No. 5 Hobart 6, Lebanon Valley 2

LVC Starters
Reno (D), LaBonte (RW), Skerlick (LW), Straub (D), Thompson (C), Manquen (G)

Hobart Starters
Keegan (G), Wolf (F), Poirier (F), Belizario (D), Bistodeau (F), Denicourt (D)

How It Happened
Lebanon Valley opened up ECAC West action this evening by hosting the No. 5 Hobart Statesmen. The Dutchmen fell into an early hole they couldn't climb out of and dropped a 6-2 decision. Hobart improved to 2-0-1, 1-0-0 ECACW, while LVC fell to 0-2-1, 0-1-0 ECACW.

The Statesmen got off to a hot start, scoring four goals in the first period. Nick Bingaman scored just 1:34 into the contest, followed by a goal from Brandon Bistodeau at 3:08. Zach Sternbach then scored two goals in 34 seconds to make it a 4-0 lead for Hobart after one period of action.

The Dutchmen played a solid second period, keeping the number five team in the country off the scoreboard, and scoring a goal of their own. At 9:42, Travis Hall delivered a goal off an assist from Mike Straub to cut into Hobart's lead at 4-1, which was the score heading into the final period.

In the third, the Statesmen scored an early goal at 4:10 to go up 5-1, and later at 11:37, Hobart netted another to make it a 6-1 game. LVC got one back with just a minute and nine seconds to go when Nick Skerlick found the back of the net off assists from Joey LaBonte and Brennan Thompson, but the clock ran out on the Dutchmen, resulting in the 6-2 defeat.

Inside the Numbers
 - Brad Nolan paced LVC with four shots on goal, while Bryan Hovanec, Hall and Jared Karas added three apiece.
 - Brenden Manquen took the L, but was solid between the pipes, making 35 saves for the Dutchmen.
 - Hobart's Tim Keegan earned his first win of the year, making 22 stops.
 - LVC led in total faceoffs won at 33-26. Zach McKown notched a team-high nine wins and Thompson added eight more.

 Who's Next?
The Dutchmen continue ECAC West action tomorrow night when LVC hosts Elmira College at 7 p.m.