Three Weekend Sweeps Highlighted ECACHL Action
ALBANY, N.Y. -- It was all about the home team over the weekend, as 12 of the 13 games contested by ECAC Hockey League squads were won by the hometown heroes. That included sweeps by Colgate, Cornell and Harvard and wins at home in three non-league games. The only exception was a 3-3 draw between Rensselaer and Brown.
The Big Red claimed the biggest advantage in the weekend games, outscoring its opponents 11-5. Nine different players scored goals for Cornell, with junior forward Matt Moulson with the most at two. The wins over Princeton and Yale send the Big Red into its exams on a high note.
Colgate also earned victories over the Tigers and Bulldogs. The Raiders extended their unbeaten streak against the Tigers to six games, while the win against Yale was the first in Hamilton since 2002. Colgate has now won 12 on the year, and with just four losses, is tied for second in the country in team winning percentage. And, the Raiders are now one of just two teams nationally to have won 12 games.
Harvard's two Ws moved the squad up two places in the league standings. Now sitting in second place, the Crimson stopped Union's league-win streak at six games with a 4-1 decision. The Cantabs then downed Rensselaer 2-1 the next night.
Brown gained three points on the weekend with a win and a tie. Freshman goaltender Adam D'Alba earned his first collegiate shutout with the 2-0 win on Saturday and is 4-0-1 through five games of action. The netminder accomplished a rare feat by taking both the goalie and rookie honors this week. He earned both awards after making 70 saves and recording a save percentage of .959 in the two games. Teammate Les Haggett claimed the Player of the Week award after scoring the tying and game-winning goals over the weekend.
In non-league action, Vermont continued its hot streak, claiming a 2-0 victory over Hockey East foe Northeastern. The victory extended the Catamounts' unbeaten streak to 11 games, as the team is 8-0-3 over that time. Freshman goalie Joe Fallon made 28 saves in posting his third collegiate blanking. The rookie netminder also had great play from his defense, as the blue liners blocked a number of shots and were there whenever needed in the game.
St. Lawrence and Clarkson had a tougher time of it, traveling to New Hampshire and UMass-Lowell, with both dropping their games. Clarkson jumps back into the saddle this weekend with two games against Ohio State, while the Saints will have to wait until after exams to take on their next opponent.
With several schools taking time away from competition this week for semester exams, all but on game on the upcoming slate is against non-league opponents. The only league contest this week has Vermont at Harvard on Tuesday (Dec. 7).
In non-league action, along with Clarkson's games vs. the Buckeyes, Princeton will play two games at Merrimack, Rensselaer will play host to Providence and Boston University, Union travels to Wayne State and Dartmouth faces UMass-Lowell and the U.S. Under-18 national team. Harvard is also on tap and will face Maine on Saturday in Cambridge. The game is also part of the Commissioners' Cup Series.
Follow all the action with live stats from most games and postgame stories and box scores from all the contests online at http://www.ecachockeyleague.com/.
