It might not have a cheat code, but the numbers sure don’t lie.
A powerhouse program at Plymouth State has lost a total of 12 games in the last three seasons, with three of those losses coming in the NCAA Division 3 tournament.
Three other losses have come against Anna Maria College.
The AmCats did it again last week, scoring three times in the first period en route to a 4-2 upset. It was Plymouth State’s first loss to a MASCAC team in nearly a full calendar year.
So that begs this question: With the dominant Panthers — and UMass Dartmouth — moving into the NEHC next season, who fills the power vacuum?
Maybe Anna Maria, one of the conference’s newest members.
The AmCats take a 12-5 overall record (8-2 MASCAC) and a four-game win streak into Thursday’s game against fellow newcomer Rivier. They’re one game ahead of third-place Salem State (11-5, 7-3), another team that’s exceeded expectations.
As projected in the preseason, the AmCats are scoring goals (3.82 per game), but one could make a case that the defense and goaltending have overachieved.
Sophomore goalie Matthew Hennessey (2.50 GAA, .921 save percentage), who's played the bulk of the games both last season and this season, has been solid. Junior Cole Johnston has also responded when called upon, making 42 saves in the win over Plymouth State.
“Defense has been better and more consistent than I thought it would be,” said Dave McCauley (Weymouth, Mass.), the only head coach the seventh-year program has ever known. “Up front, I knew we were going to score some goals.”
Senior defenseman and captain Derek Raposo leads the team in assists (17) and points (21). He’s also the team’s unquestioned leader, holding teammates accountable on and off the ice. Grad student Matthew Gilbert (10-8-18) and junior Braeden McKinnon (6-12-18) have led the way up front.
McCauley has attracted a parade of Canadian and Midwestern players to the Paxton, Mass., campus in recent years (the team practices and plays home games at the state-run Horgan Arena in nearby Auburn). The talent has allowed the AmCats to skate with teams like Plymouth State, especially while battling an injury bug that’s bitten players like wingers Max Pelletier and Owen Barrow.
“We jumped on them quickly and capitalized on that,” said McCauley. “Might have caught them off-guard a little bit and that got us ahead.”
There’s a palpable buzz around the team this winter after six seasons playing as an independent with no chance of earning a conference’s auto-bid to the NCAA tournament.
Now, sitting in second place in the MASCAC, it knows there’s a path to get in.
“The schedules we put together in the past … we tried to play teams in the top 15,” said McCauley. “So, our guys would get up for games. But now, to play for something every day, and have an edge, there’s a real excitement for us.”
THREE STARS
Will Redick, jr., F, Plymouth State
Redick has found his form from last year, when he led all of Division 3 in scoring. His 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) rank fourth nationally.
Tyler Stewart, jr., F, UMass Dartmouth
Stewart has followed up his All-MASCAC second-team sophomore season with another productive campaign. He leads the Corsairs with 13 assists and 23 points.
Aiden Winslow, fr., G, Westfield State
The Florida native has been outstanding for the Owls in his rookie season, posting a 2.12 GAA and .941 save percentage for a .500 team that’s in the middle of the MASCAC pack.
GAME TO WATCH
Anna Maria at Plymouth State, Feb. 22 (6 p.m.)
McCauley’s under no illusions. He knows his team’s second trip through the league will be tougher than the first.
And no game will be tougher than this one.
The litmus test for the AmCats will come in the regular-season finale, a Saturday night special in what will be a raucous Hanaway Rink against the league’s best team.
The eight-team MASCAC tournament begins with quarterfinal games five days later. Plymouth (13-5, 12-1) will be trying to win it for the sixth time in a row.
@MikeZhe603
mzhe@hockeyjournal.com
