October 29 , 2005

POTSDAM, N.Y.—The Hobart College Ice Hockey team netted a pair of goals in each period to open the season with a 6-2 road victory at Potsdam State this evening. Junior forward Conor Bradley (West Hartford, Conn.) paced the Statesmen offense with two goals and an assist.

Hobart (1-0) opened the scoring just 4:35 into the first session when senior leftwinger Colby McVey (Chicago, Ill.) tallied his first goal of the season. McVey was assisted by senior center Will Brame (West Hartford, Conn.) and senior forward Edward Poirier (Methuen, Mass.). The Statesmen closed out the opening period with a 2-0 advantage thanks to Bradley’s first goal of the contest at the 8:46 mark. Junior forward Mike McCarthy (Medfield, Mass.) registered the assist. Hobart outshot the Bears 19-8 in the period.

Hobart continued to apply the pressure as Poirier registered a short-handed goal at the 1:20 mark of the second session. Junior rightwinger Jonathan Swift (Andover, Mass.) recorded his first goal of the season, staking the Statesmen to a 4-0 lead.

With less than two minutes remaining in the second, Potsdam got on the board thanks to a power-play goal. The Bears opened the third with a quick tally to halve Hobart’s lead.

The Statesmen quickly answered as first-year Jason Merritt (Chapel Hill, NC) scored his first collegiate goal. Classmates Robert Wahler (Evergreen, Colo.) and Andrew Brennan (Milford, Mass.) assisted on the goal. Bradley closed out the scoring with a power-play goal at the 14:08 mark.

First-year netminder Keith Longo (Hopedale, Mass.) turned away 22 Potsdam offerings to earn his first collegiate victory, while Rob Barnhardt made 37 stops in the loss.

Hobart returns to action at 7 p.m., when the Statesmen travel to Utica on Nov. 4.