Union and Vermont Continue to Roll
Dutchmen have won six straight; Cats unbeaten in eight
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Union continues to rack up victories, as it won both of its ECAC Hockey League games over the weekend. The Dutchmen have opened the 2004-05 league season with six straight victories and leads the early race with 12 points. Vermont also continues to play well and earned three points over the weekend with a win and a tie, extending its unbeaten streak to eight games with a record of 6-0-2 in those contests.
Four other ECACHL teams split their games, with Rensselaer, Colgate, Princeton and Dartmouth all picking up two points each. St. Lawrence and Clarkson played a single game last Wednesday, and the Saints won the first meeting between the arch rivals 3-1.
In non-conference action last week, Harvard pulled off the big upset with a 3-1 win over then-No. 1 Boston College and Brown defeated then No. 7 Minnesota-Duluth.
Union continued its winning ways with victories over Princeton and Yale on the road. The Dutchmen's six-game streak is currently the longest winning streak in Division I hockey. The team is getting noticed on a larger scale, as it received votes in both national polls this week. Senior Scott Seney had his first collegiate hat trick in the win over Princeton, while Jordan Webb picked up two points vs. Yale to give him 99 in his career.
The Catamounts are in the middle of their best streak since 1995-96 when the team advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four. Rookie netminder Joe Fallon (this week's Goalie of the Week) made a total of 40 saves in the two games over the weekend to help his team earn three points. Two power-play goals against one of the best penalty-killing teams in the country got the tie and a big three-goal second period earned the win. Cornell and Colgate were ranked No. 9 and 14, respectively, in the nation at that time.
Princeton's Dustin Sproat helped his team scored seven goals over the weekend en route to its split. The Player of the Week picked up five points on two goals and three assists over the two contests. Dartmouth earned its victory in overtime and marked the Big Green's first OT win since Nov. 2002.
Harvard's win over Boston College was big for two reasons: B.C. was ranked first in the nation, and the Crimson hadn't beaten the Eagles since January of 1999. Rookie of the Week Jon Pelle was a key to the team's success, as he scored two of the Crimson's three goals. Netminder Dov Grumet-Morris also played well, making 20 stops, including a penalty shot.
Brown also broke a non-conference hold, defeating Minnesota-Duluth for the first time since 1965. The two teams don't meet that often, but it was a big win when freshman Jeff Prough scored with 0.1 seconds left on the clock to lift the Bears to the 2-1 victory over the Bulldogs.
This week has a number of non-conference and league matchups. Harvard will look to knock off No. 10/11 Boston Univ. in a mid-week game, while Vermont takes on UMass and No. 6 New Hampshire. Rensselaer plays host to its own tournament -- the nation's oldest college holiday invite -- this weekend, while Union participates in Providence's Dunkin' Donuts Coffee Pot tourney. Cornell, Colgate and Dartmouth also take on non-league foes this weekend.
In ECACHL action, Yale and Princeton play their annual home-and-home series this week, while Brown and Harvard travel to the North Country for games at St. Lawrence and Clarkson.
Follow all the action with live stats from most games and postgame stories and box scores from all the games online at http://www.ecachockeyleague.com/.
