By Warren Kozireski —
Hobart’s men’s hockey team began the 2022-23 season ranked fifth among Division III school in the nation and proceeded to win their first 15 games of the season to quickly rise from there.
Two blemishes—a one-goal loss to at the time 10th ranked Norwich on the road and a 7-5 loss at Elmira has dropped the Statesmen to second-ranked behind Utica as the schedule turned the calendar to February.
And they’ve done it playing a pair of freshman goaltenders in Damon Beaver and Mavrick Gover.
“We have such a deep team and everyone has the same mindset that, if we’re winning games, it doesn’t really matter who is in the lineup,” senior forward Brenden Howell (Hilton) said.
“It starts with our goaltender…but we always practice coming back on the back-check hard and we also forecheck teams super-hard and pin them in their own zone, so we’re good at putting pressure on teams and just being relentless.”
“Last year we had two senior goalies and this year we have three freshmen, so it’s definitely a very different feeling. But our team has such a good mind set and mojo going—we’ve had it all year.”
It’s a different formula for the Statemen with the two youngsters in net, but surround them with five upperclassmen on defense in Gagik Malakyan, Matthieu Wuth, Austin Mourar, Kevin Lassman and Jared Patterson.
“We didn’t draw it up that way…but what we do in front of them (the goaltenders) helps give them some confidence and they give us confidence as well,” assistant coach Tom Fiorentino said.
After rattling off 14 consecutive victories to start this season, the Statesmen fell to then 10th-ranked Norwich 3-1 on the road, but rebounded to win three straight before am uncharacteristic 7-5 hiccup at Elmira. And they have allowed more than two goals in a game just twice through the first 19 games.
“Helps tremendously; those guys are all veterans back there on the back end and have been through it all here…and this year have played just great,” graduate student captain Tyson Zach said.
Hobart has four games remaining in the regular season in February before the three-week NEHC playoffs begin Feb. 18 and the NCAA postseason March 11th.
“The boys know we have a special group this year and we’re a win-first mentality no matter who we’re going up against—everyone is going to come to play every weekend,” Zach said.
(Hobart Hockey Photographs)
