The Hobart College hockey team was ranked No. 1 in the East Region in the NCAA Division III Regional Rankings released late yesterday. In addition, junior defenseman Carl Belizario (Dorval, Quebec) earned a spot on the D3hockey.com National Team of the Week.
The NCAA regional rankings are used to determine both NCAA tournament bids and seedings. There are three sets of regional rankings that are released to the public. The next regional rankings will be released on Feb. 23 and March 1.
After a 1-1 weekend at Manhattanville, the Statesmen are 18-4-2 overall and 11-3-0 in the ECAC West. Hobart leads the conference in scoring offense, scoring defense and on the penalty kill. The Statesmen rank third in the nation on the penalty kill (90.6%), sixth in scoring offense (4.08 g/gm), and ninth in scoring defense (2.00 ga/gm). In addition, Hobart ranks sixth in the country with a .792 team win percentage.
It’s the second time this year Belizario has earned a spot on the national team of the week. Four different Statesmen have earned the award this winter. Belizario registered two second period power-play goals in Hobart’s Saturday night victory at Manhattanville that secured its second straight ECAC West regular season title. He has played in every game this season and has produced four goals and 10 assists for 14 points. Belizario leads the Statesmen and ranks second in the conference with four power-play goals. His seven power-play points are tied for a team-high and tied for seventh in the league. Belizario’s 14 points are just one shy of the league-high for a defenseman.
The Statesmen host Elmira (11-10-3, 4-8-2 ECAC West) on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. for their final regular season game. Fans can follow the action online with Live Stats and All-Access Video.
