The Hobart College hockey team is ranked No. 3 in the East Region in the NCAA’s first set of regional rankings released today. The Statesmen who clinched the ECAC West Regular Season title over the weekend are 18-6-0 and 11-3-0 in conference play with one regular season game remaining.
Used to determine both NCAA tournament bids and seedings, this week’s rankings are the first of three sets that will be released to the public. The next public rankings will be released on Feb. 24 and March 3, while the final rankings generated on March 9 will not be released to the public.
Hobart has won seven straight games and has posted a 12-2-0 record in the 2015 portion of the schedule. The Statesmen lead the ECAC West and rank 11th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 3.96 goals per game. Hobart is also tied for 11th in Division III in team winning percentage (.750) and ranks 17th in Division III on the power play (23.3 percent).
Junior forward Bo Webster (Aurora, Ontario) leads the team and ranks sixth in the conference with 22 points on eight goals and 14 assists. Senior forward Brad McBride (Lone Tree, Colo.) ranks first in the ECAC West with a team-high 13 goals. Senior defenseman Ryan Michel (Camillus, N.Y.) ranks third in the conference and 19th in the nation in points per game by a defenseman averaging 0.78. First-year goaltender Frank Oplinger (Sewickley, Pa.) sits atop the ECAC West in goals against average (2.07), save percentage (.934) and win percentage (.846). His save percentage ranks 11th in the nation, his win percentage is eighth, and he’s 21st in the country in goals against average.
The Statesmen travel to take on Elmira for an ECAC West game and their final regular season contest on Friday, Feb. 20. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
