Sports Column

Championship Division shows rare balance

By Matt Metcalf
Posted 1/19/16

Division I hockey fans haven’t seen this level of parity for five years.

In the 2010-11 season, Mount, Hendricken, Moses Brown and La Salle all finished within five points of each other. …

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Sports Column

Championship Division shows rare balance

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Division I hockey fans haven’t seen this level of parity for five years.

In the 2010-11 season, Mount, Hendricken, Moses Brown and La Salle all finished within five points of each other.

There’s a long way to go this season, but this winter has already began to show glimpses of the uniformity that occurred five years ago.

With the exception of Cranston West, which has been exiled to the bottom of the standings away from the pack, it seems like anyone can win on any given night.

Mount currently sits at the top of the standings with 11 points, but Hendricken isn’t far behind with 10, followed by La Salle and Smithfield with nine apiece.

The Hawks have jumped out to a 4-2-1-1 start, but the level of congruity between them and those other three teams has been rare.

Hendricken went to overtime in each of its first four games – twice against Smithfield and once each against Mount and La Salle.

The last of those four games was played against La Salle at Thayer Arena – a game won by the Hawks on a deflection by Pat Creamer in the extra frame.

“This was our fourth game of the year and it’s our fourth overtime game,” Hendricken head coach Jim Creamer said following the win over La Salle on Dec. 26. “It’s a little crazy. We didn’t expect it to be easy [tonight], and it was anything but easy. It’s just a well-balanced league this year. We’re going to have a lot of nights like this where it’s going to be a battle.”

After a 1-0 loss at Mount on Friday night, Hendricken is 1-1 against the first-place Mounties this season, while the Hawks are 2-1 against La Salle and 0-0-1-1 against Smithfield.

And the grind will continue this week, when Hendricken hosts Smithfield, a team that has given them trouble over the past couple of years, on Saturday at Thayer at 9 p.m.

The matchup will feature the state’s top two scorers – Pat Creamer with 19 points and the Sentinels’ David Goolgasian with 14.

Hendricken will then host Mount next Friday at Thayer at 9 p.m. in search of potentially overtaking the Mounties for first place.

There may not be a clear-cut favorite in the Championship Division this season, but it couldn’t be any more entertaining.

For the better part of the last decade, Hendricken and Mount have isolated themselves at the top of the standings, with the exception of La Salle’s run to a title last season and the 2010-11 season.

But not this season – this year’s different.

And when the playoffs roll around, hockey fans should be in for memorable semifinals and championship series.

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