Scott Biggar{predicted winners bolded} Friday, November 12 Elmira at Neumann – The game of the week in the ECAC West. Elmira can take a dominant lead in the league with a win, but Neumann is looking to get off to a good start also. I expect the Soaring Eagles’ roll to continue. Westfield State at Utica … Read more
ECAC West league action kicked off this past weekend for every team but Neumann. Elmira and Hobart hosted the action, as Manhattanville and Utica travelled between the two schools. The Manhattanville Valiants were the cardiac kids of the weekend. They held a one-goal lead midway through the third period Friday night at Elmira, but gave … Read more
In the opening weekend of ECAC West league play, the Utica Pioneers (4-0) defeated the Hobart Statesmen (0-1) by a score of 3-2. Utica scored first and never trailed in the game but had to withstand a strong third period surge by the Statesmen to claim the victory. “Any time you are playing on the … Read more
Welcome to the 10th year of full coverage of Division III men’s hockey on USCHO. The ECAC West traces its history back nearly three times that number of years, but the league’s future is seriously threatened. With the demise of Lebanon Valley’s team, the league now only counts five teams among its ranks. While all … Read more
Coach: Gary Heenan, tenth season overall and at Utica (112-96-25) 2009-10 record: 8-14-4 overall, 4-9-2 ECAC West (fifth) 2009-10 team offense: 3.46 goals/game (fifth) 2009-10 team defense : 4.04 goals/game (fifth) 2009-10 power play: 20.9 percent (fifth) 2009-10 penalty kill: 75.2 percent (fifth) Key losses: Matt Fitzgibbons (8g, 12a), Brian Gibbons (5g, 13a), Vincent Nucci … Read more
Coach: Mark Taylor, eleventh season overall and at Hobart (144-95-27) 2009-10 record: 13-10-3 overall, 9-4-2 ECAC West (third) 2009-10 team offense: 3.62 goals/game (fourth) 2009-10 team defense : 2.73 goals/game (third) 2009-10 power play: 23.3 percent (third) 2009-10 penalty kill: 82.1 percent (third) Key losses: Nine corps role players that formed the heart of the … Read more
Coach: Aaron Saul, second season at Elmira, fourth season overall (38-34-10) 2009-10 record: 19-9-1 overall, 11-4 ECAC West (first) 2009-10 team offense: 3.72 goals/game (third) 2009-10 team defense : 2.31 goals/game (first) 2009-10 power play: 22.5 percent (fourth) 2009-10 penalty kill: 88.1 percent (first) Key losses: Rusty Masters (16g, 21a), Casey Tuttle (.916 savepercent, 2.40 … Read more
Coach: Dominick Dawes, third season overall and at Neumann (36-18-5) 2009-10 record: 15-9-3 overall, 7-5-3 ECAC West (fourth) 2009-10 team offense: 3.78 goals/game (second) 2009-10 team defense : 2.78 goals/game (fourth) 2009-10 power play: 24.1 percent (first) 2009-10 penalty kill: 78.2 percent (fourth) Key losses: Matt Ward (10g, 17a) Key returners: Marlon Gardner (12g, 13a), … Read more
Coach: Keith Levinthal, twelfth season overall and at Manhattanville (187-74-27) 2009-10 record: 20-6-1 overall, 10-4-1 ECAC West (Second) 2009-10 team offense: 4.22 goals/game (first) 2009-10 team defense : 2.33 goals/game (second) 2009-10 power play: 24.0 percent (second) 2009-10 penalty kill: 82.8 percent (second) Key losses: Arlen Marshall (9g, 26a), AJ Mikkelsen (9g, 20a), Niklas Bernstsson … Read more
The Elmira Soaring Eagles (18-8-1) built three separate one-goal leads during the first 60 minutes of play in tonight’s ECAC West Championship game, only to see the Manhattanville Valiants (20-6-1) answer each time to tie the game. Elmira carried a 3-2 lead as the third period wound down, but Manhattanville pulled goaltender Pierre-Olivier Lemieux and … Read more
No. 1 Elmira vs. No. 2 Manhattanville The top two teams square off for the league title on Saturday at the Thunderdomes. Elmira and Manhattanville found themselves in scraps last weekend during the semifinal games, but both prevailed in the end by identical 4-2 scores. Manhattanville hosted third seeded Hobart, who came out flying during … Read more
The postseason has arrived in the ECAC West. Unfortunately, a wet blanket was thrown over what should be the most exciting time of the year when Lebanon Valley withdrew its team from Division III on Tuesday. But the remaining ECAC West teams battle on with the semifinals on tap for Saturday. As my esteemed SUNYAC … Read more
Lebanon Valley College President Stephen MacDonald announced Tuesday that the Flying Dutchmen men’s hockey team will compete at the American College Hockey Association (ACHA) level for the 2010-2011 season, leaving the NCAA, Division III, and the ECAC West. “We’re really sorry to lose a quality program like Lebanon Valley,†said Michael Letzeisen, ECAC Director of … Read more
Quietly Playing Well Two weeks ago, it looked like Elmira had run away with the regular season title and that Manhattanville and Hobart would have to be content with battling for second place. Oh how things have changed. Elmira has taken a nose dive, losing its last three games. The Soaring Eagles special teams collapsed … Read more
Middle of the Pack The teams in the middle of the ECAC West standings re-exerted themselves this past weekend, demonstrating the depth of the league. In the Game of the Week highlighted in this column, third place Hobart went into the Thunderdomes last Saturday and handed Elmira its first conference loss, 5-3. Special teams were … Read more
Focusing on Challenges Elmira kept rolling in league play last weekend, steamrolling Utica in a pair of games. The Soaring Eagles poured 49 shots on net Friday night, tallying seven goals to defeat the Pioneers, 7-3. “The guys played great,†said Elmira head coach Aaron Saul. “It is the time of the year where you … Read more
Right Mindset With a pair of road victories last weekend, Manhattanville extended its current winning streak to nine games. But even more amazing is the Valiants are riding a 20 game unbeaten streak on the road. With a record of 19-0-1 in its last 20 games away from the Playland Ice Casino, Manhattanville is defying … Read more
Mediocrity With all but one non-conference game now behind the ECAC West teams, it is a good time to take stock of the season so far and see what teams need to do with the remaining league schedule. The teams of the ECAC West did not fare well in non-conference play this season. Over the … Read more
Putting the Pieces Together Since early December, the Hobart Statesmen have been quietly getting on a bit of a roll. They have won four of their last five games, with the only defeat coming at the hands of top ranked Oswego. “We have a lot of good things, a lot of good pieces,” said Hobart … Read more
Better Effort Elmira returned from the holiday break and jumped right into the fire at Oswego’s Pathfinder Classic tournament last weekend. The Soaring Eagles last game was an 8-1 thrashing of Utica way back on Dec. 5 and the long layoff showed as Elmira opened up against the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) in the … Read more