PINE VALLEY, N.Y.—For the second night in a row, the Hobart College hockey team defeated Elmira in overtime. Junior Tommaso Traversa (Torino, Italy) scored the game-winning goal with 1:15 left in the extra period to clinch a 5-4 victory for the Statesmen in an ECAC West game played at Elmira’s Murray Athletic Center.
Hobart improves to 13-8-4 overall and 7-5-3 in the conference with the win in its final game of the regular season. Sophomore Mac Olson (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) scored two goals and added an assist and classmate Bo Webster (Aurora, Ontario) added a goal and two assists. Sophomore Ben Gamache (Longlac, Ontario) chipped in two assists. Sophomore Lino Chimienti (Montreal, Quebec) played all 63:45 and turned aside a career-high 42 shots.
Four of Hobart’s five goals came on special teams with three on the power play and one short-handed tally. It was the ninth overtime game for the Statesmen this season, only four NCAA Division III men’s ice hockey teams have ever played more overtime games. The record stands at 11.
The Soaring Eagles fall to 14-10-1 and 9-5-1 in the ECAC West. Michael Collins and Jesper Strale each produced a goal and two assists. Ryan deMelo played 63:32 in goal and stopped 43 shots.
Elmira scored the first goal of the game just 2:32 into the game. Strale capitalized on a power play after a pass from Collins.
The second period saw a flurry of action with five goals scored between the two teams. The Statesmen started things scoring twice to take a 2-1 lead. Junior Robert Sovik (Prague, Czech Republic) lifted a short-handed tally just 1:54 in that beat the deMelo stick side. First-year Jon Neal (Encinitas, Calif.) and Webster earned the assists. At 5:27 Olson gave Hobart a 2-1 advantage with a power-play goal that he pushed in at the left post. Juniors Ryan Michel (Camillus, N.Y.) and Bronson Kovacs (Sault Ste Marie, Ontario) set up the play.
Elmira answered with two goals of their own to take a 3-2 lead. With 5:05 left in the middle period, Collins scored on a shot from right in front after a passes from Jarryd ten Vaanholt and Greg Whittle. Max Balaban put the Soaring Eagles on top with 3:34left in the second. Strale and Alexander Taulien earned the assists. Just 32 seconds later, Olson struck again for the Statesmen on a power play after quick passes from Gamache and Webster to knot the game at 3-3.
At 6:06 into the third period, Webster scored a power play after passes from Olson and Gamache to give Hobart a 4-3 lead. With 5:03 left in regulation, Josh Burnell tied things up at 4-4 for the Soaring Eagles, sending the game into overtime. Collins and Strale were credited with the assists.
The Statesmen held a 5-3 edge in shots in overtime. With 2:50 on the clock, Webster came inches away from scoring when he tried to convert on a wraparound. At 3:45 into overtime, Traversa notched his third goal this season to secure the victory for Hobart. Junior Peter Ryan (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) earned the assist on the play.
Hobart finished with a 48-46 edge in shots and went 3-for-7 on the power play. Elmira finished 2-for-6 on the power play.
The Statesmen have secured the No. 3 seed in the ECAC West tournament and will host No. 6 seed Nazareth on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. in The Cooler.
