With one of the top contenders for a state hockey title now conveniently in a different division, East, Judge and a handful of other teams find themselves battling for position in the newly formed Central Division of the Utah High School Hockey League.
Juan Diego, which is part of the southern division and won the state championship last year, is out of the way until the playoffs and the Leopards and Bulldogs have jumped out as the preseason favorites to finish atop the central standings.
East, with a strong offense and a stiff defense that did not allow a goal in its first two outings, has a deep roster, and coach Taylor Lake likes the Leopards' prospects.
Judge, likewise, is off to a great start and won its first three games behind a balanced offense.
Other teams that may challenge for the league crown include Brighton, Murray, Hunter and Taylorsville.
With the season barely under way and each team having played only a few games, the picture is far from clear. But with a plus-16 goal differential, East is at the top of the short list of contenders for now.
Brighton, with a shutout win in its opener, is also a team to contend with its strong defense.
Ice time is at a premium around the state and high school teams must compete with junior leagues, adult leagues and practices. Because of that, games are rarely played more than once a week for each team, and the season will carry hockey fans into March before the playoffs arrive and determine a new champion.
Here's a look at the USHHL Central Division:
BRIGHTON BENGALS: The Bengals opened the season with a solid win over Cottonwood and got goals from five different players with Walker Strong leading the effort with two scores. HenryGates and Vittorio Cigana both had two assists in the game. Brighton will depend on goalie Ian Stolk to clean things up on defense.
COTTONWOOD COLTS: It's been tough going so far for the Colts. In two games, Cottonwood scored just one goal — by Luc Gehring in a loss to Judge — and need more offensive help if goalie Max LaRoque is going to have much success. Ryan Barenbrugge and Garrett DeSpain should provide support, though.
EAST LEOPARDS: One of the most powerful teams in the state, East is getting goals in bunches from the likes of Henry Vadnais (six goals in the first two games) and Levi Nicolich (four goals) while JJ Zeigler, Kyle O'Cain and Jon Huntsman have each contributed a pair of goals. Through last week, keeper Keinan Gaylord had yet to allow a goal.
HUNTER WOLVERINES: A big win to open the season was followed up by a shutout loss to East, and the Wolverines must be wondering which team they really are. Cory Joosten, Brandon Smith and Cory Lemoine each had a pair of goals in the win over Olympus but couldn't get things going in the next outing.
JORDAN BEETDIGGERS: With Trevor Clegg and Matthew Pyles each scoring a trio of goals over the first two games, the Diggers appear to have some offense. But a tie with Salt Lake Independent was followed by a big loss to Murray, and Jordan is hoping to get things right before the season progresses much further.
JUDGE MEMORIAL BULLDOGS: Using a tough defense, the Bulldogs have opened the season well and have wins over Murray, Cottonwood and Olympus. Led by Shawn Benvegnu with five goals in those games, Judge also gets offensive help from Corbett Berry, Kiefer Smith and Mark Potvien, while David Gonzales is playing well in goal with just four goals allowed.
MURRAY SPARTANS: After opening the season with a pair of tough losses, the Spartans broke through with an 8-3 win over Jordan but lost defenseman Jeremy Takeda in the process to a broken collarbone. Murray has seen Tommy Rupp and J.D. Leonard emerge as the top offensive threats, while Brayden Chipman has improved in the crease.
OLYMPUS TITANS: A pleasant surprise so far with two hard-fought losses to Judge and Hunter and a solid win over Taylorsville. The Titans are led by Michael Harrelson's seven goals, while ZachTaylor has added three. With some improvement on defense, Olympus should give goalie Robbie Richards help keeping the scores low.
PARK CITY MINERS: A hard loss to Taylorsville was forgotten about with a nice tie results against Skyline as David Paskoski and Brandon Beebe have slapped in two goals each to get the season started. Taylor Shores and Kevin Walsh are splitting time as goalie.
SALT LAKE IND SABRES: Comprised of players that go to schools without a hockey team, the Sabres were humbled in a 12-0 loss to East to open the year but quickly rebounded with a nice 4-4 tie with Jordan. Jacob LaRoque had two goals in the tie while Cole Pitcher and Casey McPhee also scored.
SKYLINE EAGLES: After two games to open the season, the Eagles are fairly happy. They have a win over traditionally strong Murray but managed only a tie against Park City. Dean Wilson and Drew Newell have been the top goal scorers with two each, but Ben Seastrand and Michael Laganiere are both capable scorers and have three assists as well.
TAYLORSVILLE WARRIORS: A win and a loss to begin the season is not necessarily a bad start for the Warriors. Paced by six goals from Kyler Engel and four more from Ryne Sanborn — he also has had three assists — Taylorsville has enjoyed its entrance into the high school hockey scene.
UINTAH UTES: Not a lot is known about the Utes since they have such limitations based on travel and schedule. But Uintah is building a good, physical program in the Ashley Valley and will make things difficult for teams traveling to Vernal for Saturday games. Look for players like Danny and Paul Griffith to contribute on offense while Nicholas Mull, Ethan Kitzmiller and Justin Stearns have been asked to play defense.
E-mail: jeborn@desnews.com