A month ago, the inter-conference rivalry between the ECAC West and the SUNYAC was a tight race, with each league winning almost exactly half of the games. Looking back over the past ten years, the ECAC West has won the rivalry nine times, but with the mid-to-lower tier SUNYAC teams improving early this season, it looked like the title might be in doubt this year.
Worry not, ECAC West fans, as the league has come through in spades the last couple of weeks. The league now has a record of 17-6-2 against the SUNYAC this year, providing a comfortable margin at the midway point of the season.
This past weekend went a long way in stretching the advantage for the league, as the teams went 6-1 against their nearby rivals. The only loss of the weekend was from No. 1 Oswego dropping Utica in a hard fought 2-1 game Friday.
Hobart came through on Saturday, handing Oswego its first loss of the season. Scoring leader Matthew Wallace tallied just :36 seconds into the game and the Statesmen rolled to a 5-2 victory, outshooting the Lakers by a 42-27 margin. It was the first time Hobart has ever beaten a team when the opponent was ranked No. 1 in the country.
After a close game on Friday, Manhattanville completed the sweep of Potsdam in Canton, N.Y. on Saturday afternoon with an 8-0 drubbing. Junior Pierre-Olivier Lemieux earned his seventh career shutout, setting a Valiants team record in the process.
The teams now head into the Christmas break, having a scant three weeks off before the second half of the season starts.
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