MOUNT ST. MARY'S (0-9, 0-1 NEC) vs. HOBART (2-6, 1-1 NEC)
Saturday, March 29, 2014, 12:00 p.m.
Waldron Family Stadium, Emmitsburg, Md.
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MOUNT UPDATE: Mount St. Mary's opened Northeast Conference play with a 15-8 loss to Robert Morris on Tuesday afternoon. The Mount jumped out to a 3-0 first quarter lead, only to see Robert Morris scored the next six goals. The Colonials led 7-4 at the half, and stretched the lead to 10-6 after three quarters of play. Mark Hojnoski, returning to the lineup from injury, led the Mount with a career-best four goals. Nick Haley won 15-of-25 face-offs while collecting a game-high 10 ground balls. In the cage, Chris Klaiber made 15 saves in just over three quarters of action.
ABOUT THE STATESMEN: Hobart enters Saturday's tilt with a 2-6 overall record and a 1-1 mark in the Northeast Conference. Hobart lost to Bryant, 15-8, last Saturday. The Bulldogs raced to a 9-1 lead en route to the win. Zach Reed led the Statesmen with a career-high four points (3g, 1a) while Cam Stone and Matt Opsahl added a goal and an assist each. Peter Zonino made 11 saves in the loss. Stone leads the team in scoring with 17 points (6g, 11a) while Jake McHenry has scored a team-best 15 goals. Zonino has a 10.59 goals against average and a .530 save percentage this year.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES: This will be the first-ever meeting between the Mount and Hobart.
GRAVANTE FACING ALMA MATER: Mount St. Mary's head coach Tom Gravante will be facing his alma mater for the first time on Saturday. A 1988 graduate of Hobart, Gravante was a standout on attack for the Statesmen. He tallied 141 goals and 69 assists for 210 career points while helping lead the team to NCAA Division III National Championships in each of his four seasons. Gravante had 66 goals and 22 assists for Hobart as a senior and was a two-time first-team All-American.
HOJNOSKI HAS STRONG RETURN: Junior Mark Hojnoski returned to the lineup in a big way in the Mount's 15-8 loss to Robert Morris on Tuesday, tallying a career-best four goals while adding an assist for a team-best five points. Hojnoski had missed the previous four games due to injury.
HAT TRICKS: Mark Hojnoski's four-goal game against Robert Morris was the Mount's second hat trick of the year. Bubba Johnson recorded his first career hat trick in the Mount's 9-6 loss to No. 20 Drexel on March 15.
BALANCED SCORING: The Mountaineers have had balanced scoring this season as 17 different players have found the back of the cage. Bubba Johnson has a team-high eight goals. Fourteen different players have recorded their first career goal this season.
ON THE OFFENSE: The Mount offense has struggled this season, averaging just 5.22 goals per game. The Mount scored a season-high eight goals in the loss to Robert Morris, and is averaging 7.0 goals over the past four games. Mount St. Mary's is averaging 27.1 shots per game.
THE MOUNT VS. RANKED OPPONENTS: The Mountaineers are 5-52 all-time against ranked opponents since the move to NCAA Division I in 1989. Mount St. Mary's is 0-3 against ranked foes this year, falling to then No. 6 Maryland, 16-3, in the season opener, No. 4 Virginia, 14-6, at home on Feb. 25, and 9-6 to No. 20 Drexel on March 15.
PRESEASON POLL: The Mount was tabbed to finish in sixth place in the annual Northeast Conference Preseason Poll. Defending champion Bryant was picked to finish first with Robert Morris and Hobart in a tie for second. Saint Joseph's, Sacred Heart, the Mount and Wagner round out the poll.
THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE: The Mountaineers are in the Northeast Conference, which will be in its fourth season of play. The NEC has a new look this year as Hobart and Saint Joseph's join the league, which includes the Mount, Bryant, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart and Wagner. Mount St. Mary's won the inaugural NEC title in 2011, while Bryant has won the league the past two years.
UP NEXT: The Mount visits Saint Joseph's on Tuesday, April 1, for a 7:00 p.m. Northeast Conference matchup.
