January 28, 2006

PINE VALLEY, N.Y.—Hobart College senior defenseman Greg Gallagher (Framingham, Mass.) registered two points on a goal and an assist, but it wasn’t enough as the Statesmen fell at ECAC West rival Elmira 4-2 this evening.

After a scoreless opening period, the Soaring Eagles (9-7-2, 2-5-1 ECAC West) pinned a power-play goal and two even strength goals in their hat to take a 3-0 advantage into the second intermission.

The hosts struck again on the power play at the 8:15 mark of the third period, but sixth-ranked Hobart (13-5-0, 4-4-0) showed its determination by quickly answering with two goals in less than three minutes to make it a 4-2 contest with just under eight minutes to play. With the Statesmen on the penalty-kill, Gallagher netted his fourth tally of the season. Junior forward Conor Bradley (West Hartford, Conn.) rounded out the scoring with his team-leading 14th goal of the season. He also leads the nation with 10 power-play goals.

In between the pipes, Elmira senior goaltender Greg Fargo made 28 saves, while first-year netminder Keith Longo (Hopedale, Mass.) stopped 29 Soaring Eagles offerings.

Both teams frequented the penalty box, with the Statesmen holding a slight 17-16 advantage. Elmira collected 48 penalty minutes, two fewer than Hobart.

Hobart returns to action at 7 p.m. on Feb. 3, when the Statesmen travel to conference foe Lebanon Valley.