Two members of the Hobart College hockey team were honored by the New England Hockey Conference. Goalie Liam Lascelle was named the Goalie of the Week and defenseman Austin Mourar was tabbed Player of the Week. In addition, the Statesmen moved up to No. 5 in the USCHO.com poll.
As of Monday afternoon, Hobart is ranked sixth in the PairWise rankings. The PairWise is a system that attempts to mimic the method used by the NCAA selection committee to determine participants for the NCAA Division III hockey tournament. The PairWise compares all teams by these criteria: record against common opponents, head-to-head competition and the rating percentage index (RPI).
Lascelle and Mourar led Hobart to a 2-0-0 week against NEHC foes New England College and Norwich. On Friday, Hobart rallied from a 4-1 deficit at the end of the first period to claim an 8-5 victory over the Pilgrims. Luke Aquaor and Mourar led the way for the Statesmen, recording three points. On Saturday, Hobart shut out the Cadets, who were ranked 13th in the USCHO.com poll, 2-0.
The Statesmen wrapped up the regular season with an 18-4-2 overall record and a 13-2-2 mark in conference play. Hobart claimed its first NEHC regular season crown, finishing atop the conference standings with 43 points. This is the Statesmen’s seventh consecutive 18-plus win season. Hobart is the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and will take on the lowest remaining seed from Wednesday’s first-round games on Saturday, Feb. 19, in a quarterfinal contest. Faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at The Cooler.
Lascelle earned the victory in both games this weekend, posting a 1.01 goals against average and a .960 save percentage. On Friday, he came on in relief and made 25 saves as Hobart rallied past New England College. Lascelle stopped all 12 shots he faced in the third period. The next day, he stopped all 23 shots he faced as Hobart beat the Cadets at Kreitzberg Arena for the first time since March 3, 2018, a 3-0 shutout in the 2018 NEHC Championship Game.
Lascelle is 9-3-1 this season with a 2.17 goals against average and a .915 save percentage. His three shutouts this season are tied for second on Hobart’s single-season list, one behind the record he shares with Nick Broadwater ’13. Lascelle is 24th in the nation in GAA.
Mourar recorded four points on two goals and two assists this weekend. Both of his goals were game-winners, while he also notched a pair of third-period assists against the Pilgrims.
Mourar has played in 23 of Hobart’s 24 games this season. He is fourth on the team with 20 points on nine goals and 11 assists. Mourar has scored the game-winning goal in the last three games and has four total this season. He ranks seventh in the nation in game-winning goals.
(Hobart College Men’s Hockey Photo)
