GENEVA, N.Y.-The 12th-ranked Hobart College hockey team scored twice in the third period as they knocked off New England College 3-1 in NEHC play at The Cooler this evening. With the win, the Statesmen are now 5-2-0 overall and 3-1-0 in conference play.
Senior captain Tanner Shaw had a pair of goals in the win for Hobart. Fellow senior captain Jonas Toupal had a goal and an assist while junior Lawson MacDougall had two assists. First-year Liam Lascelle made a career-high 37 saves as he improved to 2-0-0 in his rookie campaign. Connor Fries scored for the Pilgrims (3-3-1, 2-3-1). Anthony Pupplo made 32 saves in goal for New England College.
Toupal opened the scoring 13:57 into the first period. He one-timed a shot from the low slot past Pupplo for his team-leading seventh goal of the season. MacDougall forced a turnover in the left faceoff circle, carried the puck around the back of the net and centered the pass to Toupal. It was MacDougall’s sixth assist of the season.
New England College tied the game 5:43 into the second period. Fries collected a pass from Nikita Pintusov, deked around a defender and wristed a shot past Lascelle.
Shaw scored his second and third goals of the season in the third period to ice the game for the Statesmen. Just under three minutes into the period, he fired a shot from the point that redirected off a Pilgrim stick in front into the back of the net. Toupal was credited with an assist on the power-play goal. Shaw added an insurance goal with 24 seconds remaining in regulation. Off a faceoff win, he flicked a shot through traffic between the right goal post and Pupplo’s left leg pad. MacDougall was credited with an assist on the goal.
New England College finished the game with a 38-35 edge in shots on goal. Hobart was 1-for-2 on the power play while the Pilgrims were 0-for-3 with the man advantage.
The Statesmen will be back in action Nov. 30-Dec.1 when they begin a six-game road trip. Hobart will take on UMass Boston on Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. before facing Babson on Dec. 1 at 4 p.m.
