No. 2 Stevenson welcomes the first of five ranked opponents when No. 16 Western New England visits the Caves Athletic Complex on Sunday at 1 p.m. Here are three keys to a Mustangs victory.
1. Forget about the record. The Golden Bears are 0-1 after getting routed by reigning Division III national champion Cortland, 12-2, on Feb. 27. It was the season opener for Western New England, and the team is still getting acclimated to life without three All Americans in attackmen Scott Kukis and Brody Savoie and defenseman Jared Pabis. Stevenson coach Paul Cantabene said he is preparing his team for a very different-looking opponent. "I think they're going to make a lot of changes this week and kind of attack things a little differently," he said. "I think they'll be much better when we see them this week."
2. Get continued support from the defense and face-offs. The Mustangs (3-0) have outscored their opponents by a combined 42 goals, but they have thrived courtesy of solid play from senior goalkeeper Geoff Hebert and junior face-off specialist Ray Witte. Hebert boasts a 5.70 goals-against average and a .706 save percentage, and is "just playing really solid and making a lot of saves," Cantabene said. "He's doing a great job of leading the defense." Witte is winning slightly more than 55 percent of his face-offs (36-of-65), but Cantabene has faith in him. We think Ray Witte has done a great job on face-offs," Cantabene said. "Although his numbers may not show it, I think he's done a great job getting us the ball when we need it."
3. Get out fast. The Golden Bears has played just one game, hasn't played in eight days, and is coming off of a long trip from Springfield, Mass. Meanwhile, Stevenson has played three games and gets to relax in the comforts of home. The Mustangs should take advantage of the discrepancy. "I think it helps us a little bit that we have played three games," Cantabene said in agreement. "We're kind of into the flow of what games are like and what the officials are calling."