GENEVA, N.Y.—The No. 9/12 Hobart College hockey team held on to defeat Skidmore College 4-3 in a non-league game played this afternoon in The Cooler. Senior Brad Robbins (Murrieta, Calif.) led the Statesmen with three points on two goals and an assist.
Hobart improves to 7-2-1 after its weekend sweep of the Thoroughbreds. Skidmore is now 2-8-1 this season. Statesmen senior Mac Olson (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) and first-year Brandon Bistodeau (Rogers, Minn.) each chipped in two assists. Senior goalie Lino Chimienti (Montreal, Quebec) played all 60 minutes and made 24 saves.
Skidmore’s Anthony Bird notched three assists and Marc Cibelli produced two goals. Connor Pelkey chipped in two assists. Thoroughbred goalie Jack McDonald played 58:46 and stopped 38 shots.
The Statesmen jumped out to a 2-0 lead late in the opening period. Robbins notched both goals just 28 seconds apart. His first came on a Hobart power play with 3:48 on the clock. Quick passes from Olson and Bistodeau set up the play. The very same three players struck again after the Statesmen won the ensuing faceoff. Robbins’ second goal of the afternoon and seventh of the season came off a shot from right out in front.
Senior Sean Rudy gave the Statesmen a 3-0 lead 10:50 into the second period. His goal came off an assist from first-year Trevor Poirier (St. Albert/Alberta). Just under a minute later, Cibelli put Skidmore on the board with a power-play goal. Bird put a shot on goal that was saved by Hobart’s Chimienti, but Cibelli was there to stuff in the rebound. With 5:26 left in the second, the Statesmen were whistled for cross checking and hooking, giving the Thoroughbreds a 5-on-3 advantage, but Hobart’s penalty kill preserved the two-goal lead.
Junior Mitch Beyer (Clifton Park, N.Y.) gave the Statesmen a 4-1 lead 11:26 into the final period. Senior Ben Gamache (Longlac, Ontario) won the faceoff at the left circle. Robbins collected the puck and dished to Beyer at the blue line, who fired his shot into the back of the net for his second goal of the season. However, the Thoroughbreds added two more goals in the third to cut Hobart’s lead to one. Ondrej Krajnak scored at 12:46 off assists from Pelkey and Bird, and Cibelli added another power-play goal with 5:50 remaining. Pelkey and Bird also set up his goal. Skidmore pulled McDonald with 1:14 on the clock for the extra skater, but the Statesmen defense held strong to secure the win.
Hobart finished with a 42-27 advantage in shots. The Statesmen were 1-for-7 on the power play, while the Thoroughbreds went 2-for-6.
The Statesmen will be back in action on Friday, Dec. 11, when they travel to take on Trinity in another non-league game at 7:30 p.m.
