Chris Potter has a label for it, the points that are grabbed -- or left on the ice -- during every weekend of NESCAC play.
“Every weekend’s a moving weekend, we call it,” said the Wesleyan coach.
As we move into the meat of conference play, no team’s moved better than Wesleyan. A team built around its four senior defensemen, and with a balanced offensive attack, the Cardinals are setting the early league pace with a 5-0-1 record (6-3-1 overall).
They’re 3-for-3 in January, coming off an impressive weekend that saw wins over Middlebury (5-1) and Williams (5-0).
All four lines produced a goal against Middlebury, a nod to the balance the team has developed. Junior Walker Harris leads the team in scoring with eight goals and 12 points, and seven other players have scored at least three times.
“Most nights, all four lines are a threat to score,” Potter noted.
The top line of junior Spencer Fox, junior Tyler Wyatt and freshman Tyler Levine has put together some big nights, like they did against Williams when they had a hand in four of the goals.
But when it comes to the foundation, it’s the defense; specifically, it’s senior regulars Chad Malinowski, Chris White, Sean Ross and Mike Yablong, who were thrust into the mix as freshmen during a two-win season but have helped the team make strides every year since.
“These guys have pretty much seen everything,” said Potter.
Junior Tim Sestak (Darien, Conn.) has taken the reins in goal, sharing minutes with two other netminders but posting the best numbers, including a 5-1-1 record and 1.70 goals-against average. His .943 save percentage ranks fourth in Division 3.
The Cardinals, who are tied atop the league with Williams (but have two games in hand), take their first-place standing to Maine this weekend to face off against Bowdoin (Friday) and Colby (Saturday).
Another chance to move, for a group that expected to be moving in the right direction this winter.
“I think this group, after the last couple of years, making two trips to the NESCAC final four, expectations were relatively high,” said Potter.
Team of the Week
Endicott
The Gulls (9-3-2) played a pair of superb third periods to skate off with the title at the Northeast Savings Bank tournament over the weekend in Northfield, Vt., and extended their unbeaten streak to seven games.
Down 3-1 entering the third period in the opener against Buffalo, Tommy Besinger (Milton, Mass.), Luke Rodgers and Josh Bowes found the net to give Endicott a 4-3 win. The next night, trailing host Norwich by a goal in the championship, Jack Kilty (Medway, Mass,) and Daniel Kucerovy scored third-period goals to forge a 3-3 tie and the Gulls won the shootout, with tourney MVP Besinger scoring the lone goal.
Player of the Week
Joey Lupo, jr., F, Amherst
The St. Louis native helped the Mammoths beat Bowdoin and Colby over the weekend and climb into fourth place in the NESCAC.
In a 6-3, come-from-behind win over Bowdoin, Lupo scored two goals, including one short-handed. He assisted on two goals in the 6-3 win over Colby, giving him five points for the weekend and a 5-3-8 scoring line for the season.
Game to Watch
UMass-Boston at New England College, Friday, 7 p.m.
The eighth-ranked Beacons (12-3) open the second half of conference play with a three-point lead on Babson, but lurking right below them is an NEC team boasting a gaudy 9-3-2 record of its own.
Nolan Redler of Winchester, Mass. (8-9-17) leads a UMB attack that’s averaging 4.27 goals a game -- fifth-best in the nation -- while junior goalie Anthony Pupplo ranks seventh in Division 3 with a .938 save percentage on a top-10 defensive team.
