This past weekend closed the book on the first chapter of the 2021-22 Division 3 season.
The next games that matter will come in the form of holiday tournaments in the week and weekend leading up to New Year's.
Then it's two months of largely conference play to set the pecking order in the New England Hockey Conference, Commonwealth Coast, NESCAC and MASCAC.
Since the first pucks dropped in late October, we've seen enough results to shake out a regional hierarchy before conference play gets into full gear.
Here's a look at our top 10.
1. BABSON
Conference: NEHC | Record: 8-1-2 (4-1-2) | Previous: No. 2
Next game: Dec. 31 vs. Trinity (2 p.m.)
The Beavers have stormed into their holiday break, their last result the most impressive one: a 6-4 win at Norwich on Dec. 4. Their averaging 4.7 goals during this current six-game unbeaten streak, are ranked No. 6 nationally and own second place in the NEHC behind No. 5 Hobart.
With a veteran team, Babson is getting big seasons from its known quantities: Senior forward Ryan Black (Pomfret, Conn.) leads the way with eight goals, senior forward Mike Egan (Billerica, Mass.) is a plus-15 and senior goalie Brad Arvanitis (Holliston, Mass.) has a .922 save percentage.
2. NORWICH
Conference: NEHC | Record: 6-1-4 (3-1-3) | Previous: No. 1
Next game: Jan. 1 vs. Hamilton (7 p.m.)
A strange first half concluded with a 6-4 home loss to Babson and a 2-2 tie last Tuesday at Plattsburgh, a game that saw the Cadets fail to hold on to a two-goal lead.
The first two weekends of 2022 will tell us more about this team. It will face either Williams or No. 11 University of New England at the Northfield Savings Bank Holiday Tournament, then take a trip to New York to play Hobart and Elmira the following weekend.
3. ENDICOTT
Conference: CCC | Record: 8-2-1 (6-2-1) | Previous: No. 4
Next game: Jan. 4 at Colby (7 p.m.)
The division between the haves and have-nots in the Commonwealth Coast could not be clearer. But Endicott is still the team to beat in our book, after going 3-2-1 in games against fellow contenders Salve Regina, University of New England and Curry. Both the losses came by 2-1 scores.
One area where the Gulls have been excellent is on the penalty kill, with a league-best 93 percent success rate. That and goalie Conor O'Brien are big reasons why they own the league's best goals-against average (1.62).
4. UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND
Conference: CCC | Record: 8-1-1 (7-1-1) | Previous: No. 6
Next game: Jan. 1 vs. Williams at Northfield, Vt. (4 p.m.)
The only knock on the Gulls to this point is their schedule, which hasn't been overly taxing and will get much stiffer in January.
Aside from defenseman Alex Sheehy's 3-on-3 overtime goal to win at Suffolk on Nov. 20, the Nor'easters have cruised against the bottom half of the league. They lead the league in offense with 4.30 goals per game, and leading scorers Austin Morgan and Jared Christy each added to their totals the last time out in a 3-1 win over Wentworth.
5. TRINITY
Conference: NESCAC | Record: 4-4 (2-2) | Previous: No. 3
Next game: Dec. 31 at Babson (2 p.m.)
It's been a Jekyll and Hyde start to the season for Matt Greason's crew. One of the preseason favorites in the NESCAC, nobody saw a four-game losing streak coming.
Maybe even more surprising -- and uplifting -- was how that streak ended, with Saturday's 4-3 upset of then-No. 4 Hobart, one that saw Division 1 transfers like Devan Tongue (Hampden, Mass.), Jax Murray and goalie Patrick Pugliese make big contributions. When they're on, the Bantams can play with anyone.
6. WILLIAMS
Conference: NESCAC | Record: 5-3 (5-1) | Previous: No. 7
Next game: Jan. 1 vs. University of New England at Northfield, Vt. (4 p.m.)
All five of the Ephs' wins have been by a single goal, a run capped by Sunday's 3-2 overtime win against Amherst that saw senior Jack Forrest (Ridgefield, Conn.) finish off a pass from defenseman Jarin Sutton in OT.
With standout goalie Evan Ruschil between the pipes, Williams is poised to win more close games. Ruschil's .965 save percentage is second in Division 3.
7. PLYMOUTH STATE
Conference: MASCAC | Record: 8-3-1 (5-0-1) | Previous: No. 5
Next game: Jan. 6 at Fitchburg State (6:30 p.m.)
A key, recent, non-conference stretch was a mixed bag for the Panthers, who after handcuffing explosive UMass Boston, 4-1, suffered back-to-back 3-2 setbacks to Wesleyan and New England College.
The path back to the NCAA tournament will likely involve winning the MASCAC, and the Panthers will have to avoid the lapses like the ones that plagued them against NEC, conceding a goal in the game's opening minute and falling behind 3-0 in the second period. They fought back, putting 54 shots on goal, but couldn't equalize.
8. SALVE REGINA
Conference: CCC | Record: 9-4 (7-2) | Previous: No. 9
Next game: Jan. 14 vs. University of New England (8 p.m.)
The holiday break for the Seahawks is one of the region's longest -- 34 days -- and comes at probably a lousy time, putting a five-game win streak on pause.
Junior forward and South Shore Kings product Mitch Walinski (Lincoln, R.I.), who began his career at Air Force, has been a force for Salve, with a team-high eight goals and 18 points. He had two goals and two assists in Saturday's 5-2 win over No. 13 Curry.
9. WESLEYAN
Conference: NESCAC | Record: 4-3-1 (3-0-1) | Previous: NR
Next game: Jan. 7 vs. Williams (7 p.m.)
The Cardinals have been wildly inconsistent to start the year, but say this for them: The 2019 NESCAC champs are continuing to win key games in their conference and making it interesting along the way.
A semester-ending three-game win streak was capped by a non-conference win at Plymouth State on Friday. Trailing by a goal with less than three minutes to play, they rallied for a 3-2 win thanks to goals from DJ Dixon and Milton Academy product Emmet Powell.
10. CURRY
Conference: CCC | Record: 8-2-1 (6-2-1) | Previous: No. 8
Next game: Jan. 4 at Amherst (7 p.m.)
The joyride that saw the Colonels open the season on a nine-game unbeaten streak hit a wall with back-to-back 5-2 losses to two of the league's better teams, Endicott and Salve Regina.
Leading scorer Timmy Kent scored a goal in each of the losses.
@MikeZhe603
mzhe@hockeyjournal.com
