Season Rematches Highlight This Weekend's ECACHL Slate

ALBANY, N.Y. - This is the time of year when all of the teams in the ECAC Hockey League start to turn the corner and position themselves for the final run down the stretch. In turning that corner, teams now find themselves facing squads they've beaten or lost to already this season and will look to take the advantage in the season series. Along with nine league contests on this weekend's slate, there is also one non-league contest on Saturday.

In league matchups, Colgate and Cornell travel to Princeton and Quinnipiac (both QU games will be played at Ingalls Rink this weekend), while Clarkson and St. Lawrence head downstate to Union and Rensselaer. Also on tap, Brown visits Yale Saturday afternoon. The lone out-of-conference game this weekend has Dartmouth taking on New Hampshire at the Verizon Wireless Center in Manchester, N.H., in the annual "Battle for the RiverStone."

Earlier this season, Cornell and Colgate swept their weekend games at home vs. Princeton and Quinnipiac The games were highly competitive, as three of them were decided by one goal each.

The Raiders are looking to extend its unbeaten streak vs. the Tigers to six games, which includes an overtime win and a tie at Hobey Baker Rink. While Colgate holds the overall advantage in the series between the two schools, Princeton has the advantage when playing in New Jersey, 21-19-4. It will be just the second-ever meeting between Colgate and Quinnipiac. In the last game, the Bobcats led 3-2 before the Raiders' Kyle Wilson netted the tying and go-ahead goals in the early part of the third period.

Cornell will look to extend its eight-game unbeaten streak - which is currently the longest in the nation - when it visits Quinnipiac and Princeton. The Big Red and Bobcats will be meeting for the fourth time, and the last outing was a showdown at Lynah Rink, with Bud Fisher and David McKee evenly tested with each facing 24 shots in the game. Mark McCutcheon was the hero for Cornell, scoring with 23 seconds to go in regulation. The Big Red has won 11 straight against Princeton and the Tigers will look to put a stop to that streak at home.

The North Country teams head to the Capital District this weekend and will look to build on the 3-0-1 mark they earned at home to open the league schedule the first weekend in November.

St. Lawrence swept both of its opponents earlier this year in Canton by a combined score of 9-4. The games in the Capital District this weekend are sure to be hotly contested if recent history means anything, as the last eight (dating back to 2001-02) contests between SLU and Rensselaer/Union have all been one-goal decisions. The Saints have won the last two games vs. RPI, however Union has won the last three over SLU in games played at Messa Rink.

Clarkson and Union are sure to heat things up on Friday night, as the last games played at Messa Rink between the two were three straight overtime games in the first round of the League playoffs last season. The Golden Knights won that series, taking games one and three, and then won the league-opener earlier this year, 4-1. The final score may be a three-goal difference, but the game was a tight one before the Knights opened up the game with two third-period goals. The teams have split in regular season action the past two years. Friday's contest will be televised in the Schenectady/Albany area on Time Warner Cable, and will also be broadcast in Central New York. The Golden Knights and Rensselaer will be facing each other for the 123 time on Saturday. The Engineers have faced Clarkson more than any other opponent in their program's history. The Knights hold the advantage in the overall series, however the Engineers have the upper hand recently with a five-game unbeaten streak (4-0-1). Saturday's game will be broadcast live on the Internet. For more information, visit www.alumni.rpi.edu/hockey.

The final league matchup of the weekend has Brown playing at Yale, with the Bulldogs looking to sweep the season series. The Bulldogs have a 76-66-7 advantage in the 107-year-old series with the Bears, although Brown has won seven of the last 10. Back in early December, the two teams were tied at 2-all through the first forty minutes of action before Yale tallied three unanswered goals for the win. Freshman Jean-Francois Boucher scored two of those, including the winner.

The lone non-league contest of the weekend has in-state rivals Dartmouth and New Hampshire facing off on Saturday night in Manchester. The relatively new rivalry between New Hampshire and Dartmouth has the Wildcats holding a 28-16-2 lead in the overall series. Saturday's game marks the fourth annual "Battle for the RiverStone," and the Big Green is looking to defend last year's crown, after downing the Wildcats 9-8. Jarrett Sampson was named the RiverStone player of the game after scoring a hat trick and adding an assist. The game will be broadcast live by WMUR Ch.9 out of Manchester.