Hobart, the dominant force in Division 3 hockey these last two-plus seasons, absorbed its first loss of the season Friday.
Not to an out-of-conference power. Not to one of the top teams chasing it in the New England Hockey Conference.
Nope, it came against a team in its debut season in the NEHC: Albertus Magnus, which in its years competing as an independent developed something of a reputation as a giant-killer.
The Falcons ended No. 1 Hobart’s NCAA-record 42 game unbeaten streak with a 3-2 overtime win at Ralph Walker Ice Rink in New Haven, Conn., with senior forward Zane Kindrachuk scoring the game-winner, probably the most famous goal in the program’s young Division 3 history.
For the two-time defending Division 3 champion Statesmen (18-1, 13-1), the loss ended their 31-game win streak, but will hardly affect their place atop the NEHC standings.
For Albertus Magnus (11-7-1, 8-5-1), the weekend split – Hobart rebounded to win, 4-2, on Saturday – moved it into fifth place in the 11-team conference, with second-place Babson (11-9-1, 9-7), third-place Norwich (9-7-3, 8-4-2) and fourth-place Salve Regina (10-8-3, 8-8) all within sight.
Here’s the game winner for @Albertus_MIH over #1 @HobartHockey! pic.twitter.com/RfdPoIxVuT
— D-III Hockey News (@DIIIHockeyNews) February 1, 2025
Predictably, the Falcons had to absorb all kinds of pressure facing the nation’s third-best offense (4.47 goals per game). Freshman goalie Chace Hale got the nod on Friday and turned away 45 shots.
Albertus Magnus played its first season in 2019-20, taking its lumps and going 4-18-2. The next year was largely ruined by the pandemic. But over the past three-plus seasons, coach Kyle Wallack’s team has taken a number of wins from more established opponents, the NESCAC being a favorite area to feast.
How have the Falcons done it this season? They’ve protected home ice, for one, with an 8-1 record.
They’ve scored clutch goals. Six of their games have gone to OT, and the Falcons have a 4-1-1 record in those games, with Kindrachuk scoring three of those game-winners.
Seniors Tyler Ignazzitto (5-10-15) and Tim Manning (5-9-14), who’ve had a hand in so many of the big wins over the years, are among the team’s scoring leaders.
Hale (2.47 goals-against average, .925 save percentage) and grad student Matt Lenz (2.37, .926) have been used as an effective tandem in goal and produced nearly identical numbers.
Albertus Magnus has three remaining weekend series, all against teams below it in the standings – Skidmore, UMass Boston and New England College.
THREE STARS
Brendan Kennedy, jr., F, Babson
Kennedy’s 12 goals lead both his team and the entire NEHC, and are two more than the amount he scored his freshman and sophomore years combined.
Sami Molu, soph., G, Norwich
Only Hobart is allowing fewer goals than the Cadets, and the sophomore from Toronto is a big reason for that. Playing every minute so far in net for a team that’s averaging barely two goals a game, he boasts a 1.98 goals-against average and .931 save percentage.
Arvega Hovsepyan, fr., F, Salve Regina
Hovsepyan’s 23 assists are tied for second-most in Division 3 and his 30 points lead the Seahawks during an impact freshman season.
GAMES TO WATCH
Salve Regina at Norwich (Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 4 p.m.)
Two teams very much in the mix to finish in second place play a pair at Kreitzberg Arena. Both are coming off weekend splits.
Salve bounced back from a 3-2 overtime loss at Elmira to win, 2-1, with senior defenseman Brendan Kim returning from injury and scoring his first goal of the season to win it late.
Norwich played two games at Babson that went right down to the wire. After losing by a goal on Friday, the Cadets snapped a 1-1 third-period tie when freshman Cole Fagan (North Andover, Mass.) sent Bryan O’Mara in on a breakaway.
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