November 19 , 2004

Bart the Statesman made his debut at The Cooler during a 5-4 Hobart win over Potsdam.

GENEVA, N.Y.—Junior defenseman Will Bodine (Pittsburgh Forge/North Massapequa, N.Y.) scored with 13 seconds remaining to complete a triumphant comeback by the Hobart College hockey team against SUNY Potsdam at The Cooler tonight. The 15th-ranked Statesmen trailed 4-2 with just over 10 minutes left in the contest, but salvaged a 5-4 victory with a furious comeback.

The Bears (2-7-0) built a 4-2 lead thanks to first-year defenseman Ben King’s (Sidney, British Columbia) goal at the 3:51 mark of the third period.

Junior defenseman Greg Gallagher (Framingham, Mass.) halved Hobart’s deficit with his second goal of the game at the 9:52 mark. Junior forward Brian Keane (Sherborn, Mass.) notched the assist on the power-play tally. Eighty-three seconds later, sophomore forward Adam Scott (Manchester, Mass.), assisted by sophomore forward Jonathan Swift (Andover, Mass.), tied the contest with his first goal of the season.

The Statesmen (3-1-2) hammered shot-after-shot on goal against the Bears, outshooting the visitors 41-25 for the contest, including a 13-6 margin in the third period, but sophomore goalie Vince Cuccaro (Ottawa, Ontario) kept Potsdam in the contest with 36 saves.

However, Cuccaro ran out of magic with just 13 ticks left in regulation. Bodine lined up a blistering slap shot from just inside the blue line that exploded into the back of the net in the blink of an eye.

The Bears took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission thanks to goals by first-year forward Kevin Tessier (St. Jerome, Quebec) and sophomore forward Ryan McCarthy (Brampton, Ontario). Sophomore forward Mike McCarthy (Medfield, Mass.) tallied for the Statesmen.

Gallagher evened the game midway through the second period, but senior forward Mark Hathaway (Newburyport, Mass.) scored three minutes later to put Potsdam back in front.

First-year goalies Dimitri Papaevagelou (Windham, N.H.) and Andrew Eaton (New Rochelle, N.Y.) combined for 21 saves. Eaton earned the win in relief.

Hobart was 3-of-6 on the power play, while Potsdam was 2-of-5.