Bradley and the No. 6 Statesmen will face Elmira in the semifinals of the ECAC West Tournament at 3 p.m. on March 3 in Manhattanville. (photo by Kevin Colton)

February 28, 2006

GENEVA, N.Y.—The sixth-ranked Hobart College ice hockey team has punched its fifth ticket in the past six seasons to the ECAC West Tournament. Winners of six out of their past seven games, the Statesmen surged down the stretch to capture the No. 2 seed, finishing four points behind top-seeded Manhattanville.

On March 3, Hobart (19-6-0) and No. 3 Elmira (15-8-2) will open the semifinal round at 3 p.m. at the Playland Ice Casino, while the hosts square off against No. 4 Utica at 7 p.m. The winners will meet in the title game at 7:30 p.m. the following evening. Ticket prices for each game are $5 for adults and $3 for students with a valid ID.

Under the leadership of Head Coach Mark Taylor, the Statesmen are enjoying the most successful season in the program’s 28 varsity campaigns. Hobart has shattered the single-season wins record, adding four victories to the previous mark. The Statesmen also established a new benchmark for the longest winning streak, an eight-game stretch between Nov. 12, 2005 and Jan. 7, 2006.

Hobart’s successful season also has translated to its highest national rankings. The Statesmen have climbed as high as fifth in the USCHO.com Division III poll (Feb. 13) and are currently ranked fourth in the NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Committee East Region rankings.

Hobart has featured a well-balanced attack, with four student-athletes collecting at least 20 points. Junior forward Conor Bradley (West Hartford, Conn.) has paced the Statesmen with 27 points, including a team-leading 17 goals. An explosive scorer, Bradley ranks among the best in the nation in power-play goals (6th) and goals (11th, 17). His 11 extra man tallies are just one shy of the program’s single-season record.

At the opposite end of the ice, first-year goalie Keith Longo (Hopedale, Mass.) has anchored a Hobart defense that has held the opposition to two goals or less 14 times. He ranks fifth in the nation in save percentage (.931) and ninth in goals against average (1.98). On Feb. 10, the three-time ECAC Rookie of the Week earned his third shutout of the season to become the program’s season and career record holder.

WEOS-FM (89.7/90.3 in Geneva, 88.1 in Ithaca) will broadcast Hobart’s ECAC West Playoff run. Outside the listening area, fans can log onto the WEOS Web site to hear live streaming audio.