The potential ninth game reported here about a month ago has fallen through according to a source within the Hobart Athletic Department. Unfortunately, with only 71 days until kick-off, it appears as though Hobart will play it's first eight game regular season since 1978 (that's 33 years for those math challenged individuals like myself).
The good news is that Hobart still has the opportunity to play a ninth game (or more?) if they win the Liberty League title and earn a post-season NCAA tournament berth (which would be their first trip back to the Field of 32 since the 2008 season). Another possibility would be an ECAC post-season "bowl game" if the Statesmen finish the season 6-2 or 5-3 (last year's 5-4 mark proved insufficient to earn a bid in comparison to other ECAC-bowl eligible teams). One thing in Hobart's favor is the fact the Statesmen welcome back 40 returning lettermen and 15 starters making them an early favorite to win the LL championship and accompanying NCAA bid.
That said it is disappointing for both the fans and the players, especially the seniors, to have only two games in September and effectively THREE bye weeks in the 2011 season. All in all, this has been one of the toughest off-seasons for the Statesmen in many years.
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