January 6 , 2005

FUSSON, GERMANY—The first four days of the Hobart College ice hockey team’s European Tour has been a rousing success on and off the ice. The Statesmen not only grabbed a pair of victories in their first two games, but also have been able to experience the culture and history of Germany.

On the hockey side, Hobart opened the trip with a dominating 7-2 win over Geretsried and earned a 3-2 victory over EV Fusson of the Oberliga League the following evening.

Away from the ice the Statesmen have enjoyed many lifetime cultural and educational experiences, visiting Germany’s most famous castle, built by Bavaria’s “mad” King Ludwig and the 700-year old Benedictine Abbey of Ettal.

“Everything is going great and the guys are getting a ton out of the trip,” Head Coach Mark Taylor said. “Our tour manager, Philip Broadbent, is really passionate about the history and culture of Germany and has really captivated the guys. It’s neat to hear some of the guys relate it back to things they’re learning at Hobart. The professors would have gotten a kick out of seeing all of them at the monastery.”

The Statesmen’s next historical experience will not be one they forget anytime soon as they visit Dachau Concentration Camp, a reminder of the Nazi atrocities during World War II.

Hobart will travel to first-year Stanislav Vylet’s (Kurim, Czech Republic) home country of the Czech Republic the following evening to take on a team from Klatovy, about 160 miles west of his hometown. The Statesmen will close out the hockey part of the trip the next day when they play the local Deggendorf team.

Arriving back in Geneva on Jan. 9, Hobart will resume its regular season schedule on Jan. 14, traveling to Cortland State for a 7 p.m., contest.