The Division 3 season has passed its midpoint.
From here on in, it’s just conference battles, league tournaments and – for the very best – the NCAA tournament in March.
As we move into the second half of the season, we have a new No. 1 team in our power rankings, a team that hasn’t lost a game since before Thanksgiving.
Which teams have the inside tracks on March glory? We present our latest regional Top 10.
1. ENDICOTT
Record: 11-1-1 (6-1-1 CNE) | Last ranking: 3 | Next game: Friday vs. University of New England (6 p.m.)
On the weekend before Thanksgiving, the Gulls absorbed a loss and a tie in a home-and-home with Suffolk. Since then? Eight straight wins, with a total of 12 goals allowed. No team in the league has a better defensive record and no player is winning face-offs at a higher rate than junior Michael Casey (63 percent).
2. CURRY
Record: 10-4 (7-2 CNE) | Last ranking: 2 | Next game: Friday vs. Johnson & Wales (7 p.m.)
The month of January sets up favorably for the Colonels, with seven games against teams in the bottom half of the standings. They earned their best win of the season earlier this month, 4-2 against NESCAC leader Hamilton, with senior Killian Rowlee scoring a pair of goals to hand the Continentals their first loss of the season.
3. BABSON
Record: 10-2-2 (5-1-1 LEC) | Last ranking: 5 | Next game: Friday at UMass Dartmouth (5:30 p.m.)
The Beavers have set themselves up for success in their first season in the Little East, sharing first place with surprising Southern Maine (7-6-1, 5-1-1), a team that wasn’t on anybody’s radar back in October. Babson’s five-game unbeaten streak was capped by a 4-1 win over Plymouth State on Friday and ended by a 2-1 loss to New England College a day later. Senior goalie Nate Mueller made 59 saves in the two games.
4. UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND
Record: 10-4 (7-2 CNE) | Last ranking: 1 | Next game: Friday at Endicott (6 p.m.)
The Nor’easters have gone a pedestrian 4-4 since opening the season with six straight wins, and it doesn’t get easier with two games against Endicott this weekend. Juniors Drew Olivieri (Swampscott, Mass.) and Dominic Murphy (Worcester, Mass.) lead the league in scoring with 21 points apiece.
5. BOWDOIN
Record: 8-4-1 (4-2-1 NESCAC) | Last ranking: 4 | Next game: Friday vs. Trinity (7 p.m.)
The Polar Bears came up empty in their trip to Hamilton and Amherst over the weekend, losing a pair of one-goal games. They sit in second place but have another tough weekend ahead, with home games against Trinity and Wesleyan. In the NESCAC, only Hamilton has been stronger on special teams.
6. SALVE REGINA
Record: 16-3 | Last ranking: 10 | Next game: Friday at Rivier (7:40 p.m.)
No, a cobbled-together schedule during an unforeseen season as an independent is not the strongest one. But Salve is doing something right. The Seahawks are 3-1 against NESCAC opponents, for example, with a win over Bowdoin. That’s a credit to first-year coach Jay Punsky and his team, who will return to the CNE next season with some decent momentum.
7. TRINITY
Record: 8-4 (2-4 NESCAC) | Last ranking: NR | Next game: Friday at Bowdoin (7 p.m.)
If eyebrows were raised when the perennial-strong Bantams lost their first four games of the season (all to NESCAC rivals), they’ve returned to normal levels during this current eight-game win streak that’s rescued the campaign. With 12 games left, all in the league, there’s still plenty of time to keep surging and earn a top-four finish.
8. NORWICH
Record: 8-4-1 (5-2 LEC) | Last ranking: 7 | Next game: Friday vs. Keene State (7 p.m.)
Three straight wins for the Cadets as they try to keep themselves in the race for first place in the Little East. The gaudiest of those three came last week against Plattsburgh State, with junior forward Boyd Stahlbaum scoring the overtime game-winner in a 3-2 win.
9. COLBY
Record: 7-4-2 (3-3-1 NESCAC) | Last ranking: 6 | Next game: Friday vs. Wesleyan (7 p.m.)
Last season, no Mules skater reached double-digits in goals. This year, sophomore newcomer and Northern Michigan transfer Colby Browne has not only scored 11 so far during his debut season in Waterville, he leads the NESCAC in that category.
10. UMASS BOSTON
Record: 9-4 (4-2-1 LEC) | Last ranking: NR | Next game: Friday vs. Southern Maine (7 p.m.)
The Beacons have taken advantage of a softish portion of their schedule to roll off six straight wins and get within shouting distance of first place in the Little East. Of their four losses, two came in overtime and another -- to league rival Plymouth State -- came by a single goal.
@MikeZhe603
mzhe@hockeyjournal.com
