Hobart caps off historic season with first SUNYAC Championship against Oswego

GENEVA, N.Y. — Championship games rarely stay quiet for long. Inside Hobart’s ice-cold rink known as “The Cooler,” the tension built slowly before the Statesmen finally broke through, using a dominant third period and a shutout performance from goaltender Damon Beaver to defeat the Oswego State Lakers 4–0 and capture their first SUNYAC Championship.

“We just played together really well,” Hobart head coach Mark Taylor said. “The support from the first guy to the second guy to the third guy throughout the game was really good. That balance and support was huge.”

For two periods, the game was exactly as tight and physical as many expected. Hobart found the first opening 4:25 into the first period, when forward Dominic Schimizzi slipped a wrist shot past Oswego freshman goaltender Michael Manzi. The early goal gave the Statesmen a 1–0 lead and allowed them to dictate the tempo for much of the opening frame.

“I’m really happy for him,” Taylor said of Schimizzi. “He was just offered a job for next year and is going down this week to sign his papers. That’s what every parent wants to hear for their son in college. So it’s been a pretty good week for Schmidz.”

Oswego Head Coach Ed Gosek believed his team handled the early pressure well.

“I thought they came out hard in the first, and we weathered the storm,” Gosek said. “After that I thought we settled in and played an intelligent game.”

The second period proved to be Oswego’s best stretch. After surviving another early push from Hobart, the Lakers began generating chances of their own and pushed for the equalizer late in the period. Captain Matt McQuade helped spark the surge, creating opportunities off the rush and forcing Beaver into several difficult saves.

By the end of the period, Oswego had erased Hobart’s shot advantage, evening the total at 18 shots apiece. Still, the scoreboard remained unchanged.

That balance lasted only briefly once the third period began.

Just over two and a half minutes into the final period, the game turned on an unfortunate break for the Lakers. During a defensive scramble, Oswego defenseman Johnathan Balah inadvertently knocked the puck into his own net. The own goal, credited to Schimizzi, extended Hobart’s lead to 2–0 and gave the Statesmen momentum they would not give up.

“Scoring on ourselves is not a good thing,” Gosek said. “There were just some individual mistakes. You can’t fault the guys for trying, but it happens. Once that happened, the game got out of reach.”

A few minutes later, Hobart capitalized again. With Oswego’s Brandon Cohen serving a hooking penalty, Tanner Daniels intercepted a neutral-zone pass and broke in alone, scoring at 7:19 to push the lead to 3–0.

Oswego received a potential lifeline later in the period when Hobart’s Easton Ryan was assessed a five-minute major penalty, but the opportunity never turned into momentum. Hobart’s penalty kill shut down the extended advantage, limiting the Lakers’ chances.

With time winding down, Tamas Toth added the final goal at 16:19 of the third period, finishing a play assisted by Josh Doolan and Schimizzi to seal the 4–0 victory.

For Hobart forward Khalil Fontana, the moment represented more than just a single win.

“It feels amazing,” Fontana said moments after the celebration. “I’m just so proud of the group. We’ve been battling all season. Coming into a new conference with new teams… I’m just so happy for the group.”

The numbers reflected Hobart’s control. The Statesmen outshot Oswego 38–30, converted one of two power-play opportunities, and killed off both Lakers power plays.

Behind it all was Damon Beaver, who stopped all 30 shots he faced to record the shutout, which broke the all time NCAA DIII record with 26 career shutouts.

Fontana, who has watched Beaver prepare every day, said the performance was no surprise.

“He’s unbelievable,” Fontana said. “He’s my roommate since day one. I moved in with this guy and I’m not sure if he’s human. He’s just a gamer. The stuff he’s been able to…best D3 goalie in history.”

Despite the loss, Gosek said he was proud of his team’s effort and the leadership shown by the senior class.

“Just a great group of seniors,” Gosek said. “They competed every day in practice, brought great attitudes, and they were just an enjoyable group to be around.”

“We were pleased with the compete level,” he added. “I thought we deserved better, but when you make mistakes against a team like that, they make you pay. They hound pucks, they’re relentless.”

The victory continued a historic run for Hobart. After finishing the regular season 27–0, the Statesmen remain undefeated heading into the NCAA Division III Tournament.

For Beaver, the focus has already shifted forward.

“One game at a time,” he said. “That’s the mindset. One shift, one game. If we keep working hard, hopefully it’ll go our way.”

When the final seconds ticked away, Hobart’s bench emptied onto the ice as the Statesmen celebrated a SUNYAC title at home, and a season that will now continue on the national stage.