UTICA — The result of the other quarterfinal game raised the eyebrows of head coach Mark Taylor as well as seniors Tanner Daniels and Ignat Belov.

In the press conference after their 2-1 win over St. Norbert in an NCAA quarterfinal, the Hobart hockey team learned that Utica University had lost 5-1 to University of Wisconsin-Stout. It meant a fifth game against Utica over the past three seasons would not happen.

Down 1-0, No. 7 Stout scored three unanswered goals and then added two empty netters to end the Pioneers’ season. As Taylor noted with a chuckle, the Statesmen “have a pretty decent book on Utica over the years.”

Hobart (29-0) and Utica have played 51 times in their histories, with four of those games coming in the last three seasons.

Against Stout? Not one game. Friday will be the first time the two programs face one another.

“More scouting, more fun for the players,” Taylor said after the quarterfinal about facing Stout.

Stout (23-5-1) has scored 110 goals this season, averaging 3.79 goals per game for 17th in the country. Hobart remains at the No. 1 spot in the land with 153 goals in 29 games for a 5.28 goals per game average. Defensively, Stout allows 2.24 goals per game for a total of 64, which is 13th in the country. The one goal Hobart allowed to St. Norbert increased their goals per game allowed average from .89 to an unacceptable .90, which is still the top defense in the country by far. Second on the list is Salve Regina, which allowed 1.64 goals per game.

Based on numbers, No. 7-ranked Stout will bring plenty of physicality to the game and look to take it to Hobart. Stout has racked up 169 penalties this season, an average of 5.8 per game. They spend 15.1 minutes per game killing penalties on average. Of those 169 penalties, seven were majors and four were game misconducts. However, they have afforded themselves to be a physical team because of their penalty kill, which is No. 2 in the nation at a kill rate of 91.6%. Hobart is third at 91.4%, but has taken 58 fewer penalties than the Blue Devils.

It could, however, prove to be a demise for Stout given that Hobart’s power play is No. 2 in the nation and converts at a 34.2% rate. Senior co-captains Daniels and Kahlil Fontana each have six power-play goals to lead the team.

Leading the Blue Devils is forward Hayden Stocks. The sophomore from Edmonton, Alberta leads the team by a margin of 12 points with 17 goals and 20 assists. He has a lethal stick as his shooting percentage is .207, higher than any of Hobart’s regular forwards. Stocks is the only Blue Devil with more than 30 points. Second on the team is Nicolas Pigeon with 11 goals and 14 assists.

Sophomore Arvega Hovsepyan continues to lead the Statesmen with 41 points on 11 goals and 30 assists, two shy of the program record. Fontana is right behind him with 40 points on 20 and 20, and Daniels’ goal and assist closed the gap to just three with 16 goals and 21 assists. Defenseman Connor Lally is tied with Daniels at 37 points on 13 goals and 24 helpers.

Stout will start Sebastian Monaco in net. The freshman has started 19 games for the Blue Devils and has allowed 35 goals with 539 saves for a high save percentage of .934, which is fifth in the country.

For Hobart, it’s still Damon Beaver’s net as it has been for four years. The best goalie ever to play at the Division III level, Beaver’s save rate of .956 is .015 higher than second. He allows just .897 goals per game and is the all-time leader in shutouts at the Division III level.

When it comes down to the game, Stout is making its second appearance in the Frozen Four and its first since 2008-09. Hobart has been a mainstay at championship weekend for the last four years and the seventh time overall.

The Statesmen have been here before and know what it takes. At the same time, Hobart remains grateful of the moment, and the players don’t view it as a given. More than anything, Taylor and the squad are just excited to be playing at this time of the year.

“At this time of year, you’re just excited to keep playing,” Taylor said last weekend. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Utica or Stout.”

Puck drop is at 7 p.m. at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica.

In additional Hobart hockey news:

Taylor nominated for AHCA Division III Coach of the Year

Hobart head coach Mark Taylor was named one of 13 finalists for the Edward Jeremiah Award, given annually to the NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Coach of the Year. This is the fifth straight year and the 12th overall time that he has been a finalist for the AHCA Division III Coach of the Year Award.

Taylor won the Award in 2023 and ’24 and was the runner-up in ’25. This year’s winner will be announced on Thursday, March 26, in the lead-up to the national semifinals in Utica.

Taylor, the SUNYAC Coach of the Year, has guided the Statesmen to a 29-0 record entering the national semifinals. The 29 wins match Hobart’s single-season record. The Statesmen went 16-0 this season at The Cooler and extended their collegiate hockey home winning streak to a record 69 games. Hobart broke a 54-year-old mark held by Cornell for the longest home win streak on Feb. 20. In their first year in the SUNYAC, the Statesmen captured the regular season title with an 18-0-0 record. Hobart went on to defeat No. 13 Oswego to claim the tournament title. The Statesmen earned the SUNYAC’s automatic bid, marking their 11th consecutive selection to the NCAA tournament.

Now in his 26th year in charge of Hobart, Taylor has a 464-177-55 overall record. He is just the fourth man to lead the Statesmen and has more wins than all of his predecessors combined. Taylor has been named conference coach of the year 11 times. All 25 of Hobart’s All-Americans have come during Taylor’s tenure.

Taylor is looking to join Mike McShane, Bill Beaney, and Sid Watson as the only three-time winners of the award. McShane won the award five times at Norwich, Beaney won it four times at Middlebury and Watson won it three times at Bowdoin.