The men’s hockey team is off to a promising start for a young team looking to improve from last season’s poor record. After opening the season with losses to Amherst and Hamilton in overtime, the Cardinals hosted and defeated nationally ranked Trinity College in the opening round of the Spurrier tournament 6-3.

Wesleyan jumped out to a first period lead with goals by Dallas Bossert ’09, with assists from Brenton Stafford ’08 and Will Bennett ’07, and Scott Burns ’09, with assists from Ed Klein ’08 and Mike Dorsey ’08. The Cardinal’s offensive ambush was not over, as they scored the first two goals of the second period too. Taylor Evans ’07 and Pat Butsch ’06 both scored within the first four minutes of the quarter to put the game out of Trinity’s reach.

Cameron Finch ’06, Brendan Timmins ’06 and Ryan Massuci ’09 scored the goals for the Bantams. Trinity’s late charge was not enough as Bennett added his second goal of the game, and Mike Dorsey ’08 scored his first to seal the upset for the Cardinals.

Freshman starter Mike Palladino made 41 saves to record his first collegiate victory. “After beating Trinity we know we can compete with any team in the league,” said Palladino, after the win over Trinity. “As long as we remain focused and play without complacency, we know we’ll achieve our goal and have a very successful season.”

Coming off their major upset of Trinity, Wesleyan was unable to duplicate the act, as they lost in the finals of the Spurrier tournament to Amherst, 3-2 in overtime. Cardinal goals were scored by Bossert and Dorsey.

After another disappointing loss to Babson on Friday, Dec. 2, Wesleyan got back to their winning ways this past Saturday when they defeated UMASS Boston by a one sided score of 7-2. The Cardinals out shot their opponents 49-15 and dominated the flow of play for the entire game.

Dallas Bossert ’09 opened up the scoring 16:59 into the first period with his fifth goal of the season. After two periods, the score was tied at two, and it seems liked the Cardinals would be in a close match until the end. But Wesleyan ran away with the game in the third period scoring five goals, while UMASS Boston was held scoreless. Palladino only needed 13 saves to record his second victory of the season.

So far this season, Bossert ranks fourth in points in the NESCAC with 11 points (six goals, five assists), only three points behind conference leader T.J. Kelley from Colby College. He is also the national leader in points per game for a freshman. Bennett (three goals, five assists) and Stafford (two goals, six assists) are the other point leaders thus far for Wesleyan.

Despite a disappointing 2-4 record so far this season, the Cardinals’ have a lot to be excited about. They are getting great contributions from their underclassmen, and the future of Cardinal hockey looks extremely promising. With such a lengthy season, Wesleyan will have a chance to dramatically improve during the course of the games. If the team continues to come together and improve with each game, there is no limit to where they can go. Their victory over Trinity, who made it to the 2005 NCAA final four, exhibits how good this team really can be.

The Cardinals will look to continue their recent success when they face Salve Regina on Friday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m.