With lofty goals for the season, the men’s hockey team got off to an impressive start last weekend in Providence, R.I.

The Bulldogs (1-0) won both their games at the Showcase Tournament at Brown’s Meehan Auditorium comfortably, defeating the University of Ontario Institute of Technology 3-1 in an exhibition game Friday before topping Brown, 6-3, the next day.

The Elis outshot UOIT 43-17, with forward Broc Little ’11, forward Mark Arcobello ’10 and defenseman Kevin Peel ’12 all scoring.

Yale also dominated the Bears in shots, notching 13 more than Brown’s 28. Forward Sean Backman ’10 led the team on offense with two goals.

According to head coach Keith Allain, the high number of offensive chances generated by his team was a result of good spacing.

“I thought we played really well without the puck — offensively and defensively,” Allain said. “We moved into good spaces, and as a result created a lot of offensive opportunities. It’s something that we’ve stressed in practice.”

Alec Richards ’09 had 25 saves for the Elis in goal.

Yale has now won its last five contests against Brown.

Both teams are members of the ECAC, but this contest did not count as a non-conference result. The teams will play each other two more times later this season in conference play.

Although Allain acknowledged that his team needs to improve in various areas, he said the Elis are in a good place right now, considering the time of year.

Nevertheless, the games gave the team an opportunity to test itself against actual competition, captain and forward Matt Nelson ’09 said.

“Going into this weekend, all we had was a scrimmage against Dartmouth,” he said. “This weekend was definitely good. It gave our team confidence that we could perform in game-time situations.”

Despite Yale’s recent success, Nelson noted the team’s dedication as one of its strengths, especially considering the team’s ambitious goals this season.

“We’re a very fast team, and we’re very hard-working,” he said. “It’s something you have to have to remain competitive in this league. I feel like this year, more than any other year, everyone on our team is in the same boat. … Our goal is to win the ECAC championship.”

According to Nelson, based on the good base the Bulldogs established in their first two games, they are ready and confident going into their Nov. 7 contest against St. Lawrence in Canton, Ohio, at 7 p.m.