January 21, 2006

Mike McCarthy

GENEVA, N.Y.—Hobart College junior forward Mike McCarthy (Medfield, Mass.) led the charge with a goal and an assist as the seventh-ranked Statesmen hockey team handed third-ranked Manhattanville a 5-3 loss, its first conference defeat of the season, this afternoon before a near capacity crowd at the Geneva Recreation Complex.

Hobart (13-4-0, 4-3-0 ECAC West) controlled the opening period of play, netting a pair of goals and outshooting the Valiants 15-12. As time expired on the Statesmen’s first power play, junior forward Jonathan Swift (Andover, Mass.) deflected a shot from the point past Manhattanville goalkeeper junior Andrew Gallant (Summerside, P.E.I.) just 4:16 into the first frame.

Sophomore forward Shawn Houde (Manchester, N.H.) slipped his own rebound past Gallant to extend Hobart’s lead to 2-0 at the 17:00 mark. Houde is tied for second on the Statesmen with three power-play goals.

Hobart’s two-goal lead was short lived as the Valiants’ senior forward Tyler Resch (Medicine Hat, Alta.) knocked in his own rebound at the 18:58 mark to enter the first intermission trailing 2-1.

Coming out of the first intermission, Hobart, which features the 10th-best penalty killing unit in the nation, was down a man for seven minutes and two seconds, but managed to eliminate three Manhattanville opportunities. The successful Statesmen penalty kill seemed to reenergize the squad, as senior forward Colby McVey (Chicago, Ill.) tucked his 10th goal of the season just inside the lower left post less than two minutes later.

With just 27 seconds remaining in the second period, junior forward Conor Bradley (West Hartford, Conn.) gathered a drop pass from McCarthy and drilled his team-leading 13th goal into the top-left corner of the cage.

In the third period, Manhattanville managed to make it a one-goal game with 6:40 remaining on tallies by senior forward Andrew McShea (Canton, Mass.) and junior forward Scott Goheen (Innisfil, Ont.). Hobart quickly answered the Valiants two-goal run and closed out the scoring, when McCarthy ringed his seventh goal of the season inside of the left post at the 13:37 mark.

In between the pipes, Hobart first-year goaltender Keith Longo (Hopedale, Mass.) continued his stellar play with 30 saves, his third-highest total of the season, while Gallant turned aside a season-high 39 Statesmen offerings.

Hobart held a 44-33 advantage in shots and completed the game 2-for-8 against the Valiants’ fourth-ranked penalty killing unit, while Manhattanville went 0-for-8 on the power play. On the weekend, the Statesmen killed off all 17 Manhattanville advantages.

Hobart returns to action at 7 p.m. on Jan. 28, when the Statesmen travel to conference rival Elmira.