February 23, 2005

GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart College hockey team will travel to ECAC West rival Elmira College for its final regular season contest on Friday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. The game was listed incorrectly on the Hobart web site for Feb. 26, due to a miscommunication in scheduling.

The Statesmen (14-5-4, 5-4-2 ECAC West) and Soaring Eagles (10-11-3, 5-5-1 ECAC West) are battling for the fourth and final playoff spot in the ECAC West Tournament. Winners of the past five meetings, Hobart currently leads Elmira by one point in the standings and can secure its sixth straight berth in the conference tournament with a win or tie.

In the first faceoff between the two squads this season, the Statesmen jumped out to a 4-1 lead after the first period and never looked back, grabbing a crucial 8-5 victory over the Soaring Eagles.

Junior forward Edward Poirier (Methuen, Mass.) leads a balanced scoring attack with 21 points (10-11), while senior Craig Levey (Mississauga, Ontario) is second with 18 (9-9).

Anchored by senior Stephen Mitacek (Wantagh, N.Y.) and junior Greg Gallagher (Framingham, Mass.), the Statesmen are ranked 14th in the nation in scoring defense (2.61 gpg). In goal first-year Dimitri Papaevagelou (Windham, N.H.) is 11-4-3 overall, ranks 17th nationally with a 2.45 goals against average, and sports a .906 save percentage.

The Soaring Eagles are led by senior Jarrett Konkle with 37 points (20-17) and a national-best 12 power-play goals. Averaging 4.58 goals per game, Elmira has the 12th-ranked scoring offense in the country, while its power play is 18th (21.1%). In goal for the Soaring Eagles, junior Greg Fargo is 8-9-3 with a 3.53 goals against average, and .897 save percentage.