With three weekends to go in the regular season, the best Division 3 title race in the region can be found in the NESCAC.
The top of the standings got even tighter following a weekend that saw leaders Amherst and Wesleyan stumble, Trinity continue its charge, and Colby skate to yet another win over top rival Bowdoin.
Four teams have positioned themselves smartly in the NESCAC’s order of merit, which awards three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime win and one point for an overtime loss.
Let’s take a closer look at the contenders.
TRINITY
Record: 12-5-1 (9-2-1 NESCAC) | Points: 28.5 | This weekend: Friday vs. Williams, Saturday vs. Middlebury
How it’s going: The preseason favorite finds itself riding a nine-game unbeaten streak and atop the standings after a ragged December that produced four losses in six games. Tilton School product Gerard Maretta’s hat trick led a 4-0 blanking of Amherst on Saturday and gives him a team-high 12 goals on the season.
Player to watch: Kyle Tomaso. No player in the NESCAC has more assists over the past two seasons than the junior playmaker from Newport, R.I. His 15 helpers this year lead the league and are a big reason why the Bantams are scoring at a 3.50 goals per game clip.
AMHERST
Record: 12-4-2 (10-2 NESCAC) | Points: 28 | This weekend: Friday vs. Bowdoin, Saturday vs. Colby
How it’s going: The Mammoths’ six-game win streak was snapped by Maretta and Trinity, but their overall body of work has been splendid. Only six teams nationally are allowing fewer goals per game than their 1.94.
Players to watch: Matt Toporowski and Ben Kuzma. Amherst is the only contender that doesn’t rank in the top half of the league in scoring, no surprise given the program’s defense-first philosophy. The two sophomores have combined for 17 goals (a big jump from the 11 they collectively produced as freshmen) and they’ll likely need to keep it up.
WESLEYAN
Record: 11-5-2 (7-3-2 NESCAC) | Points: 26 | This weekend: Friday vs. Middlebury, Saturday vs. Williams
How it’s going: Couldn't get more frustrating for the Cardinals than it did over the weekend. Despite comfortably outshooting Amherst and Hamilton on home ice, they absorbed a pair of 2-1 overtime losses to fall back in the standings. They’re on a three-game losing streak with each loss by a single goal.
Player to watch: Jake Lachance. The senior defenseman from Andover, Mass., and Berkshire School is a playmaker from the blueline, with a team-best 13 assists. Producing more to flip those one-goal losses into critical wins is the team’s focus heading forward.
COLBY
Record: 10-6-2 (8-3-1 NESCAC) | Points: 24.5 | This weekend: Friday at Hamilton, Saturday at Amherst
How it’s going: The Mules extended their unbeaten streak against rival Bowdoin to a fan base-pleasing 12 games with Saturday’s 4-0 win. They’re also riding a five-game unbeaten streak since losing to Trinity, 3-2, on Jan. 13. Part of that is what continues to be a world class penalty kill, with 72 of 73 man advantages erased (98.6 percent).
Player to watch: Andy Beran. With a 1.92 goals-against average and .933 save percentage, the junior goalie gives the Mules a chance to win every time they take the ice, which is critical for a team that doesn’t quite have the offensive firepower of Trinity or Wesleyan.
@MikeZhe603
mzhe@hockeyjournal.com
