College men's hockey: Canton native Taylor heads No. 1 team in country
Nov. 29—Veteran Hobart College men's hockey coach and Canton native Mark Taylor is leading the No. 1 NCAA Division III team in the nation for the third straight week.
The USCHO.com poll ranked unbeaten Hobart as the No. 1 team in the land for the third week in a row Monday. The Statesmen (8-0) did not play last week during the Thanksgiving break but nonetheless won all 20 first-place votes for a second straight week.
Taylor is in his 22nd year as Hobart's head coach. The reigning New England Hockey Conference Coach of the Year, Taylor has compiled a 357-172-54 record at the college and led the Statesmen to 11 NCAA Tournaments. Hobart has won 20 games a season six of the last eight years.
Last season Hobart finished with a 20-6-3 record and advanced to its 11th NCAA tourney with an at-large bid. The Statesmen advanced to the quarterfinals after winning their first NEHC regular-season title with a 13-2-2 mark.
Hobart has shut out its last three opponents this season, recording victories of 5-0, 5-0 and 3-0 over SUNY Cortland, Johnson & Wales and UMass Boston, respectively. The Statesmen last allowed a goal in a 4-3 overtime victory over the Buffalo State Bengals at home Nov. 11.
Prior to taking the head coaching job at Hobart in 2000, Taylor worked as the lead assistant coach for Division I University of Massachusetts at Lowell for five seasons. Prior to that, he served five years as the top assistant at Cornell University.
Taylor began his coaching career with a year apiece at Middlebury, Brown and Vermont.
Taylor is a graduate of Elmira College and also played hockey for Elmira and SUNY Canton.
Hobart resumes its schedule on Friday with a home game against Castleton University in Geneva.
