October 29 , 2004

Senior goaltender Adam Lavelle ill anchor the Hobart defense in 2004-05 after helping the Statesmen to their first ECAC West title and NCAA Tournament berth. (Photo by Kevin Colton/ SPORTSPICS.NET)

GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart College hockey team made some teams sit up and take notice during the 2003-04 season after putting together the most successful and memorable season in Statesmen hockey history. Capturing both the ECAC West regular season and tournament crowns and earning the program’s first bid to the NCAA Tournament, Hobart finished the season with a 15-8-5 record, tying the 1978-79 squad for wins in a season and posting the highest winning percentage ever.

Senior Craig Levey (Mississauga, Ontario) paced the offense with 17 goals and 17 assists, earning the ECAC West Co-Player of the Year award, while sophomores Colby McVey (Chicago, Ill.) and Will Brame (West Hartford, Conn.) added 22 and 21 points, respectively. Brame was selected to the All-ECAC West second-team.

Junior goaltender Adam Lavelle (Chelmsford, Mass.) anchored the Statesmen’s blueline, finishing the season with an .882 save percentage and a 3.64 goals against average. Named to the JOFA/ACHA College Division All-America second-team, Lavelle is Hobart’s first hockey all-american.

Returning over 90 percent of its offense from a year ago and a talented group of defensemen, the Statesmen enter the season atop the ECAC West coaches’ poll and 12th in USCHO.com’s Division III preseason poll.

Known as a team that comes to work everyday, two-time ECAC West Coach of the Year Mark Taylor expects his squad to continue that play this year.

“We want our intensity and our work ethic to be our foundation and our talent and skills to separate us,” said Taylor. “We look at the ranking as simply a goal achieved from last year.”

Heading the offensive charge again this season will be Levey. His swan song season, Levey is a proven goal scorer and playmaker. An important part of the Statesmen’s special teams as well, he needs just eight power-play goals to surpass Keith Levinthal ’94 at the top of the career list.

Joining Levey on Hobart’s top line will be McVey and Brame. McVey has not only shown he has the ability to score goals, but to create chances as well. Brame will center the line, providing Hobart with physical and up-tempo play. Playing together in each of the past two seasons, this line has the ability to be one of the most potent in the conference.

After turning in a strong rookie season, sophomore Jonathan Swift (Andover, Mass.) will return on the wing for the Statesmen. A powerful player, he was fourth on the team in scoring, earning the ECAC West’s Co-Rookie of the Year award. Joining him as the center of the line will be junior Edward Poirier (Methuen, Mass.). The fastest skater on the team, Poirier is a quick and dynamic forward who will add an extra spark to the offense. First-year Brian Cibelli (Liverpool, N.Y.) also is expected to have an immediate impact for the Statesmen. Finishing 16th overall in points last year in the provincial junior hockey league with the Syracuse Stars, Cibelli is smart and possesses great offensive ability.

Junior Lee Carrier (Ballston Lake, N.Y.) will man the right wing again for the Statesmen after compiling 14 points in his second season. An imposing presence on the ice at 6-5, Carrier plays consistent hockey on both ends of the ice. Also expected to see significant ice-time is senior Jesse Desper (West Kennebunk, Maine) and sophomore Mike McCarthy (Medfield, Mass.). The playmaker on the line, Desper does the behind the scenes work that often goes unnoticed, while McCarthy will be a scoring threat after coming on strong late in the season.

Finishing the year scoring at least a point in five of his final six games, including the game-winner in the ECAC West Championship game, senior Tyler Dufour (Whistler, British Columbia) will join center Conor Bradley (West Hartford, Conn.) and Adam Scott (Manchester, N.H.) on a line. This trio served as an important late-in-the-game line in Hobart’s run through the conference tournament and into the NCAAs.

First-years Edward Brzek (Duxbury, Mass.) and Shawn Houde (Manchester, N.H.) also are expected to be impact players. Coming from perennial powerhouse St. Sebastian’s, Brzek possesses good speed and tenacity, while Houde has good size and the potential to be a complete package player. Junior Brian Keane (Sherborn, Mass.) also will see significant time this year after playing in 21 games for the Statesmen last year.

Sophomore Marc Borden (Glenview, Ill.) and junior Matt Garman (Wexford, Pa.), who both saw substantial time over the past couple years will join first-year Thomas Alfieri (Syracuse, N.Y.) of West Genesee to round out the Hobart attack.

Defensively, Hobart is blessed with a strong and experienced group of blueliners. Looking to continue its gritty and hard-nosed play, Taylor anticipates that the defensive corps will be even better this year.

Senior Stephen Mitacek (Orlando. Fla.) and junior Greg Gallagher (Framingham, Mass.) will join forces as the top blueline pair for the Statesmen and potentially one of the best in the league. A steady and consistent defenseman, Mitacek possesses good hockey sense and sees the ice well, finishing fourth on the team in assists last season. Gallagher is a good puck handler and gives Hobart a scoring punch, leading all defensemen last year with 17 points.

Sophomore Mike Manos (North Andover, Mass.) returns after sitting out his rookie season due to injury. Looking strong in preseason workouts, he is expected to have in immediate impact on the Statesmen’s blueline as well as the power-play. Junior Jeff Bostic (Whitesboro, N.Y.) will join Manos after seeing regular time despite having to battle injuries much of the year.

Consistent regulars last season, junior Will Bodine (Massapequa, N.Y.) and sophomore Mike Polsonetti (Lynn, Mass.) are expected to be key contributors again this year after playing in 24 games. They both are blessed with good size and will be punishing defensemen for the Statesmen this year.

Junior Matt Windhol (Westford, Mass.) also will see time on the blueline after a couple of solid years, while Wesley Scott (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) looks to bounce back from the injury that robbed him of most of his sophomore season. First-year Stanislav Vylet (Kurim, Czech Republic) will round out the defensive corps for the Statesmen.

Lavelle will be between the pipes for the Statesmen after an outstanding junior year, while first-year Dimitri Papaevagelou (Windham, N.H.) has stood out among the rookie goaltenders. Also returning is junior Thomas Kelliher (Rochester, N.Y.) after becoming the first goalie to post consecutive shutouts in 2003-04.

Hobart drops the puck on Oct. 29-30, traveling to the Buffalo State Invitational to play Fredonia and Buffalo State, respectively. The Statesmen jump right into the conference schedule on Nov. 5, at rival RIT. They won’t see their home ice until Nov. 19, hosting Potsdam. Hobart also will face off with some of the top teams in the northeast, traveling to Williams and Amherst.