After a one-day delay due to Winter Storm Kenan, the sixth-ranked Hobart College ice hockey team and UMass Boston, which was receiving votes in the USCHO.com poll, battled to a 2-2 tie in a New England Hockey Conference contest at the Edward T. Barry Ice Rink this evening. The Statesmen are now 14-4-2 on the season with a 9-2-2 mark in conference play.
UMass Boston is now 12-7-2 overall this season with an 8-4-2 mark in conference play. The teams entered the weekend separated by one point atop the conference standings and will head into the final two weeks of the regular season the same way after both teams picked up four points on the weekend. Hobart has 28 points and the Beacons have 27. The Statesmen, however, have a game in hand on UMass Boston, playing one fewer league game.
Blake Coffey (1g, 1a) and Chase Bell (2a) led the way for Hobart, recording two points each. PA Martineau also scored for the Statesmen. Liam Lascelle started and played all 65 minutes in goal, making 22 saves.
Five different players recorded a point for UMass Boston. Chris Peters and Dakota Concannon were credited with the Beacon goals. Sam Best went the distance in goal for UMass Boston and made 30 saves.
Neither team found the back of the net in a tightly contested first period. The Beacons had a slight 9-7 edge in shots on goal after the first 20 minutes. Corey Clifton tested Lascelle in the opening 20 seconds of the game, but his shot from the low slot was stopped by the Hobart goalie. Just under 10 minutes into the period, Kevin Lassman rifled a shot from the point off of the goal post. A few minutes later, Jake Gresh had a chance on a slap shot from the point turned aside by Best.
All four of the game’s goals were scored in the second period. Martineau broke the deadlock at the 4:20 mark of the stanza. He redirected Bell’s shot past Best for his fifth tally of the season. Bell and Coffey notched assists on the power-play goal. UMass Boston tied the game just under four minutes later. Following a late line change, Peters ripped a shot from the point past a screened Lascelle for his 10th goal of the season. Jacob Banks was awarded an assist on the goal. Forty-three seconds later, Dakota Concannon gave the Beacons a 2-1 lead. He redirected a Nolan Barrett shot past Lascelle. Barrett and Evan Heldt picked up assists on Concannon’s second goal of the season. Evan Rochowiak nearly gave UMass Boston a 3-1 lead, but Lascelle made a glove save. Hobart drew level at the 14:45 mark of the second period. Coffey fired a shot from the high slot past Best for his sixth goal of the season. Bell notched an assist on the goal.
Hobart came out of the second intermission as the aggressors. They finished the third period with an 11-5 edge in shots on goal. The Statesmen had a power play late in regulation but were unable to sneak a shot past Best.
In the extra session, Hobart had four of the five shots. Aaron Maguyon appeared to have won the game 38 seconds into the extra period, but his goal was waved off because the puck crossed the goal line after the ref’s whistle had blown for a goalie cover-up.
Hobart held a 32-24 edge in shots on goal. The Statesmen were 2-for-6 on the power play and the Beacons were 0-for-3 with the extra skater.
Hobart will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 4, when it welcomes Castleton to The Cooler. Faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
