Last season, Trinity ran rampant through the NESCAC, pausing only occasionally for a water break.
The Bantams lapped the field to win the regular-season title, winning 16 of the 18 league games they played. Then they won the conference tournament and pushed all the way into the championship game of the NCAA Division 3 tournament, losing to Hobart.
No question they’re still the team to beat. But early indications are that there won’t be so much separation this time around.
Let’s take a look at some early takeaways — and potential contenders — from the fledgling NESCAC season.
READ MORE: Division 3 power rankings: Who are the region’s Top 10 teams?
Statement win, Part 1: Conn. College over Trinity
Titles are not won or lost in season openers. But some results catch your attention. This one did.
Conn. College, which two seasons ago finished at the bottom of the NESCAC with a 1-16-1 record, won at Trinity on opening night to kick off a 4-2-1 start to its season.
Freshman Will Lawrence set up two goals in the 4-2 win and leads the team in scoring (2-4-6). Sophomore defenseman William Tripp (Lakeville, Mass.) added an assist and also scored late on Sunday to salvage a 3-3 tie with a good Salve Regina team.
Trinity (5-1-1) is not the same team that reached the NCAA final, especially on defense. But it still has star goalie Devon Bobak and good talent, and is unbeaten since that opening-night loss.
Statement win, Part 2: Amherst over Babson
When two programs with longtime, successful head coaches who pride themselves on defense produce a 7-0 score line, the first question is: How?
But that’s what Amherst (2-3-1) did in Sunday’s non-conference matchup, routing the Beavers, 7-0, in front of a friends and family crowd for its best win of the season.
Freshman defenseman Ben Cook (Concord, Mass.) set up three goals as the Mammoths finished with a 36-25 edge in shots. Senior forward Matt Toporowski added a goal and an assist to close out a personal six-point week.
It was the most goals allowed by a Babson team in more than five years, and closed out a busy stretch of five games in 10 days.
Statement win, Part 3: Colby over Bowdoin
These two teams – and fan bases – have been lobbing proverbial grenades (or real oranges) at each other for decades.
The 152nd meeting featured Colby pinning a big win on its biggest rival, getting a pair of goals from both sophomore Jayden Grier (Needham, Mass.) and junior Reese Farrell (Auburn, Maine) in a 5-1 victory.
Farrell leads the Mules (5-1-1) with five goals and a plus-7 rating. His team is scoring 4.0 goals a game after averaging 2.72 a year ago en route to an eighth-place finish.
Next up for Colby: home games against Tufts and Conn. College this weekend.
Heinze takes the reins in Middlebury net
Andrew Heinze (North Andover, Mass.) saw action in nine games as a Middlebury freshman goalie last season. Now, he’s claiming the starting job as his own.
The Panthers are 4-2 after winning the LayerEight Shootout Title for the first time in 16 years over Thanksgiving weekend. Heinze stopped 31 shots in a 6-2 win over Marian, then made 28 saves as his team blanked Norwich, 2-0, to win the title.
Heinze ranks second in the NESCAC in both goals-against average (1.81) and save percentage (.941).
Middlebury returns to league action this weekend, hitting the road to play at Amherst and Hamilton.
@MikeZhe603
mzhe@hockeyjournal.com
