January 22 , 2005

Craig Levey

GENEVA, N.Y.—Hobart College scored four power-play goals on its way to a 5-2 win over unbeaten and No. 1 Manhattanville College this evening in ice hockey action at the Geneva Recreation Complex. The Statesmen break the Valiants’ 14-game win streak, while upping their win streak to four games.

“It’s a great win,” Head Coach Mark Taylor said. “The players won this game. I’d like to say we as coaches did something great with the X’s and O’s but the players were the ones who took their play to another level. It’s their win.”

Dominating the action in the first period, junior defenseman Will Bodine (North Massapequa, N.Y.) put Hobart up 1-0 with a slap shot from the left wing on the power play. Sophomore Mike Polsonetti (Lynn, Mass.) assisted on the goal.

Coming out of the first intermission, Hobart continued to take it to the Valiants, scoring three unanswered goals in the second period. Sophomore Jonathan Swift (Andover, Mass.) started the scoring at the 7:33 mark, taking a perfect pass from junior Edward Poirier (Methuen, Mass.) and slipping it past the Manhattanville goalie.

Nine minutes later sophomore Conor Bradley (West Hartford, Conn.) tallied another power-play goal for the Statesmen with a screaming slap shot from the right wing for a 2-0 lead. Less than two minutes later, it was senior Craig Levey (Mississagua, Ontario) capitalizing on another power-play opportunity with his fourth power-play goal of the year.

Down 4-0 midway through third period the Valiants’ finally broke into the scoring column when Jordan Menzies (Grand Prairie, Alberta) snuck the puck past Hobart goalie Dimitri Papaevagelou (Windham, N.H.).

Junior defenseman Greg Gallagher (Framingham, Mass.) made it a four-goal game again three minutes later with another power-play goal.

Manhattanville’s Wade Richardson (Calgary, Alberta) rounded out the scoring at the 16:53 mark with his seventh goal of the season.

Hobart held a 32-24 advantage on shots and finished the game 4-for-14 against the Valiants’ seventh-ranked penalty kill, while Manhattanville finished the game 0-for-10 in power-play opportunities.

The 14-ranked Statesmen return to action on Nov. 25, traveling to Amherst College for a 7 p.m., game.