With Friday night’s matchup between No. 1 ranked Hobart on the road to face No. 10 Skidmore, there was a definite opportunity to put the spotlight both teams contending near the top of the NEHC standings. While Hobart won a non-conference game over Middlebury last weekend, the Thoroughbreds have been waiting nearly a month to get back to real action and get rid of the residual disappointment of losing their final game before the semester to No. 7 ranked Geneseo – their only loss in the first half. Skidmore does not enter the second half lightly as Saturday brings another ranked team in Elmira and Tuesday’s opponent is a very talented Cortland team from the SUNYAC.
“This is the longest month of the year,” said head coach Rob Hutchison. “We played a really good hockey game against a very good Geneseo team, and it didn’t go our way to close out the first half. You really want to get back on the ice as quickly as possible and get back to game action, but the semester break delays that. We have been skating again since late last week and the team is anxious and excited to get back out there and play a game. Hobart is very good in all aspects under Coach Taylor, and I expect this Friday to be a really fun atmosphere in a game that should have great pace and skill on both ends of the ice.”
Despite the talent on both teams and playing on a larger than regulation ice sheet, goals are likely to be at a premium due to the excellent team defense played by both teams as well as the outstanding goaltending manning the creases for each squad. Mavrick Goyer and Damon Beaver have already produced seven shutouts this season, but senior Tate Brandon has been equally impressive recording three shutouts this season along with a 1.20 goals-against average and .954 save percentage in 11 games played for the Thoroughbreds.
“I am not sure where I can definitively say that Tate is better this season, but he definitely has stepped up his game so far this year,” stated Hutchison. “He is the ultimate competitor and loves playing for his teammates. I think there is maybe a bit more confidence in his game this year and he knows that as a senior this is his last hurrah to help our team to the top. He has been great in the locker room showing his leadership and what he does on the ice backs up the talk. He is certainly a big part of the early success this season and we will need him to continue to play at this level in the second half.
While Brandon gets a lot of attention, the depth of the Skidmore roster may be the best in Hutchison’s tenure – including a team that reached the NEHC title game just two seasons ago and lost in the semifinals to Hobart last year.
“We have great talent that now has experience,” noted Hutchison. “While we are still learning and growing, we make different and lesser mistakes now that have shown our maturity as a group. Out first line with Kaeden [Patrick] and Everett [Wardle] has been awesome but our depth has been contributing a lot to our success and we should be getting a couple of more guys back from injury that will also be key pieces in the second half for us. I am really pleased with our forward group and our D-corps so far and I think we are only going to get better when we get back to real action this weekend.”
Following nearly a month off since their last game on December 8, 2023, Skidmore will play five games in eight days to jumpstart their second half of the season and title run in the NEHC.
