There are ways to close out a calendar year and then there’s the way Curry College just did it.
The Colonels skated off with the title at the Northfield Savings Bank Holiday Tournament Saturday, scoring three times in the third period to down host Norwich, 3-1.
The two wins improved Curry’s record to 9-2 overall and announced it as – at least – a contender in the Commonwealth Coast Conference.
As teams and leagues in Division 3 resume full schedules this weekend, we’ll start the new calendar year with some holiday takeaways and burning questions.
Curry cements its status as a team to watch
Down 1-0 at nationally-ranked Norwich in the Northfield Savings Bank final, the Colonels got goals from senior Timmy Kent and freshman Gage Dill just 92 seconds apart, and Mark Zhukov added an empty-netter late.
It was the kind of statement win – in front of nearly 1,000 partisan fans, and following a 4-3 semifinal win over NESCAC power Trinity one day earlier – that should serve Curry well as it returns to Commonwealth Coast Conference play.
"Having the weekend we had this weekend really cements the belief that we have in this group," said second-year coach Peter Roundy.
Fourth in the league a year ago during Roundy's debut season, the team seems to have the pieces in place to challenge for the top spot: a robust attack led by Kent (6-12-18), production on the blueline from players like Nick Favaro (4-8-12) and Matt O’Connor of Nottingham, N.H. (1-10-11), and a proven veteran goalie in Reid Cooper (1.93 goals-against average, .930 save percentage).
Dill was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Connor and Cooper.
How rough was the weekend for the NESCAC?
Eight teams from the NESCAC were in action over the long New Year’s weekend, either in holiday tournaments or non-conference action.
The league’s collective record: 5-11-1, albeit against some stiff competition.
Colby played well during a tough road trip to NEHC powers Hobart and Elmira, but was handcuffed offensively in 2-1 and 3-1 losses.
An anticipated championship game against Norwich at the Northfield Savings Bank was unplugged when Trinity got upended by Curry, 4-3, in the semifinals.
First-place Amherst’s scintillating start to the season was slowed by a loss and tie against Nazareth on home ice.
How rested and ready is first-place Endicott?
The Gulls flew through their first semester with a 10-1 record and carry a nine-game win streak into Saturday’s non-conference game against Conn. College, their first game in exactly one month.
The rest should tee them up well for a January that includes weekend series against the three other top teams in the CCC: the University of New England (Jan. 13-14), Salve Regina (Jan. 20-21) and Curry (Jan. 27-28).
Ryan Willett (5-10-15) and Andrew Kurapov (6-8-14) are both averaging better than a point a game, and sophomore goalie Atticus Kelly (1.19 GAA, .955 save percentage) has been lights-out in net.
Which teams rank among the national leaders?
The top four scoring offenses in the nation all belong to teams from the region: UNE (5.09 goals per game), Endicott (4.45), Plymouth State (4.38) and Bowdoin (4.38).
Plymouth State junior forward Carson Lanceleve has been a breakout performer, with nine goals and 10 assists to supplement an attack that includes veterans like Ethan Stuckless (9-8-17) and Myles Abbate of Norwell, Mass. (4-9-13). The Panthers are 9-3-1 overall and again setting the pace in the MASCAC with a 6-0 record.
Bowdoin (7-1-1, 3-1-1) avoided the holiday pitfalls that dropped several NESCAC teams. Last year, only one Polar Bear – forward Chris Brown – produced more than 11 points all season. This time out, two players – senior Andy Stoneman (Arrowsic, Maine) and freshman Gabe Shipper – have achieved that mark through just nine games.
@MikeZhe603
mzhe@hockeyjournal.com
