Three-time champ Hobart brings 29-game streak to Plattsburgh

PLATTSBURGH | College hockey's modern dynasty arrives in Plattsburgh on Friday night as No. 1 Hobart visits Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena at 7 p.m. Hobart enters as the sport's standard bearer, riding a 29-game unbeaten streak while winning three consecutive national championships. Since capturing the program's first national title in 2023, the Statesmen are 102-5-2 in their last 109 games. "Yeah, obviously, it's pretty impressive," Plattsburgh head coach Steve Moffat said. "And this year, so far, it's probably the most impressive, with the scores that they're beating teams by — 7-1, 8-0, 6-0. So one, it's hard to score against them, and two, it's hard to keep it out. "They obviously have great players. They're well coached. And there's really no drop-off from their first line to their fourth line. So you're just getting wave after wave after wave of kids coming at you." Hobart has outscored opponents 33-4 since the semester break. The Statesmen boast elite balance, led by first team All-American forward Tanner Daniels, who has eight goals, 11 assists and 19 points. Second team All-American goaltender Damon Beaver has been dominant, posting an 11-0-0 record with a .943 save percentage and a 1.02 goals-against average. Plattsburgh saw how narrow the margin for error is in the first meeting. The Cardinals trailed 1-0 midway into the third period before Hobart pulled away for a 3-0 win on Nov. 15 in Geneva. "Well, I think we have to really manage the puck," Moffat said. "You can turn the puck over at the top of their circles, and they're going to make you pay for it at the other end of the ice. You've got to try to keep them in front of you, which is really hard to do because they're really fast. "You have to be heavy on the puck with them. They are strong, they are competitive on pucks. So we're going to have to do a good job winning one-on-one battles, but even more than that, you're going to have to win a one-on-two battle. I'm not going to say you have to play a perfect game, but you have to play really well to beat them." Saturday brings no relief, as Plattsburgh renews its rivalry with No. 4 Oswego, which enters on a five-game winning streak. The Lakers handed the Cardinals a heartbreaking 3-2 loss on Nov. 14, scoring the game-winning goal with 1.4 seconds remaining after Plattsburgh had rallied to tie the game late in the third period. Plattsburgh enters the weekend fifth in the SUNYAC standings with eight points, tied with Potsdam and Buffalo State. With the top-eight teams qualifying for the postseason, the Cardinals sit inside the cutoff as the conference schedule turns to its second half. "You get to play two really good teams," Moffat said. "They were good games last time we played them. They were fast, they were physical. The two fastest and two most physical games we've played in all year, especially back-to-back. So it's going to be a mentally draining and physically draining weekend. "But also, it's an amazing opportunity for our fans, for our players, for our program to go out and play against these guys. We need to maintain our position in the (SUNYAC) standings. You've got to start thinking about seedings and where you are and what's going on, because now, this is the first weekend of the second half of the SUNYAC schedule. "Hey, you get to play the two best teams in our conference, so it's a pretty good spot for us." Moffat noted the role the home crowd can play this weekend. "We try to do a lot to encourage fan involvement. We try to do a lot to include the community, and the community always comes out to support initiatives like last weekend and Hockey Fights Cancer or whatever we're doing," he said. "We need them to be the seventh player on the ice. There's a jersey in Stafford Arena with a No. 7 on it for the fans. We need them, and we need them to be in our corner. Hopefully, we get the loudest crowds that we've had all year."

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Three-time champ Hobart brings 29-game streak to Plattsburgh

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