The Hobart College hockey team begins the 2015-16 season this weekend on the road at Babson on Friday, Oct. 30 and at the University of New England on Saturday, Oct. 31. In his 16th season at the helm of the program, Head Coach Mark Taylor returns 20 players from last year’s ECAC West championship winning team and welcomes nine newcomers to the program.
Hobart enters the season ranked No. 12 in the nation by D3hockey.com. The Statesmen look to follow up on a very successful 2014-15 campaign that saw the team match the program record for wins in a season with a 21-7-0 overall record. Hobart earned the ECAC West regular season title with a 12-3-0 conference record and topped Neumann 2-1 in overtime to capture its third ECAC West tournament title. The Statesmen earned their fifth NCAA tournament appearance in program history.
“I’m always excited and optimistic about the upcoming year,” Taylor said. “Just like every year it’s about getting individuals performing at the best they are capable of and as a team, with some rhythm and momentum. We’ve lost some key players to graduation, but we are in a similar situation to four years ago and the leadership of that group along with returning players stepping forward and new players stepping up, emerged at the end of that season as League Champions too. So to me the example’s been set, so that’s what we will try to duplicate and we must realize that is the challenge that is just beginning and doesn’t just happen. ”
Here’s a position-by-position look at the Statesmen:
GOALTENDING
Hobart brings back three goaltenders. Both senior Lino Chimienti and sophomore Frank Oplinger have proven what they are capable of in goal, defeating some of the top teams in the country. Oplinger garnered All-ECAC West first team and all-rookie team honors. He posted a 14-3-0 record and finished the year ranked third on Hobart’s single season list with a .932 save percentage and a 2.09 goals against average. Oplinger was also third on the Hobart list for most wins in a season. Chimienti saw time in 10 games last winter. He logged a season-high 43 saves to earn his second career shutout against Salve Regina. Junior Tim Keegan played in one game last year, earning a win over Southern Maine. He’s played in seven games in his career.
DEFENSE
The 2014-15 Statesmen defensive unit led the ECAC West in scoring defense, allowing just 2.50 goals per game. This year’s team will need to fill to void left the Class of 2015 – its three senior defensemen captains from last year as well as all-league first team selection Ryan Michel. Hobart returns juniors Jon Neal, Carl Belizario, Connor Simon, Mitch Beyer and Michael Russo. Belizario played in 26 games and and tied for eighth in the conference in defensemen points with 11. He also finished last season 11th in the league with nine power-play points. Neal played in 28 games and notched 13 points on 10 assists and three goals, including the game-winning goal in a 3-2 overtime win at Utica. Simon returns after being sidelined by an injury for most of last season. Beyer played in 21 games last season, notching eight assists. In addition, the Statesmen bring in five first-year defensemen. Jonas Toupal, Tanner Shaw, Matt Pizzo, Bryan Carville and Jack Macnee will all look to make an immediate impact.
FORWARD
The Statesmen graduated two of their top three scorers from last season in Brad McBride andTommaso Traversa, but still bring back a number of veterans up front. Senior captains Mac Olson andBen Gamache will lead the way. Senior captain Bo Webster suffered a season-ending injury, but will return for the 2016-17 season. Senior Sean Rudy is back for a fifth year due to the injury he suffered in 2013-14. Brad Robbins rounds out the Class of 2016 and will be looking to build on a solid junior year. Olson played in 22 games last year, tallying five multi-point games. He ranked fourth on the team with 19 points on nine goals and 10 assists. In 27 games, Gamache registered 18 points on seven goals and 11 assists. Rudy logged 16 points on eight goals and eight assists in 21 games and Robbins chipped in 17 points on nine goals and eight assists in 24 games.
Junior Nick Bingaman played in all but one game last winter and ranked third on the team with 11 goals. He added seven assists for 18 points. Classmate Bobby Sokol saw time in 25 games and tied for fourth on the team with 10 assists. He added seven goals for 17 points. Junior Tyler Hanzlik played in six games earning two assists. Sophomores Tyler Wolf, Jordan Haskell, Andrew Silard and Colin Clapton look to build on their rookie seasons. Sophomore Vincent Russo also joins the team after playing his rookie season at Bentley. Wolf played in 16 games and posted three goals and six assists, while Haskell played in 17 games and notched a goal and five assists. Silard saw time in 13 games and posted seven points on three goals and four assists. Clapton played in four games last winter. First-years Brandon Bistodeau, Trevor Poirier, Cam Shaheen all come to Geneva from very successful junior programs.
SCHEDULE
“We’ll be tested right away with a big road trip in our first weekend at Babson and at the University of New England, but we’ll be playing in markets with a lot of alumni so it will be an exciting opening weekend,” said Taylor.
The Statesmen return home to open ECAC West play with Manhattanville in The Cooler on Friday, Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Neumann on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 4 p.m.
