(Hobart’s three captains pictured above) — The Hobart College ice hockey team was ranked No. 6 in the USCHO.com preseason poll. The Statesmen open the 2016-17 season this weekend with two non-league home games against Babson.
Hobart finished the 2015-16 season with a 21-5-2 overall record and a 12-3-0 mark in the ECAC West. The Statesmen won their second straight and fourth overall ECAC West tournament title and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the sixth time in program history. It was Hobart’s 14th consecutive winning season.
The Statesmen return 22 players from a squad that finished 2015-16 ranked third in the nation on penalty kill (89.8%), fourth in scoring margin (2.11), tied for fifth in scoring defense (1.86 ga/gm), and seventh in scoring offense (3.96 g/gm) and team winning percentage (.786).
Seniors Bobby Sokol (Belle Vernon, Pa.) and Nick Bingaman (Paradise Valley, Ariz.) are the top scorers returning from last year. Sokol played in all 28 games and posted 24 points on eight goals and 16 assists. Bingaman was right behind him with 23 points on eight goals and 15 assists. The Statesmen return a solid group of senior defensemen in Carl Belizario (Dorval, Quebec), Jon Neal (Encinitas, Calif.), Connor Simon (Manchester, N.H.) and Mitch Beyer (Clifton Park, N.Y.). Junior Frank Oplinger (Sewickley, Pa.) is back in goal. He logged a 1.81 goals against average and a .936 save percentage in 13 games last winter.
The Statesmen host Babson at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28 and the teams will play again on Saturday at 4 p.m. Fans unable to make it to The Cooler can follow the action online with Live Stats and All-Access Video.
