The Division 3 season is one month old and the New England storylines are shaking out.
What does it mean that Salve Regina has won as many games (nine) as any team in the nation?
What’s Babson’s ceiling after a strong start in the NEHC? And what are our first impressions of the NESCAC?
A spin around the region looks at these issues and others.
How has Salve Regina raced out of the gates?
You’ve got to play games to win games, and no team in the country so far has played more games – or won as many – as Salve Regina, which takes a 9-2 overall record into this weekend’s big home-and-home with Endicott.
The Seawolves face a yawning semester break – no games between Dec. 6 and Jan. 8 – but they’ve jumped on their front-loaded schedule featuring several games against the second tier of the Commonwealth Coast Conference.
The team’s attack has feasted on that competition, with junior Matthew Fawcett of Lincoln, R.I. (9-9-18) and senior Johnny Mulera (8-10-18) leading the way. Thanks in large part to those two UMaine transfers, the team is averaging better than four goals a game.
The games against defending CCC champion Endicott (5-2-1) should be good measuring sticks. Like squirrels hoarding nuts for the winter, the Seawolves would love to collect another win or two before their long scheduling nap.
Is first-place Babson a real threat in the NEHC?
The Beavers’ first four games were a defensive nightmare – at least four goals allowed in each, resulting in three losses and a disappointing 4-4 home tie with Southern Maine.
And then a switch was flipped.
Babson (5-4-2) kicked off its NEHC schedule with two impressive home wins against then-No. 10 Elmira (5-3) and No. 1 Hobart (3-1). The team is back to playing Babson defense, allowing just 2.0 goals since those first four games.
After years of rock-steady stability in goal, this season’s situation is still shaking itself out, with sophomore Nate Mueller (2.77 goals-against average, .912 save percentage) getting a chance to cement the job.
The Elmira and Hobart wins indicate the Beavers can play with anyone in their league.
Curry hoping a pair proves as good as an ace
Like every team tasked with replacing a standout goalie, Curry was going to enter the season with at least one sizable question mark.
But after a couple hairy games early on, the Colonels (6-2-1) look to be doing exactly what they did last year with veteran netminder Reid Cooper: winning games.
Senior Roland Polasek got first crack at the job and now seems to have settled into a rotation with promising freshman Shane Soderwall. Soderwall has been excellent, posting a 1.42 GAA and .947 save percentage in four games.
The NESCAC has taken notice.
Over the weekend, Soderwall made 33 saves in a 3-0 shutout win at Wesleyan, and Polasek sparkled a night later, stopping 19 pucks as Curry won at Trinity, 3-2, in OT.
What are the early takeaways in the NESCAC?
With seasons starting three weeks after the rest of Division 3, there’s only a two-weekend sample size we have to evaluate the NESCAC to this point.
Trinity (4-1) and Hamilton (4-0) have been good, as expected. Williams (1-3), Tufts (0-4-1) and Wesleyan (2-3) have struggled.
And the first Colby (2-1-1) vs. Bowdoin (3-1) battle of the season Saturday night carries the trailing storyline of last year’s playoff meeting, won by eventual league champ Bowdoin to end a long drought in the rivalry.
It’s not the only big matchup of the weekend. On Friday night, Hamilton and Trinity face off in Hartford.
@MikeZhe603
mzhe@hockeyjournal.com
