“It took us a few games to get the ball rolling,” Maki admitted. “Last weekend, we struggled offensively. We were definitely doing the right things defensively, but we needed just a little fire to get that going.”

Five points against the Dutchmen ought to do it, though.

“We were working on it all game, and we kind of broke it open,” Maki said, “so that was good.”

The line mixes Mandes’ speed and Maki’s strength with Du’s smarts and sturdiness at center, and it is one Maki had said he hoped “would stick together” last year.

“I know they enjoy playing with each other, because they’re all sophomores and close friends,” Donato said, “so it’s nice to see them score a couple big goals for us.”

With a little help from Reese, of course.

Against Rensselaer the next night, the bunch would amass four more points—two assists for Du, and one apiece for Maki and Reese.

It’s a small returning sophomore class—just three forwards and a blueliner—but with a line that showed traces of its old self this weekend and a defenseman with a proclivity for the net, the quartet’s presence could be quite sizeable this season.

—Staff writer Rebecca A. Seesel can be reached at seesel@fas.harvard.edu.