COLLEGE ROUNDUP: Hobart remains No. 1 ahead of national championship rematch

The Hobart hockey team is ranked No. 1 in the first USCHO.com poll of the season, which was released Monday afternoon. The Statesmen received all 20 votes, making them the unanimous choice for the top spot. This is the 32nd consecutive poll in which Hobart has been ranked No. 1.

The Statesmen opened their season with a weekend sweep of Route 14 rival Elmira. On Friday night, Hobart used a pair of third-period goals to defeat the Soaring Eagles 3-1 at the Murray Athletic Center. Saturday afternoon, Hobart scored five goals in the second period and cruised to a 6-0 victory at The Cooler.

Six different Statesmen had multi-point weekends in the victories. Senior Damon Beaver started in goal on Friday and made 13 saves as he picked up the victory. On Saturday, Mavrick Goyer stopped all 19 shots he faced, earning the shutout.

Hobart will be back in action this weekend when it takes on seventh-ranked Utica (0-2) in a home-and-home series. The Statesmen and Pioneers will square off on Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica at 7 p.m. Advanced tickets can be purchased online. Tickets also will be available at the door.

On Saturday, the teams will face off at The Cooler at 4 p.m. Tickets for regular season contests at The Cooler cost $5 (cash or credit card) and will go on sale 60 minutes before opening faceoff. Children 12 and under are free as are HWS students, faculty and staff who present a valid HWS OneCard.

After being swept over the weekend by No. 10 Adrian, Utica fell to No. 7 in the national rankings. The Pioneers fell 3-1 on Friday before losing 5-3 the following day.

FOOTBALL

Taylor, Atwater earn Liberty League awardsJunior running back E.J. Taylor and first-year linebacker Jeron Atwater Jr. were named the Liberty League Football Offensive Performer of the Week and Rookie of the Week, respectively. Additionally, senior punter Vicente Lyon earned a spot on the Liberty League Weekly Honor Roll for his efforts in Hobart’s 28-21 overtime win at Rochester Saturday.

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Taylor produced 203 total yards and scored a touchdown against the Yellowjackets. UR went into the game allowing 134.4 yards rushing per game, but Taylor turned 28 carries into a career-high 196 yards, averaging 7.0 yards per attempt. He also caught a pass for seven yards. Taylor scored the game’s opening touchdown on a 1-yard plunge and added a 50-yard run to set up Hobart’s second touchdown of the game.

His 196 yards rushing rank 17th on Hobart’s single-game list and are the most by a Liberty League player this season. The Liberty League rushing leader has 211 more yards on the ground (861) than any other player in the conference.

In 30 career games, Taylor has 2,390 rushing yards (11th on Hobart’s all-time list) and 25 touchdowns (11th) as well as 33 receptions for 258 yards and three TDs.

Atwater made six tackles, including one for a loss, and broke up three passes at Rochester. He made the biggest impact on the final play of the game, breaking up the Yellowjackets’ fourth and 2 pass into the end zone to secure the Statesmen’s 14th consecutive win over UR.

Atwater has played in seven games this season, recording 30 tackles, 4.5 for loss, 2.5 sacks and six pass breakups.

Lyon averaged 45.3 yards per punt against the Yellowjackets. He punted six times for 272 yards with a long of 50 yards. Lyon leads the league in punting average (42.7), punts inside the 20 (11) and punts of 50+ yards (6).

Hobart (3-5, 2-3) will play its final road game of the regular season when it visits Hilbert (0-8, 0-6) on Saturday, Nov. 8. Kickoff at St. Francis High School in Hamburg, New York, is set for noon.