Around the ECAC: No. 17 Cornell tops early table

The men’s hockey team has been in nonstop action this fall, even giving up their Thanksgiving break to travel to Denver, Colo., where they came away with a loss to Denver and a win over Providence. Princeton (3-7-1 overall, 2-5 ECAC), who last won the ECAC in 2008 and also appeared in the 2009 NCAA tournament, currently sits in ninth in the ECAC standings with four points. The ‘Prince’ looks at the conference competitors and how the Tigers stack up under first-year head coach Bob Prier.

No. 17 Cornell: 10 pts (6-3, 5-1)

The 2010 ECAC champions are off to a fast conference start again this year. After an early loss to Brown, the Big Red won five games in a row, a streak that ended last Saturday with an overtime loss to perennial powerhouse Boston University at Madison Square Garden. Cornell’s Lynah Rink has always been home to fans that bring the intensity of a Big Ten football game to ECAC hockey; even opposing teams respect and enjoy the energy at Lynah. With the Big Red’s most recent 1-0 win over Niagra last Tuesday, Lynah has now been the home for 500 Cornell victories.

Key Player: The Big Red’s star-studded defense is made only better by sophomore netminder Andy Iles, who, after splitting time as a freshman, has started all of Cornell’s nine games. Iles recorded three straight shutouts during Cornell’s win streak and boasts a .667 win percentage and a 2.00 goals against average (GAA).

No. 15 Colgate: 8 pts (9-4-1, 4-2)

Last year, through Feb. 4, 2011, Colgate had not won a conference game. On Feb. 5, the Raiders’ defense came alive, and Colgate finished the season on a tear during their last seven games, which included victories over No. 16 Dartmouth, No. 8 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a 1-1 tie with No. 3 Yale, and a fourth-place finish in the ECAC tournament. This season the Raiders have carried that momentum, already matching their total of four conference victories from last year.

Key Players: Senior forward Austin Smith has earned three of the seven ECAC player of the week awards this season and leads NCAA with four shorthanded goals. Smith scored two goals against Princeton in a 4-1 win two Saturdays ago and leads the ECAC in points (21), goals (15), and +/- rating (+11). However, it could be senior goalie Alex Evin’s improvement from last year that has stimulated the turnaround for the No. 15 Raiders. Evin leads the ECAC in GAA (1.38), save percentage (.951) and win percentage (.700).

St. Lawrence: 8 pts (5-7, 4-2)

The Saints began the season with five straight losses, looking much like last year’s team that finished 11th in the regular season conference standings (and then, as Princeton fans know all too well, went on to end the Tigers’ season at Baker Rink by taking two of three games during the first round of the ECAC playoffs). But the three teams that dealt St. Lawrence its first five losses are now all ranked in the top nine nationally, and St Lawrence has bounced back, winning six of its last eight, including a recent victory over a strong WCHA team in No. 20 Michigan Tech. (They might be for real this year!). Look for a good game on Dec. 30 when the Saints play the nation’s No. 1-ranked team, Merrimack, during the Ledyard National Bank Classic in Hanover, N.H.

Key Player: Junior Kyle Flanagan, who grew up next door to SLU, leads the Saints in scoring with 13 points.

Dartmouth: 7 pts (4-5-1, 3-3-1)

After being the first team left out of the 16-team NCAA Tournament last March, Dartmouth is out for revenge this year. However, the departure of key senior players from last year’s nationally ranked team could be the cause for Dartmouth’s lack of production recently, as the Big Green have dropped four of their last six games since the opening weekend of conference play.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Key Players: Forwards and brothers Dustin and Nick Walsh lead the Big Green’s offensive attack. Dustin was named the ECAC player of the week when he scored three points during the opening weekend of ECAC play, Dartmouth’s best weekend of the year to date, including the game winner over Quinnipiac.

No. 14 Yale: 6 pts (5-3-1, 3-1)

Yale, the 2011 conference champion that held the NCAA No. 1 ranking for the majority of the 2010-11 season, is the favorite to take the ECAC title again this year. The Bulldogs have shown that they can compete with the best in the country again this year. The men in blue were tied with second-ranked Boston College last Saturday until BC scored with only 39 seconds left.

Key Player: Goaltender Jeff Malcolm boasts a 2.21 GAA and is fourth in the league with a .931 save percentage. He earned the ECAC Goaltender of the Week award after recording a school record three straight shutouts, including a 4-0 win at then No. 8 Union.

No. 13 Union: 6 pts (7-3-3, 3-2)

The story of Union’s 2011-12 season to date is success on the road and struggles at home. Of their five home games this season, the Dutchmen’s only victory came against struggling American International College. On the road, Union has only lost once. Most impressive was last Saturday’s win at No. 19 Michigan.

Key Player: Union’s scoring leader from last year, senior forward Kelly Zajac earned a spot on the ECAC Hockey Second Team. This season Zajac leads both his team and the ECAC with 13 assists.

Harvard: 6 pts (3-3-2, 2-3-2)

A historic ECAC power, Harvard’s 2011-12 season has been nothing better than average to date. That doesn’t mean that Harvard can’t do big things this year. All but one of the Crimson’s losses this year have been decided by a single goal.

Key Player: Junior defenseman Danny Biega earned Harvard’s Most Valuable Player award, as well as a First Team All-Ivy selection last season. This season Biega leads the Crimson in points and assists.

Clarkson: 5 pts (8-5-3, 2-3-1)

The Golden Knights looked like an ECAC contender after going undefeated through their first nine games. The only ECAC opponent Clarkson faced during that streak, however, was cellar-dwelling RPI. Once they hit the heart of their ECAC schedule, the Golden Knights’ offense began to falter. The Golden Tigers look as if they are struggling to rebound from their toughest loss yet, a 3-0 loss at the hands of the Princeton Tigers.

Key Player: Assistant captain and senior forward Nick Tremblay leads the Golden Knights in goals, with nine so far this season, including a multi-goal game against Holy Cross on Saturday.

Brown: 4 pts (3-5-1, 2-2)

Head coach Brendan Whittet, who played for the Bears from 1990 to 1994, led a promising Brown team to impressive wins early this season, including a 5-4 come-from-behind win over No. 17 Cornell on Nov. 5, a 2-1 upset of No. 9 Union on Nov. 11 and a 3-2 upending of Princeton on Oct. 29. But the Bears have been shut out three of their last four games, and even the fourth was a 1-1 tie with a weak Army team after outshooting the Black Knights 54-19.

Key Player: A bright spot in a dull offense is senior Jack Maclellan, who scored the game-winning goal against Union. Senior Goalie Mike Clemente, who has started all nine games and posted a 2.12 GAA, anchors a defense that right now is carrying the Bears.

Quinnipiac: 4 pts (8-6-1, 1-4-2)

Despite its poor conference record, Quinnipiac has recorded some impressive victories this year, including an early-season win over now No. 7 Ohio State. The Bobcats’ lone conference win was at the expense of Princeton, which lost 5-2 on Nov. 1 at Baker Rink.

Key Players: Junior forward Jeremy Langlois, who played junior hockey in New Jersey, is second in the league with 10 goals, while sophomore Connor Jones’ 17 points and 12 assists both sit in second position on the ECAC leaderboards.

Rensselaer: 2 pts (3-10, 1-4)

A difficult non-conference schedule has definitely not helped RPI gain the confidence it desperately needs to climb out of the ECAC cellar. After opening up the season with an easy victory over Acadia, the Engineers played WCHA team Minnesota State Mankato to a split, were swept by No. 8 Colorado College and No. 6 Ferris State and lost at No. 2 Notre Dame.

Key Player: Despite their struggling defense, the Engineers boast one of the league’s top netminders in Bryce Merriam, who maintains a .921 save percentage.