Five members of the Hobart College hockey team earned All-ECAC West honors as announced by the conference office this afternoon. Junior defenseman Terrence O’Neill (Kearny, N.J.) was named to the all-conference first team, while junior defenseman Ryan Michel (Camillus, N.Y.) and sophomore forward Mac Olson (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) earned spots on the second team. Sophomore forward Ben Gamache (Longlac, Ontario) garnered honorable mention and first-year defenseman Carl Belizario (Montreal, Quebec) was selected to the all-rookie team.
An alternate captain, O’Neill has posted 13 points on three goals and 10 assists this season. He posted a season-high three points, all on assists, in a 5-1 victory at Manhattanville. O’Neill scored the first game-winning goal of his career 56 seconds into overtime for a 3-2 victory at Elmira last Friday. He is tied for sixth in the conference with two short-handed points and is tied for eighth in defenseman scoring. O’Neill has played a key role in the Statesmen defensive and penalty kill units. Hobart leads the ECAC West in penalty kills (83.5 percent – 106/127) and ranks second in scoring defense (2.84 ga/gm).
O’Neill has played in 71 career games and has logged eight goals and 33 assists for 41 career points. He was selected the All-ECAC West Co-Rookie of the Year and earned a spot on the all-rookie team in 2012.
Michel earned second team honors for the second year in a row. He ranks second on the team with 16 assists this season. Michel notched a season-high three helpers in two games this year, a 7-4 win at Cortland and in a 5-1 win over Nazareth. He ranks second in the ECAC West and 26th in the country in defenseman scoring. Michel is tied for seventh in the conference in assists and is tied sixth in power-play points (11). He was tabbed the ECAC West Player of the Week once this year.
Michel has played in 69 career games. He has posted six goals and 43 assists for 49 career points.
Olson leads the Statesmen with 27 points and 15 goals. He has added 12 assists and notched three game-winning goals this year. Olson produced a season-high four points on two goals and two assists in a 6-1 rout of Potsdam. He notched three points on two goals and an assist in a 5-4 overtime win at Elmira last Saturday. Olson ranks in the top six in the conference in five different statistical categories. He shares the league lead in goals and ranks sixth in points. Olson is tied for third in the conference and seventh in the nation in short-handed goals (2). He’s tied for third in game-winning goals and is tied for sixth in short-handed points (2). He earned a spot on the Buck Supply Winter Classic All-Tournament Team earlier this year.
The 2013 ECAC West Rookie of the Year has played in 51 career games. Olson has recorded 23 goals and 26 assists for 49 career points. He also earned a spot on the ECAC West All-Rookie Team last season.
Gamache ranks second on the team with 25 points on 10 goals and 15 assists. He ranks second in the ECAC West and is tied for 10th in the nation with seven power-play goals. Gamache ranks in the top 10 in the conference in eight statistical categories. He’s tied for second in power-play points (14), tied for third in short-handed points (4), tied for sixth in short-handed goals (1), tied for seventh in game-winning goals (2), tied for eighth in points, and tied for 10th in goals and assists. Gamache has produced at least one point in 18 games this season and posted two or more points five times. He logged a season-high three points twice, in 5-1 wins over Manhattanville and Nazareth. Gamache notched the game winner in victories over Cortland and Nazareth.
Gamache has played in 49 career games, posting 18 goals and 21 assists for 39 points. He is currently tied for 10th on the Hobart list for power-play goals in a season.
Belizario posted five goals and 10 assists for 15 points in his rookie season. He logged a season-high three points on three assists in a 5-2 win at Salve Regina and scored the game-winning goal in a 4-1 victory at Nichols. Belizario was tabbed the ECAC West Rookie of the Week once this season. He is tied for third in the league in defensemen scoring and tied for fourth in first-year scoring. Belizario plays a key role in the Statesmen defensive unit that earned a 5-0 shutout of Manhattanville to start the year and is limiting opponents to 2.84 goals per game. He was named to the Buck Supply Winter Classic All-Tournament Team earlier this year.
Third-seeded Hobart will be in action tonight, Feb. 26 when it hosts No. 6 seed Nazareth in an ECAC West tournament quarterfinal at 7 p.m. Fans who can’t make it to The Cooler can follow the action online with Live Stats.
