by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy
Now 3 Years in a Row: Bridgedale Grad National Champ!
Bridgedale grad Tanner Hartman and his Hobart Statesmen teammates beat defending champion Adrian College last Sunday to win the NCAA Division 3 National Championship.
This makes it three years in a row that a Bridgedale grad has hoisted an NCAA Hockey Championship trophy.
Last year Denver University teammates Sean Behrens and Jack Devine won the Division 1 Championship.
The prior year, Bridgedale grad Josh Lopina won the D1 Championship with UMass.
Hobart's National Championship, its first ever, caps off a tremendous season in which they also won the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) title, only the second time they'd accomplished that feat.
Tanner had an exceptional season for the Statesmen, playing a regular at forward, finishing 6th on the team in scoring (7G and 12A - 19 Pts), and making the NEHC All-Rookie team.
During the season, when we noted the impact he was having at Hobart, we didn't mention how well he was doing academically. But that too is impressive. "I'm so proud of the fine young man he's become," says Tanner's dad Craig. "He's carrying a 4.15 GPA and made the Dean's List."