December 2 , 2004

GENEVA, N.Y.—The 14th-ranked Hobart College ice hockey team will host ECAC West rival and eighth-ranked Rochester Institute of Technology at The Cooler on Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. The Statesmen have won each of the past two meetings in Geneva, including a 3-1 victory in the ECAC West Tournament championship game.

Tomorrow night’s game marks the second meeting between the Statesmen and Tigers this season, with RIT winning the first game 6-1 at Frank Ritter Arena. Coincidentally, that is the same result Hobart had against RIT in its first matchup with the Tigers during the memorable 2003-04 season when the Statesmen beat RIT each of the next two times to capture both the regular season title and ECAC West Tournament championship.

Unbeaten in its previous five games, Hobart is led by junior forward Edward Poirier (Methuen, Mass.) with six points (3-3), while five players are tied for second in the scoring column with five points.

The Statesmen sport the 14th-ranked scoring defense in the nation (2.75 gls/gm) and have allowed three or fewer goals in six of their eight games this season. Between the pipes, first-year goaltender Dimitri Papaevagelou (Windham, N.H.) is unbeaten in four appearances, including three starts, and is ranked 10th in the nation in goals against average (2.03) and 14th in save percentage (.920).

Tickets are $2 for adults, $1 for children. Extra seating has been added to The Cooler, however no more than 1,000 tickets will be sold. Fans are encouraged to arrive early. Also, no outside drink containers or backpacks will be allowed into the Geneva Recreation Complex.