The top-ranked Hobart College hockey team scored four unanswered goals as it rallied to defeat Castleton, 4-1, in a New England Hockey Conference contest at The Cooler Friday evening. With the win, the Statesmen are 9-0-0 overall this season with a 5-0-0 mark in conference play.
Ignat Belov (2g) and Kahlil Fontana (2a) finished tonight’s contest with a game-high two points each. Mavrick Goyer started in goal and made 16 saves as he earned his fifth win of the season. Brandon Collett made a season-high 51 saves in the loss for the Spartans (3-7-0, 2-3-0).
KEY STATS:
- Hobart finished the game with a 55-17 advantage in shots.
- The Statesmen were 1-for-4 on the power play and Castleton was 0-for-2.
STREAKING:
- With the win, Hobart has won nine straight games to start the year and is off to its best start in program history.
- The Statesmen’s previous record to start the year was eight in 2007-08.
- Hobart’s nine straight victories match the second-longest winning streak in program history.
FIRST PERIOD:
- In a tightly contested first period, Hobart had an 11-8 advantage in shots on goal in the opening frame.
- Shane Shell nearly opened the scoring just before the midway point of the period. On a breakaway, he snapped a shot from the low slot over the crossbar.
- Thirty seconds later, Castleton broke the deadlock. Brandon Picard ripped a shot into the upper left corner of the cage for his third goal of the season. Andrew Stefura was awarded an assist on the goal after forcing a turnover at his blueline.
- With five minutes left in the frame, Matthieu Wuth ripped a shot off of the goalpost.
SECOND PERIOD:
- Hobart flipped the game in its favor in the middle frame, outshooting the Spartans 27-6.
- First-year Ignat Belov tied the game with his fourth goal of the season. He Chipped a shot from the right circle past Collett. Kahlil Fontana and Christian Duvall were awarded assists on the goal.
THIRD PERIOD:
- Belov scored the game-winning goal just over six minutes into the final period. He picked up a rebound and flipped the shot into the back of the net. Tanner Hartman and Kahlil Fontana notched assists on the goal.
- Matthew Iasenza gave Hobart a two-goal lead with his fourth tally of the season. He picked up a rebound and one-timed a shot past Collett. Artem Buzoverya and Zach Tyson were credited with assists on the power-play goal.
- Luke Aquaro rounded out the scoring with just over four minutes remaining in the game. His ninth goal of the season was assisted by Shell and Jonah Alexander.
UP NEXT:
Hobart will be back in action Saturday, December 3, when it welcomes Skidmore to The Cooler. Faceoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].