Hobart took advantage of a first minute goal and a second marker just over seven minutes into the opening period and skated off with a 3-1 win over a young Utica team on Thursday afternoon. The Statesmen, defending national champions, took advantage of their experienced roster to stymie the upset minded Pioneers holding them scoreless on three power play opportunities and limiting Utica to just 23 shots on goal.
“It was a great game between two really good teams,” stated Hobart head coach Mark Taylor. “We built a buffer and got to play with a lead that forced them to chase the game and have to take some more chances.”
In the opening minute it was Utica that had the jump on the opening shift but Hobart quickly transitioned into pressure mode and got paid off with Austin Mourar’s shot from the right point eluding Utica goaltender Ethan Roberts through a screen for a 1-0 lead just 52 seconds into the contest. Just under three minutes later, Utica;s Drake Morse cruised down the right wing into the Hobart zone and rang his shot off the goal post on the short side of goaltender Damon Beaver and Hobart held their lead.
The Statesmen built on their advantage just over seven minutes into the period as Tristan Fasig picked up his second assist of the game by taking a Utica defender with him deep in the zone before feeding a wide open Tanner Hartman who fired a shot high over Roberts’ glove hand for a 2-0 lead. The period finished 2-0 for Hobart who also held a 10-9 advantage in shots.
Utica settled down a bit in the second period and both Roberts and Beaver came up big for their teams early with some key stops to keep the score at 2-0. Midway through the period, Utica’s Michael Herrera made a beautiful move across the top of the slot from left to right and beat a screened Beaver to the short side to cut the deficit to 2-1. Utica had two more power play opportunities but couldn’t solve the Hobart pressure or Beaver. Roberts helped preserve the one-goal deficit as he robbed Shane Shell on a shorthanded breakaway that kept the deficit at one goal.
Hobart opened the third period with the man advantage but was unable to extend the lead. Despite several end-to-end rushes, Utica was unable to create many good scoring chances as Hobart clogged shooting lanes and blocked several shots to keep the goal area clear for Beaver who finished with 22 saves on 23 shots. Connor Lally and Cooper Swift each blocked four of Hobart’s 20 blocked shots in the game.
In the final three minutes Utica pulled Roberts looking for the equalizer but only found relentless pressure from Hobart in their defensive zone that turned into an empty-net goal as Luke Aquaro chased down a loose puck at center ice and made a play to the slot where Shane Shell deposited the puck into the open goal for the 3-1 final score.
“I thought we had a great first shift,” said Utica head coach Gary Heenan. “We accelerated this team quickly but our being young showed today. They are a very experienced group with a bunch of All-Americans as the defending national champions. They forced some mistakes from our young guys and took advantage of them early. It’s hard to chase a game like this. I liked our bounce-back but they make it hard and Beaver is just a stud in goal.”
Hobart awaits the winner of tonight’s second semifinal between Adrian and Trinity. The championship game is scheduled for 7 PM on Saturday, March 23.
