Ice hockey is the latest Dartmouth High School athletic team to be making history.

For the first time since its shift to the Old Colony League in the mid-2000s, the Indians ice hockey team (12-0-2) is a serious contender for the league champion title. Riding the high of their undefeated season, the Indians are currently the number one seed in the league after tying with Barnstable.

After the loss of several seniors and talented underclassmen, team captains Garrett Silvia, Tyler Martin and Jack Arruda never expected the level of success they’ve achieved.

“Everybody thought we were the underdogs when we started,” Silvia said. “We lost a lot of people and we were filling holes.”

“It was definitely surprising,” said Martin. “Last year we missed states by one point.”

“I don't think I’ve I ever expected to be undefeated at this point, but I knew this team had a lot of potential. It’s still a ways to go,” said head coach Michael Cappello. “One very import piece is we’ve managed to stay healthy, which is difficult to do in high school hockey.”

Though their games have been relatively low-scoring, Silvia said the Indians credit their strong defensemen – Michael Cassara, Colby Serpa and Jack Arruda – for much of the team’s success this season as well as the underclassmen who’ve stepped up their game.

“Our defensemen have been constant all year, and we kind of committed as a team to play good defense,” Cappello said. “We have two guys that are probably in the top ten scoring in the state – Garrett Silvia, who has 32 points, and Scott Shorrock, who has 35 points.”

As they continued to pick up steam during the season, remaining undefeated, Arruda said the chance to win the league for the very first time became an attainable game at the game against Barnstable.

After an intense, close game, Dartmouth walked away tied, 1-1.

“It was definitely a team effort,” said Silvia.

“We don’t just rely on one person,” Arruda added.

The great “depth and balance” the Indians have to pull from this year has been the biggest credit to their success, Cappello said.

To take home the league title, Dartmouth must win both of it’s next two games against Bridgewater-Raynham. If they tie one of their games, they will be in a three-way tie for the league championship.

All things considered, Cappello is pleased with the team’s standing.

“We’re fortunate to have dedicated coaches that really connect with kids and understand the game, and they make it fun for these guys,” said Cappello.

Since joining the Old Colony League, Dartmouth has tied but not won any games against Bridgewater-Raynham. Their first opportunity to do so will be on Saturday, Feb. 6 at Hetland Arena at 3 p.m.