Still a few weeks off from intra-conference conflicts, but an encouraging nine-game docket awaits ECAC Hockey this weekend, including a couple of intriguing road deuces with St. Lawrence at Maine, and RPI at Minnesota State. Friday, Oct. 19 Bowling Green at Colgate 7:00 pm ET Brian: The Falcons and Raiders already have an opponent in … Read more
This weekend featured a lot of close games for ECAC Hockey members – five of the dozen tilts were decided by a goal, or not decided at all – but who’s surprised? Welcome to another coronary-inducing year in the tightest league in all the land. Clarkson so close, yet so far The Golden Knights bit … Read more
I picked up right where I left off last year in terms of my picking (in)ability. Regardless, here’s a look at this weekend as everyone except for the Ivy schools are in action. Last week: 1-2 Overall: 1-2 No. 11 Ferris State at RPI The Engineers paid a visit to head coach Seth Appert’s alma … Read more
Here we go.. So we’re back for another year of picks. I lost track of my record from last year, but let’s say it was 2012 Red Sox-esque. (Brian: Ditto. Awful.) Saturday, October 6 Quinnipiac at Maine 7:00 Nate: It’s been a while since these teams last met. How long? Well, current Quinnipiac and Union … Read more
ECAC Hockey formally announced what Ken Schott broke last Friday: The league is returning to Lake Placid and Herb Brooks Arena for its men’s championship weekend. The contract reunites ECAC Hockey and the venerable venue for a three-year term, commencing in Spring 2014 and concluding in 2016, whereupon the league will reassess its options. This … Read more
It took seven tries, but the crowd at Boardwalk Hall finally saw an interesting game. Last year’s games were decided fairly early- and Friday’s opening games lacked any drama, for the most part. But Saturday’s championship was a different story, as Union and Harvard stood scoreless entering the final frame. The Crimson’s top-ranked power play whiffed on … Read more
Well now, Friday wasn’t quite as competitive as we were expecting, was it? Union and Harvard each put a woodshed whuppin’ to Colgate and Cornell, respectively, and the result is the first Dutchmen-Crimson finale in league history. No. 1 Union vs. No. 3 Harvard The offenses were prolific, the goaltending solid and timely, and we … Read more
Late with the picks, so you know they’re gonna be good. Right? No. 1 Union vs. No. 4 Colgate Friday’s matinee – 4:30 start time – pits the Cleary Cup champs against the redemption-minded Raiders. The Dutchmen took both games from ‘Gate this year, though it is worth pointing out that those contests were within … Read more
Don’t change that channel, ECAC Hockey fans! In fact, don’t even bother turning on the TV, for the league’s championship weekend will not be televised this year. The league confirmed today that it could not find a suitable carrier for its flagship event, to be held for the second time at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic … Read more
Well, we have our final foursome: Union, Cornell, Harvard and Colgate. Look familiar? They were the top four teams in the regular season, too. That, ladies and gentlemen, is why byes are important. Time and a half Surprisingly, only three of the weekend’s 10 games went to overtime, and two of those games were between … Read more
Final regular reason record: 66-65 Playoff record (series): 2-2 As the numbers show, I’ve been downright mediocre with my picks (including a 6-6 mark on the final weekend of the regular season). So take these for whatever they’re worth. All series are best-of-three and start at 7 p.m. The four remaining teams will move on to … Read more
The opening weekend of the ECAC playoffs is in the books. Here’s a look at the matchups in the best-of-three quarterfinals next weekend: No. 10 Rensselaer at No. 1 Union No. 9 Dartmouth at No. 2 Cornell No. 6 Yale at No. 3 Harvard No.5 Quinnipiac at No. 4 Colgate Extra time needed Three of … Read more
No time for dawdling; it’s playoff hockey. Nate compiled some brief notes on the matchups in his weekly column, and I’ll try not to be redundant. Let’s cut to the chase. Dartmouth at St. Lawrence This series pits a hobbled underachiever against a Johnny-come-lately in what has got to be the toughest pick of the … Read more
Well that’s it, folks: Another ECAC Hockey regular season in the books. I’m not breaking any news tonight – all the important stuff was available for your eager digestion last night – but here are a few things that caught my eye about the weekend, and the weeks ahead. Big Red buckling? Cornell topped Union … Read more
It’s 1am, so this is going to be quick and dirty. Cornell now holds the tiebreaker with Union. If they finish tied atop the standings, Cornell get the No. 1 seed, and the teams will share the Cleary Cup. Each school has secured a first-round bye. Colgate, Harvard, Clarkson and Quinnipiac each have a shot … Read more
The final weekend of the ECAC regular season is here and there’ still a lot to be decided. Brian did a good job breaking it down in this week’s column, and Ken Sweeten, Quinnipiac’s SID, had the chart below in this weekend’s game notes to help narrow the possibilities. Last week: 4-8 Overall: 60-59 TEAM POSSIBLE SEEDING … Read more
There’s one weekend left in the ECAC regular season but still plenty of unanswered questions. Like Brian, I’ll skip the number crunching here and link to burgie12’s post on the fan forum. 1. Cornell and Union clinch top spots: The Big Red broke one streak to keep another alive. Sean Collins’ overtime goal at St. … Read more
Not going to steal burgie12’s thunder, so here’s his updated Fan Forum post. If you’re too lazy to click through, here’s the gist: Team – potential final point totals – [potential final seeds] Union 28 – 34 [1-3] Cornell 26 – 32 [1-4] — Bye Lock – >26 Colgate 23 – 29 [1-7] — Home … Read more
Nate last week: 8-3 Nate overall:56-51 Brian: ? (I stopped keeping track a while ago. It was too depressing.) Friday, February 17 Colgate at St. Lawrence Nate: Raiders head coach Don Vaughan said earlier this week he couldn’t remember the last time Colgate won at Appleton (it was 2007). Both teams have been playing well … Read more
Thanks to an extraordinary effort by USCHO Fan Forum poster (and devoted Rensselaer fan) burgie12, I can fix a few errors in Sunday’s blog post by redirecting you to this post on the Forum, and to the thread at large as we get closer and closer to the regular-season finale. Once again, muchos kudos to … Read more