Men’s Hockey Preps for Start of the Winter Season

Mateo Vazquez ’21

Sports Editor

While the fall season for sports is coming to an end, one of Trinity’s favorite seasons is upon us. As winter sports are starting up, it should be noted that the first game of the season for men’s hockey starts this Friday versus Connecticut College. The match will be followed by another game versus Tufts on Saturday. Both of the games will be counted towards the NESCAC conference, and are important to the overall ranking this season. 

Although the season hasn’t begun, men’s hockey is already off to a great start. Just last week, a pre-season ranking poll was released nationally on the United States Hockey website. The results revealed good news for the Bantams.On a national scale, Trinity is ranked No. 10, and first place within the NESCAC. Last season the team did quite well with an overall record of 19-4-5, after several close games throughout the winter. 

The 2018-2019 season, however, was even more significant, as the team was able to win the NESCAC championship for the fifth time. The Tripod reported on the victory last year. It was a momentous win for the team moving forward.

Not only did the Bantams defeat Tufts, they did so by a 3-0 win, never ceding a goal the entire match. This demonstrates the depth  the Bantams and the recruiting and player development prowess of Head Coach Matt Greason. 

Although they did not do particularly well after getting knocked out 2-1 in the first round of the NCAA tournament, reaching that point in the first place is still a tremendous milestone for the 2015 National Champion program. Moving forward into the upcoming season, it will be interesting to follow men’s hockey. 

Last year, the Bantams set some huge milestones. They have a long season of work ahead if they are going to improve upon those achievements from last season. 

This weekend’s game against Tufts will be important in accessing the rest of the season. The game against the NESCAC rival and potential competitor in the conference championship will set the tone for the type of season that the Bantams will have. This season marks Greason’s 9th as Trinity’s head coach and the first season for staff addition Zach Badalamenti, a graduate and former player at the University of Wisconsin. 

Badalamenti has a pristine reputation in college hockey circles. During his first year  as coach at Wisconsin, the team had its first ever undefeated season, going 29-0-2. Additionally, the team came in sixth at the  NCAA championship last season. His contribution to the Bantams this year will no doubt be extremely valuable. We wish the team the best of luck this weekend as they start their season.