Hobart forward Adam Mendelson (14) splits a pair of Plattsburgh State players and brings the puck up ice with teammate Easton Ryan (17) in a game earlier this season.
Hobart forward Adam Mendelson (14) splits a pair of Plattsburgh State players and brings the puck up ice with teammate Easton Ryan (17) in a game earlier this season.
GENEVA — Four games on the road and after nearly a month away, the Hobart College ice hockey team returns home — albeit briefly — for a one-game weekend before winter break kicks in.
The No. 1-ranked Statesmen welcome in former ECAC West rival Manhattanville University for a 4 p.m. Saturday game.
Hobart remains undefeated this season at a record of 10-0 overall and 5-0 in the SUNYAC. Following Monday’s weekly USCHO.com poll, the Statesmen remain the unanimous No. 1 team in the country. For the third straight week, the Statesmen received all 20 first-place votes.
Hobart has been ranked No. 1 by USCHO for 37 consecutive polls. The last time another team was ranked No. 1 was 750 days ago. Since earning their first No. 1 ranking in program history on Nov. 14, 2022, the Statesmen have been ranked No. 1 in 51 of the 61 polls released and have been ranked second nine times. Hobart’s lowest position during that stretch was No. 3 on Nov. 13, 2023.
Hobart is coming off a 2-0 weekend to conclude a four-game road trip. On Friday night, the Statesmen beat then-No. 4 Oswego 5-2. Senior captain Tanner Daniels scored twice in the victory. The next night, Hobart had eight different players score a goal as they cruised to an 8-1 win at Brockport. Senior Damon Beaver started both games in goal and ended with a 1.51 GAA and a .921 save percentage.
Hobart is first in the nation in winning percentage (1.000) and scoring margin (3.40), second in power-play percentage (.350) and scoring offense (4.90), third in scoring defense (1.50) and 14th in penalty killing percentage (.895).
Individually, Beaver is first in the nation in GAA (0.97), third in shutouts (2) and 10th in save percentage (.947). Senior Kahlil Fontana, who leads the team with nine goals, is fifth in the nation in goals per game (0.90). Sophomore Arvega Hovsepyan, who has a team-high 10 assists, is sixth in the nation in assists per game (1.0).
In 10 games, Hobart has scored 49 goals and allowed 15. Not only does their goaltending remain unflappable, but their team defense does as well, limiting opponents to just 17.4 shots per game.
Fontana and Hovsepyan lead the team with 13 points each. As linemates and with Fontana having nine goals, Hovsepyan has dished out the most assists on the team and has three goals to go with it. Nineteen players have scored at least once this season and 23 players have recorded a point, including goaltender Mavrick Goyer.
As for Manhattanville, the team has had a rough go of it thus far in 2025-26.
Winless through eight games, the Valiants have scored just nine goals and allowed 33. Teams average 39.5 shots against per game and just two players have multiple goals thus far. The Valiants and Statesmen have played one common opponent in Utica University and fell 3-0 in the both games.
With no bumps and bruises from a Friday game and fresh legs, Hobart head coach Mark Taylor may work in more ice time for players or goalies who haven’t been as steady regulars as well as get some needed game action for players returning from injury, such as Dominic Schimizzi.
Following Saturday’s game, the Statesmen are off for nearly a month until they head to Middlebury on Jan. 3. Their next home game will be against SUNY Cortland on Jan. 9.
Originally published on fltimes.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
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