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#11 Statesmen take on Thoroughbreds in NEHC clash
The Hobart College ice hockey team will take on Skidmore in a home-and-home series this weekend, Jan. 18-19. Friday's game will be in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., while Saturday's matchup will be at The Cooler. Faceoff for both games is scheduled for 7 p.m. The Statesmen and Thoroughbreds are currently tied for fourth place in the New England Hockey Conference standings. The Statesmen were ranked 11th in both the USCHO.com Men's Division III and the D3hockey.com polls announced on Monday. Hobart has been ranked in every poll this season. Hobart (12-5-0, 6-4-0) is coming off a split with Norwich and Castleton last weekend. The Statesmen were edged by the Cadets 4-2 on Friday before rebounding for a 5-0 victory over the Spartans. The win over Castleton was the 300th career win for Hobart Head Coach Mark Taylor. Entering the weekend, the Statesmen have the NEHC's top power play unit (21.6%) and are second in the conference in scoring offense (3.88 gpg). Hobart is led offensively by senior Jonas Toupal's 10 goals and 21 points. He is third on the team with 11 assists. Toupal is tied for third in the conference in points. Juniors Lawson MacDougall and Zach Sternbach share the team lead with 12 assists, tied for third in the NEHC. First-year Zach Tyson is tied for fifth in the conference in rookie scoring with 13 points (3g, 10a). Junior Alexander Connal has played a majority of the minutes in goal this season. He is 6-4-0 with a 2.22 goals against average and a .916 save percentage. Skidmore enters this weekend's games with a 9-6-2 overall record and a 5-3-2 mark in conference play. The Thoroughbreds went 1-0-1 last weekend against Castleton and Norwich. Skidmore defeated the Spartans 5-1 and tied Norwich 3-3. Matt Muzyka leads the team with nine goals and 18 points. He is tied for second on the team with nine assists. Brandon Borges is right behind him with 15 points, including a team-best nine assists. Brandon Kasel has seen a majority of the action between the pipes this season. He is 6-4-1 with a 2.45 GAA and a .915 save percentage. Fans unable to make it to The Cooler on Saturday can follow the action online with Live Stats and All-Access video. The games will also be broadcast live on WHWS-FM (105.7 in Geneva).
