BY BRANDAN BLOM // FEB. 13, 2012 //

For those of you who don’t know, your Curry College hockey team is doing great this season. The Colonels have a 12-9-2 overall record and sit atop the ECAC Northeast standings at 10-2-0. The team’s first loss came from Western New England last week.

The team's leader in both points and asists, defensman Ryan Barlock, above, recently joined his teammate Payden Benning on the Curry College all-time career 100-point scorers list. // PHOTO COURTESY OF CURRY ATHLETICS

The Colonels’ success is due in part to the outstanding play of senior forward Payden Benning, who leads the team in scoring with 18 goals. Yet, the team leader in points with 35 is senior defenseman—that’s right, defenseman!—Ryan Barlock. He leads the Colonels in assists with 26 and has nine goals.

The goalies are no joke either. Junior Joe Dawson and freshman Derek Mohney have split time in net and account for more than 450 saves this season, each with save percentages of around .900.

The Colonels have played particularly well at home all season. They have a 7-2-1 record at the Ulin Rink in Milton, compared to 5-7-1 away. Their last home game was a big 11-2 win against Salve Regina, giving head coach Rob Davies his 200^th career victory. However, the team fell to Nichols College on Feb. 11, 3-2.

It’s still been an incredible season so far, and it’s by no means over. There are still two tough opponents left to play before the ECAC Northeast Tournament starts. Curry plays at Wentworth on Feb. 16 (8 p.m.) and hosts Johnson & Wales Feb. 18 (4:35 p.m.).

Having won the ECAC Northeast championship the last two seasons and with four ECAC tournament appearances in the last eight years, there is some pressure to win it all again and return to the NCAA Division III tournament.