Conor Bradley led the team in scoring last year. (Photo by Kevin Colton)

October 26 , 2006

GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart ice hockey team welcomes back 19 veterans from last year’s team that earned a 20-8-0 record and an appearance in the national semifinals. The 2005-06 ECAC West Coach of the Year, Mark Taylor, returns for his seventh season as head coach, alongside Assistant Coach Phil Roy. Together they led last year’s team to the most successful season in Hobart hockey history, collecting 20 wins. This year, they have added a talented class of first-years to the program, and are excited about what the 2006-07 season will bring.

After posting a regular season mark of 19-6-0, Hobart advanced to the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament, where it lost a hard-fought 5-4 overtime game to national runner-up St. Norbert. This year, the Statesmen look to improve upon last year’s history-making efforts.

Hobart graduated nine players from last year’s squad, all of whom played instrumental roles in the revitalization of the program. All-American Greg Gallagher, and All-ECAC West selections Ed Porier, Colby McVey, Will Bodine, and Will Brame all leave significant holes to fill. Assistant captain Lee Carrier will be missed for his excellence in penalty kills, while the offensive presence of ESPN Academic All-American Matt Garman will also be sorely missed.

Senior Conor Bradley (West Hartford, Conn.) returns after ranking eighth in the nation in power play goals and leading the team in scoring (18 goals) last season, along with classmate Mike McCarthy (Medfield, Mass.), who tallied 10 goals and 16 assists. Senior Jonathan Swift (Andover, Mass.) and junior Shawn Houde (Manchester, N.H.) return to provide strong offensive support after totaling 19 and 14 points, respectively, last season. Senior Adam Scott (Manchester, Mass.) also will continue to be a solid contributor after playing in 25 games (6 points) last season. The group gives Coach Taylor a wide range of options for his top scoring line, as well as experienced leaders to mix in with the younger players on the second and third lines.

Many talented defensemen also return to the fold. Seniors Mike Polsonetti (Lynn, Mass.) and Mike Manos (North Andover, Mass.), junior Michael Steiner (Shaker Heights, Ohio), and sophomores Ryan Adler (Piscataway, N.J.) and Andrew Brennan (Milford, Mass.) will bolster a scoring defense that ranked 17th in the nation in 2005-06.

Sophomore goalkeeper Keith Longo (Hopedale, Mass.) returns between the pipes for the Statesmen after earning a 12-7-0 record as a rookie. The three-time ECAC West Rookie of the Week and All-Rookie selection registered a Hobart record three shutouts, ranked sixth in the nation and led the league in save percentage (.928), and ranked second in the league and 11th in the nation with a 2.19 goals against average. Junior Dimitri Papaevagelou (Windham, N.H.) will challenge Longo for time in goal. Papaevagelou has a career record of 16-6-3 with a .894 save percentage and a 2.33 goals against average. Junior Trevor Pieri (Needham, Mass.) also factors into the mix; he owns a .901 save percentage and is undefeated in his collegiate career (5-0-0).

The coaching staff is counting on big contributions from the Class of 2010. Forwards Bobby Cahill (Famington Hills, Mich.), Blake Bonham (Toronto, Ont.), and Aleksey Koval (Kiev, Ukraine) all look to fill voids left by last year’s seniors, as will defensemen Dan Miller (Massena, N.Y.), and former Tabor Academy teammates Drew Wadsworth (Arlington, Va.) and Mike O’Brien (Franklin Lakes, N.J.).

Hobart is ranked sixth in the nation in the USCHO.com preseason poll, and is picked to finish second in a highly-competitive ECAC West. Three of the six teams in the league earned bids to last year’s NCAA Tournament, with two making semifinal appearances. Additionally, 18 of Hobart’s 25 regular season games will be against nationally-ranked opponents, including top-ranked Middlebury, No. 3 Norwich, No. 4 Elmira, No. 5 Manhattanville, and No. 7 Oswego.

The Statesmen open their season on Oct. 28 when they host Potsdam for a non-league game at 4 p.m. Proceeds from this game will benefit the Happiness House, a school for children with special needs. Hobart will begin league play on Nov. 3 when they travel to Utica for a match at 7 p.m.