The Hobart College hockey team earned a spot in the ECAC West semifinals by way of a 2-1 victory over Nazareth on Wednesday night. The Statesmen will face Elmira on Saturday, March 1 at 7 p.m. in Pine Valley, N.Y., for a spot in the conference championship game.
Hobart brings a 14-8-4 record into Saturday’s game as the tournament’s No. 3 seed. Elmira is 14-10-1 overall and is the No. 2 seed, which earned the Soaring Eagles a bye into the semifinals.
Saturday’s game will mark the fourth meeting this season, and the third in the last nine days, between Hobart and Elmira. The Statesmen lead the season series 2-1-0 thanks to two overtime wins at the Soaring Eagles’ Murray Athletic Center last weekend. Elmira came out on top in the first meeting, scoring three third period goals for a 5-3 win on Feb. 8, in The Cooler.
Hobart is led in scoring by sophomore Mac Olson (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) who has posted 27 points on 15 goals and 12 assists. Sophomore Ben Gamache (Longlac, Ontario) is right behind him with 25 points on 10 goals and 15 assists. Sophomore Bo Webster (Aurora, Ontario) and junior Ryan Michel (Camillus, N.Y.) have each dished out a team-high 17 assists. Sophomore goalie Lino Chimienti (Montreal/Quebec) has played the majority of minutes in goal and is sporting a 2.51 goals against average and a .914 save percentage to go along with a 13-5-3 record.
Josh Burnell leads the Soaring Eagles with 32 points on 15 goals and 17 assists. Michael Collins has added 28 points on 12 goals and 16 assists. Jesper Strale has registered a team-high 18 assists this year. Ryan deMelo has played in goal in the last six games in a row. He is sporting a 3.50 goals against average and a .912 save percentage. deMelo is 3-4-1 in goal this season.
Hobart and Elmira will faceoff at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students with valid ID. Fans unable to make it to the Soaring Eagles’ Murray Athletic Center can follow the action online with Live Stats, Audio and Video.
