Men's Ice Hockey at No. 12/11 Hobart
Friday, February 2—7 p.m.
The Cooler—Geneva, N.Y.

THE SERIES
Babson and Hobart will meet for the third time this season and 15th time overall on Friday night in a series that dates back to the 1987-88 season. The Beavers are 10-2-2 all-time against the Statesmen and have taken three points from the first two matchups between the teams this season.

LAST MEETING
Senior Ryan Gouveia scored at 13:35 of the third period as Babson defeated Hobart, 4-3, on January 12 in Geneva. First-year Nick Rosa and Christian Faggas staked the Beavers to a 2-0 first-period lead before the Statesmen rallied to go in front on senior Vincent Russo's second goal of the game 4:28 into the third. Senior Bobby Hall also scored for the Green and White.

LAST HOBART WIN
Bobby Sokol scored twice in the third period as the Statesmen used three unanswered goals in the third period to edge Babson, 3-1, on October 28, 2016, in Geneva. Gouveia scored early in the second period and junior Matt Pompa made 39 saves for the Beavers, who led 1-0 midway through the third.

SCOUTING THE STATESMEN
No. 12 USCHO.com/No. 11 D3hockey.com Hobart (12-5-4, 9-3-2 NEHC) has won four straight games after blanking Southern Maine, 4-0, last Saturday. Senior Andrew Silard, junior Jonas Toupal and first-years Phil Satin and TJ Schultz all scored for the Statesmen, which got 16 saves and a second consecutive shutout from Alexander Connal. Toupal (13-8-21) is tied for fifth in the league in scoring, senior Ben Greiner (5-11-16) owns a pair of game-winning goals, and sophomore Lawson MacDougall (1-14-15) ranks fifth in the NEHC in assists. Connal (8-3-1) has started the last three games and is second in Division III in goals against average (1.58) and seventh in save percentage (.936).

SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
Babson (11-8-2, 9-4-1 NEHC) wrapped up its five-game home stand with a 3-1 win over Castleton last Saturday. Rosa and seniors Charlie Ackerman and Matt McMorrow each had a goal for the Beavers, who got 22 saves from Pompa. McMorrow (5-13-18) is tied for sixth in the conference in assists, Gouveia (10-7-17) has three game-winning goals and two power play tallies, and senior Rob Devaney (6-9-15) is averaging better than a point per game in league play. Pompa (8-7-2) and junior Bryan Botcher (3-1-0) have combined to post a 2.11 goals against average and a .929 save percentage to go along with three shutouts on the year.

BATTLING FOR HOME ICE
Entering the final two weekends of conference play, just five points separates the top four teams in the NEHC. Second-place Hobart (20), Babson (19) and UMass Boston (18) are just two points apart, while first-place Norwich is three-points clear of the Statesmen. The Beavers can guarantee themselves a home quarterfinal by taking three points from their final four contests.

BEAVERS' ELDER STATESMEN
Devaney (2-3-5), Ackerman (2-2-4) and Gouveia (3-0-3) have combined for 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in five games over the last three years against Hobart.

STEADY PRODUCTION
McMorrow, who was named to the NEHC Honor Roll on Monday, and Gouveia have combined for 16 points over the last seven games, while Hall has recorded a point in three straight contests and four of his last five outings.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
The Beavers are 5-2-0 on the road in conference play and have outscored their foes 10-3 in the first period of these seven games.