Massachusetts Minutemen — RIT Tigers: 2:3, NCAA

RIT Tigers came out on top against the Massachusetts Minutemen with a 3:2 scoreline in their NCAA meeting on 9 October. The visitors held their nerve to secure all three points away from home. By then the table told its own story, with RIT sitting at the summit and Minutemen in eighth place.

The standings showed a gap in experience between the two sides. RIT had played 30 games with 19 wins, while Massachusetts had 27 matches under their belt. To be fair, both teams sat on zero points, suggesting the season had barely begun to take shape.

Recent form offered little comfort for the hosts. Massachusetts had dropped points in consecutive outings, losing 1:6 and 0:2 to Colorado College Tigers in early October. RIT, meanwhile, had shown resilience with a 4:2 victory over Niagara Purple Eagles, though they had also tasted defeat in their previous fixture.

And here's the thing — we had backed the home side for this match. Our prediction called for a Minutemen win with 66 per cent confidence. The match refused to follow that script. RIT's movement in the final third and their willingness to throw bodies in the way when needed made the difference.

The result keeps RIT at the top of the table and extends their unbeaten run. Massachusetts remain in eighth, but the gap between them and the leaders is still to be measured. These are the early days, and the table goes out of the window in these games until you have enough data to trust it.