The Hobart hockey team erupted for five goals in the second period as it knocked off Vermont State University Castleton in a New England Hockey Conference quarterfinal contest at The Cooler this evening. With their ninth straight win, the Statesmen are now 23-2-1 overall this season.
Junior Luke Aquaro had a season-high five points on two goals and three assists. He was one of 14 skaters to record a point. Sophomore Damon Beaver played all 60 minutes in goal. He made 20 saves as he earned his 13th win of the season.
Dominic Rodrigue started in goal for the Spartans (7-19-0). He made 43 saves.
STREAKING
- Hobart extended its unbeaten streak to 20 games. The Statesmen are 19-0-1 since losing to Babson back in November. This is Hobart’s second nine-game winning streak during that stretch.
- The Statesmen have scored five or more goals in nine straight games and 13 of their last 14.
- Hobart has won 34 straight games at The Cooler.
KEY STATS
- Hobart finished the game with a 51-21 advantage in shots on goal. The Statesmen had a 23-3 edge in the middle period as they built a 5-1 lead.
- Hobart was 3-for-7 on the power play. Two of the tallies came on a five-minute major that helped Hobart break the game open late in the middle stanza. Castleton was 0-for-4 with the man advantage.
SCORING SUMMARY
- The Statesmen opened the scoring at the 5:47 mark of the first period. Aquaro slipped a backhanded shot past Rodrigue for his 15th goal of the season. Sophomore Tanner Hartman and senior Jared Patterson notched assists on the goal.
- Just over a minute later, first-year Conor Lally gave Hobart a 2-0 lead on his first goal of the season. He one-timed a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle into the back of the net. The power-play goal was assisted by Aquaro and first-year Chris Duclair. It was Lally’s second goal of the season.
- Senior Artem Buzoverya extended the advantage to three goals near the midway portion of the game. He collected a pass from Sophomore Ignat Belov, deked around the goalie and slipped a shot across the goal line. It was Buzoverya’s seventh goal of the year.
- Duclair broke the game open with his 12th goal of the year. He blasted home a one-timer for his team-leading sixth power-play goal of the year. First-year Bauer Morrissey and Lally had assists on the goal.
- Sophomore Tristan Fasig scored 69 seconds later blasting home a pass from senior Austin Mourar. Junior Cooper Swift also had an assist on the power-play goal.
- Romeo Torain broke up the shutout bid with just under two minutes remaining in the middle stanza. Following a Zach Trempner faceoff win, he wristed a shot over Beaver’s glove for his second goal of the season.
- Aquaro notched his 16th goal of the year just under five minutes into the third period. Standing at the left goalpost, he stuffed a loose puck into the back of the net. Senior Jonah Alexander and junior Shane Shell had assists on the goal.
- At the 6:58 mark of the final frame, Christian Duvall stuffed home a rebound for his fifth goal of the season. Aquaro and Morrissey were awarded assists on the goal.
- Alexander rounded out the scoring with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation. He slipped a shot past Rodrigue for his fifth goal of the season. Aquaro and Shell had assists on the goal.
COACH’S CORNER
“I certainly thought the first period was a playoff first period, and then I thought the guys did what we’ve done all year,” Mason Family Hobart Head Hockey Coach Mark Taylor said. “We had a solid first, a much better second and a real good third. We made some opportunities in the second and then they gave us a big opportunity and we capitalized on it.”
UP NEXT
Hobart will be back in action next Saturday, Feb. 24, when it welcomes the University of Southern Maine to The Cooler. Faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The Huskies, who are the seventh seed in the conference tournament, upset Norwich this evening.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].