In just one season, the Tufts hockey team transformed itself from the hunter to the hunted.

After several lean years, the Jumbos found their way back to the elite of the Division III ECAC Northeast a year ago and hope to build on that success when this season begins over the weekend. Last season, the squad finished fifth in the ECAC Northeast with 12-4-1 record (13-10-1 overall), before losing a heartbreaker in the first round of the playoffs. The Jumbos now must deal with heightened expectations.

Only six players were lost due to graduation, and the unsettled goaltending situation of a year ago appears to be in the past. Sophomore Ian Kell will be the starter in net after compiling impressive numbers in his rookie season. Kell finished 9-4 with a 2.97 goals against average while turning away 88.9 percent of the shots he faced. He will be backed up by junior Alex Scerbo.

The Jumbos’ offensive attack was among the best last year and, if Kell continues his solid play, the team should fare well. With 5.25 goals per game and a power-play that converted 29.1 percent of the time, scoring should not be a problem, even with sophomore Jason Boudrow and his 32 goals and 23 assists last season out for the semester.

That is largely due to the presence of senior co-captain Drew Carleton, a two-time ECAC All-Star who has 56 goals and 51 assists in his 50-game career. With senior Scott Sullivan and junior Natan Obed, among others, coming off strong years, Carleton will have plenty of help. But there is little doubt as to who will lead the Tufts attack.

“We expect Drew to be one of the best players in the league, if not the best,” second-year coach Brian Murphy said.

While Carleton enters his final season, the team has a few potential weapons who are entering their first. Freshmen Mike Careco and Rob LaQuaglia, both local products, have the potential to take the ECAC by surprise this season.

These rookies should help to compensate for the loss of Chris Rylander, last season’s captain. Although Rylander’s leadership will be missed, the younger players should be able to lean heavily on this year’s senior class and on Murphy. The hockey program’s first full-time head coach made a name for himself last season in leading the Jumbos back to prosperity when most thought that the team would not qualify for the playoffs.

The fact that Tufts is expected to succeed this season may be an obstacle in its own right. The team was ranked fifth in the ECAC Northeast coaches poll entering the season, behind Fitchburg State, UMass-Dartmouth, Wentworth, and St. Michael’s.

Although the ranking is a promising indication of how far the team has progressed, it does not come without a price. Some of the lower-echelon teams will be primed to play against the Jumbos this year, whereas in past seasons, Tufts was barely above those squads.

“For some teams, beating us will make their season,” Murphy said. “But if we beat the teams we should beat, we will be in a position to be successful.”

The team hopes that success will start Saturday, when the puck is dropped to open the 1999-2000 campaign in a game against Suffolk in Arlington. This bout will be followed by a trip to Maine the following weekend for a Thanksgiving tournament.

The biggest game to be played over the first month may be a Dec. 1 home contest with St. Michael’s, the rival that eliminated the Jumbos a year ago. Revenge may be a factor, and the game will be a good indication of where the team will stand this year, as St. Michael’s is expected to be a powerhouse the ECAC Northeast as well.

“Everyone in the league has improved,” Murphy said. “Teams are looking at us as a team to beat.”