, he made a career-high 38 saves as the Statesmen defeated Potsdam 2-1. He made 16 stops in the third period as the Bears pushed for the equalizer.
The Statesmen used the weekend sweep to grab their highest ranking in the USCHO.com poll. Hobart’s previous high-water mark was No. 3 in January of 2013. The Statesmen were ranked No. 2 in the D3hockey.com poll back in 2013.
Through eight games, the Statesmen are ranked among the nation’s best in scoring offense (4th, 4.62), scoring defense (10th, 1.75 gpg), scoring margin (2nd, +2.88 gpg) and winning percentage (10th, .812). Senior Lawson MacDougall leads the team with four goals and seven assists for 11 points. MacDougall is tied for the team lead in assists with junior Mike Faulkner. Five Statesmen share the team lead with four goals.
After a break for Thanksgiving, Hobart will return to the ice Dec. 6-7 for a pair of NEHC games. The Statesmen will be at New England College on Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. and Southern Maine on Dec. 7 at 4 p.m.
