Sometimes it is not the player with the biggest stature that makes the largest impact on a team’s performance on the ice. Case in point, Timmy Kent at Curry College is only 5’6” tall but plays like a much larger player in driving his own performance and that of his teammates. So far this season, Kent has put up 33 points (15G – 18A) in just 19 games and is an incredible plus 30 to lead the Colonels in virtually every offensive category. After missing last weekend’s action, Kent returns to help the Colonels in their battle with the University of New England for the second spot in the CCC standings in weekend action against Wentworth and Western New England.
“Having watched Timmy grow through prep school at Lawrence and even club level hockey with the River Rats, there was always a big motor and competitive drive in him as a player,” said head coach Peter Roundy. “He is absolutely an awesome kid off the ice but a switch flips when he is inside the glass and the competitive side of him really comes out. He is on the small side, and he is not a real burner on the speed side but he plays the game with great intensity and smartness. He has an explosive first couple of steps and is not afraid to go to the tough areas on the ice to battle for the puck or rebounds against much larger defensemen. He definitely thrives on contact and is really driven to win and help take our program to the next level.”
So far this season the Colonels have been among the elite teams from the CCC carrying a national ranking (currently No. 6) and winning all their non-conference games including the Northfield Bank tournament hosted by Norwich to end the 2022 calendar year where they knocked off Trinity and Norwich to win the title. The focus after winning all their non-conference games has been to challenge for the top two spots in the conference standings to obtain a bye and advance to the semifinals without a midweek quarterfinal matchup.
“It looks like Endicott is going to clinch the top spot but we still have a ton to play for,” noted Roundy. “We are right there in a battle with UNE for the No. 2 spot that earns the bye and avoids the first round game in the tournament. We have four games left in the regular season that means everything to that positioning so we can’t look past anyone or scoreboard watch expecting someone else to help us. We have Wentworth tonight and that is what the team is focused on playing our best hockey to earn a win and then get ready for tomorrow. This may be the strongest the CCC has been in many years top to bottom as evidenced by our strong play in non-conference games. That just means we can not take any team for granted with so much on the line at this time of the season.”
While the conference has been very strong so too is this edition of Curry hockey even beyond the talents of Timmy Kent. The team has great balance in scoring, a young defensive group that has matured quickly and spectacular if under-rated goaltending. The combination has helped Curry to a 16-4-1 record overall with a 20-win season in sight.
“While Timmy has been our motor, Mark [Zhukov], Nick [Favaro], and Reid [Cooper] have been key leaders for their respective groups on the ice,” stated Roundy. “They have created a great environment for the younger players to learn and develop in our systems and we are seeing the benefits immediately in the productivity of our freshman D-corps as well as players upfront like Gage Dill. They come ready to work every day at practice and are always thinking about how we can be better. Just last night Reid texted to say we were going to be changing the communications on goalie touch breakouts to help us improve that aspect of the game. The attention to detail is what has this group connected and playing well with our best still in front of us over the next month.”
The Colonels finish the CCC regular season with a home game against Wentworth and a road game at Western New England before closing out next weekend at Suffolk and at home against Endicott.
