SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.— The Skidmore College hockey team came up just short in a 4-2 New England Hockey Conference loss to #12 Hobart College Friday night at the Saratoga Springs City Rink.
 
The home-and-home series moves to Geneva tomorrow for a 7 p.m. game.
 
The Thoroughbreds are 1-8-1 overall and 0-6-1 in NEHC play, while Hobart moves to 5-2-2 and 4-1-2.
 
John Litscher and Adam Moodie scored for Skidmore and Brandon Kasel stopped 36 of 39 shots faced.
 
Jonáš Toupal led the Statesmen with two goals, while Vincent Russo and Jordan Haskell had single tallies. Alexander Connal had 25 saves in net to improve to 3-1-1.
 
Hobart's first goal came right after Skidmore killed off a 5-on-3 first period power play.  Toupal snuck one by Kasel on a tough angle along the goal line at 12:11 from Tanner Shaw.
 
Haskell scored a power-play goal at 5:37 of the second to make it 2-0. Julien Denicourt had the assist.  Litscher got Skidmore on the board when he went top shelf off the cross bar at 7:25 from Corey Morgan. Moodie tied it when he batted out of the air past Connal at 16:46 from Matt Muzyka.
 
The teams traded chances early in the third period before Toupal scored in traffic off a rebound at 8:02. Zack Sternbach and Tanner Shaw had the helpers.
 
The Statesmen were able to limit Skidmore's chances the rest of the way, adding an empty net goal at 19:46 for the 4-2 final.
 
Hobart outshot the Thoroughbreds 40-27. The Statesmen were 1-9 on the power play, while Skidmore went 0-6.
 
The Thoroughbreds played in their Ugly Sweaters. Those jerseys are being auctioned off throughout the weekend. The proceeds benefit Toys for Toga. The auction link: https://www.32auctions.com/skidhockeyjerseys