March 6, 2006

GENEVA, N.Y.—For the second time in the past three seasons, the Hobart College hockey team earned a berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Statesmen will visit Norwich University in the quarterfinal round on March 11.

Game time and ticket prices will be announced later today or early on Tuesday.

Hobart finished the regular season with a 19-7-0 overall record, the most wins in the program’s history. The Statesmen are one of three ECAC West squads in the 10-team tournament field. Because the league does not have enough teams to earn an automatic bid, all three teams (Manhattanville and Elmira are the others) will have the chance to skate for the national championship via at-large bids.

Offensively, senior Ed Poirier (Methuen, Mass.) and junior Conor Bradley (West Hartford, Conn.) lead Hobart with 27 points apiece. Poirier was a second-team All-ECAC West pick this season.

At the other end of the ice, senior defenseman Greg Gallagher (Framingham, Mass.) was Hobart’s lone first-team All-ECAC West selection. He is the team’s top-scoring defenseman (5-18-23). First-year goalie Keith Longo (Hopedale, Mass.) was named to the All-ECAC West Rookie team after leading the league in goals against average (2.11) and save percentage (.928).

Norwich earned a spot in the tournament field by capturing the ECAC East championship. The Cadets finished the regular season with a 22-4-2 overall record.

The Hobart and Norwich hockey teams will square off for just the second time. The first encounter was in the quarterfinal round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament, the Statesmen’s first foray into the NCAA field. The Cadets won that contest 9-5.