Adam Lavelle '05

Craig Levey '05

February 16, 2002

GENEVA, N.Y. — Hobart College played flawless hockey to dominate Manhattanville College, 7-0, in its final home game of the season. First-year goaltender Adam Lavelle (Bridgton Academy/Chelmsford, Mass.) made 17 saves for his first career shutout and set a Statesmen single-season record for goalie wins with 10. Six Hobart players had multiple point games. First-year forward Craig Levey (Mississauga Chargers/Mississauga, Ontario) led the Statesmen with a hat trick and an assist.

Hobart jumped on the Valiants from the start, never letting their offense get into the game. An aggressive Statesmen forecheck kept the puck in the Manhattanville zone for much of the contest and the defense was smothering, giving up few quality scoring chances.

Hobart opened the scoring at the 7:59 mark of the first period, as Levey skated in on Valiant junior goalie Jon Peczka (Loomis Chaffee/Ludlow, Mass.) and wrapped the puck around him for the eventual game-winner. Five minutes later, the Statesmen capitalized on their first power play opportunity. Levey won the draw to the left of Peczka and sophomore forward R.C. Schmidt (Army/Buxton, Maine) stuffed the puck through his pads for a 2-0 lead.

Hobart stepped up its pressure in the second period. At the 7:41 mark, Levey fired a shot off Peczka’s glove for a three goal advantage, sending the Valiant’s goalie to the bench. Four minutes later, senior captain Dan Bush (Loomis Chaffee/Wallingford, Conn.) beat junior goalie Jeremy Hill (Tyngsboro Jr. Huskies/Newmarket, N.H.) with a high wrist shot for a 4-0 lead. Peczka returned to the Manhattanville goal briefly. With two minutes remaining in the period, sophomore forward Justin Macklin (Phillips Exeter/Acton, Mass.) intercepted a Peczka clearing attempt and fired the puck into the open net. After the goal, sophomore goalie Chad Killam (Halifax Exports/Stratford, Prince Edward Island) replaced Peczka and played the remainder of the game for the Valiants.

As good as the Statesmen defense was in the first two periods, it was even better in the third. Manhattanville didn’t get a shot on goal until just over seven minutes left and managed only three in the entire 20 minutes. Hobart took advantage of the Valiant’s frustration, getting power-play goals from first-year forward Jesse Desper (Williston/W. Kennebunk, Maine) and Levey to close the scoring at 7-0.

Schmidt also recorded four points on the afternoon with a goal and three assists. Desper and Bush each contributed a goal and an assist, while first-year defenseman Stephen Mitacek (Canterbury School/Wantagh, N.Y.) and sophomore forward Chris Doolan (Hill School/Lyndell, Pa.) each recorded two assists.

In goal for Manhattanville (15-6-3, 4-4-1 ECAC West), Peczka made 13 saves and allowed four goals in 33:51. Hill made one save and allowed a goal in 4:17, and Killam stopped 11 shots and gave up two goals in the final 21:52.

Hobart Head Coach Mark Taylor gave all the credit to his players for the dominance of the victory.

“It was a nice game as a coach, I just stood back and let it roll,” said Taylor. “We kept the pressure on and played smart defensively.”

While he was pleased with the offense, Taylor praised his defense and goalie as the crucial parts to the win.

“The defense did an awesome job and no question Adam (Lavelle) was superb.”

Hobart outshot the Valiants 32-17. Manhattanville has never won in three trips to the Geneva Recreation Complex (0-2-1). With their third win in a row, the Statesmen move past the Valiants into third place in the ECAC West. Hobart’s 10 wins are the most by a Statesmen squad since the 1992-93 campaign (14-12-0). During their three-game winning streak, the Statesmen have outscored their opponents 18-3.

Hobart (10-14-0, 5-4-0 ECAC West) closes out the regular season at 7 p.m. on Feb. 23, at Elmira College. The Soaring Eagles won a see-saw 8-5 victory in Geneva on Nov. 10.