A youthful band of Bowdoin College Polar Bears; a veteran Colby College Mule team and a University of Southern Maine squad with a blend of both are all off to decent starts in men’s hockey.

Bowdoin is 3-1 after Tuesday’s 6-3 win over arch-rival Colby (2-1-1). USM is 2-2 with two straight wins.

“We’ve got a young group but it’s a gritty group that can get around the [ice] sheet and isn’t afraid to make plays,” said 21-year Bowdoin coach Terry Meagher, the school’s all-time winningest coach with an impressive 330-157-31 record.

“We need to develop our defense and we need our goaltenders to step up,” said Meagher.

Six of Bowdoin’s top eight returning scorers were freshmen or sophomores a year ago.

Sophomore center Jon Landry (25 points last year) has four goals and five assists already to lead the Polar Bears.

Freshman linemates James Gadon (2 & 4) and Bryan Ciborowski (2 & 4); sophomore Matt Roy (4 & 1), junior Adam Mackie (2 & 2) and sophomore Adam Dann (3 & 1) follow.

Dann had 25 points in Bowdoin’s 13-6-5 campaign in 2002-2003.

Senior Peter Nasveschuck and junior Nate Riddell (18 points in 18 games) are the most experienced defensemen with 68 and 44 career games, respectively.

Lewiston junior defenseman Brooks Boucher has been lost for the year with a broken arm creating a “huge void” according to Meagher.

Senior Mike Healey entered the season with a career 31-13-8 record but junior Dave Sandals has the three wins with Healey absorbing the one loss..

They have a combined 3.75 goals-against average and an unimpressive .868 save percentage.

Meagher was impressed with Colby and feels they’ll contend for the league title.

“We’re very strong up front,” said ninth-year coach Jim Tortorella. “The defense is unproven but they’re starting to come around. I’m pretty excited about the team.”

The Mules return their top seven scorers off last year’s 18-6-1 team.

Junior center Nick Bayley had 39 points to lead the Mules in 2002-2003 and shares the current team lead with junior linemate Cory Ernst. Both have nine points. Ernst had 30 points a year ago.

Senior LW Brian Chisholm had 35 points a year ago.

Freshman center Patrick Rutherford has three goals and an assist.

Junior Chris Ries (2-1-1, 2.72., .899 this season), returns in goal and Tortorella said, “He needs to have a better year than he had last season.”

Yarmouth natives Nick Meintel (22 points) and Eric Molander (12 points) are experienced defensemen along with Jake Bayley. Junior Patrick Walsh (27 points) and Bangor’s Jared Gordon are two of the converted forwards.

Southern Maine 16th-year coach Jeff Beaney said he may have the deepest team he has ever had.

“We actually have five lines. We’re sitting three forwards I know can play in the league,” said Beaney whose Huskies were 6-17-2 last year. “We’ll be able to use different kids on the special teams instead of the same five or six.

“We can skate. We’re young on defense. We’re still learning how to defend,” said Beaney.

Like Tortorella, Beaney has moved some forwards back to defense.

The Huskies will receive a lift from the return of junior goalie Matt Collaton, the ECAC Division III East all-rookie goalie two years ago who was limited to seven games by a concussion last year.

Senior center Chad Lauze, who led the team with 32 points last season and sophomore Franco Narcisi (24 points) headline a group of quality forwards along with Erik Kent (16 points) and James LeBlanc (14 points).

Converted forward Jon Lounsbury (24 points) and senior Derek Klowak will anchor the defense.

“Lounsbury is one of the better defensemen in the league. He can outskate anybody,” said Beaney.