Final Finish Comes Down to the Wire This Weekend in the ECACHL
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Just two games remain on everyone's schedule in the ECAC Hockey League, and they are two very important contests. With just five points separating first through sixth place and with five teams still able to finish first, each team will battle for the last points of the season. With so many scenarios possible, some of the few things we know for sure are that Cornell is the only team to have claimed a first-round bye, Rensselaer and Clarkson will have home ice for the first round and Quinnipiac, Princeton, Yale and Brown will all travel to start the playoffs.
Currently, the Big Red is in first place with 27 points, followed by Colgate and Dartmouth with 26, St. Lawrence with 25, Harvard with 23 and Union with 22. With Cornell having already claimed a top-four spot, the five other teams in this group will be fighting for the final three spots and a week of rest that comes with doing so. Helping to keep it interesting is the fact that SLU will play both the Crimson and Big Green this weekend, while the Big Red and Raiders play at Union. Rensselaer and Clarkson could help their travel partners while helping themselves in their games, and Quinnipiac, Princeton, Yale and Brown face each other in jockeying for the better spots in the final standings.
Taking a look at the games in New England this weekend, there's a lot on the line for the host teams. Both Dartmouth and Harvard can still finish first in the league race, but they will need to get through St. Lawrence and Clarkson to do so.
In Hanover, the Big Green needs just two points to earn a first-round bye. Dartmouth takes on Clarkson in its first game of the weekend and will be looking for the season sweep, as the Green earned a 4-0 blanking over the Golden Knights back in November. The recent series has been tight, with the teams tied at 4-4-2 over the last 10 games. Both teams are also playing well right now, with each having won three of their last four games. St. Lawrence needs three points on the weekend to guarantee a first-round bye, however two points could still earn one, depending on how everyone else does. The Saints have also won three of its last four games. Earlier this year, SLU withstood a late Dartmouth rally to earn a 6-4 win in Canton and to take a 5-4-1 lead in the last 10 games the two teams have played. Clarkson and St. Lawrence both lead the Big Green in their all-time series histories.
Harvard needs four points to guarantee a first-round bye and could still do it with two points, but it won't be as easy. The Crimson starts off the weekend against St. Lawrence before taking on Clarkson. Earlier this season, Harvard earned a close 4-3 victory over the Saints in Canton, holding off a late-game surge by SLU. The Crimson has been the victor in most recent games, holding a 7-1-2 record in the last 10 contests played between the two. The lone loss in that time came last season on Nov. 24, 2004. Clarkson broke out of a four-game losing streak against Harvard in their first meeting earlier this season to move within one game of tying the all-time series, which stands in the Crimson's favor, 43-42-9. The Golden Knights' last win on the Crimson's home ice was a 3-0 victory on November 29, 2003, its first shutout ever in the series.
The New York Capital District will also have some exciting battles taking place, as Rensselaer and Union play host to Colgate and Cornell. While Cornell and Colgate look to claim first place for the year, Union wants four points, as the Dutchmen could earn a first-round bye in doing so. While Rensselaer knows it has home ice for the first round of the playoffs in hand, the Engineers could play the spoiler, keeping the Big Red and/or Raiders out of first place, while also helping Union.
Friday night will be "White Out Night" at Houston Field House when Rensselaer takes on Cornell. The Engineers tied the Big Red 1-all earlier this year in Ithaca. The team will look to carry some of that success into this weekend's game, as Cornell has won the last five games played in Troy. Rensselaer also tied Colgate earlier this season and will look to add to its 50-43-4 advantage in the all-time series. Recently, the Raiders have won seven of the last eight games between the two teams, including the last four played at Houston.
The past four games played between Union and Colgate at Messa Rink have led to split results, as each team has claimed two games, including the Raiders 1-0 win last year. The Dutchmen were also shutout earlier this season by Colgate and will look to avenge that 5-0 loss on Friday night. Saturday's game against Cornell will be televised regionally on Time Warner Cable and also webcast at www.twalbany.com. The last two games between the two schools have been hotly contested, resulting in 2-1 scores, including Union's overtime victory earlier this year in Ithaca. The Dutchmen tend to give Cornell fits, and have won six of the last 14 games played at Messa Rink. The lower New England games taking place in Connecticut feature a fresh rivalry between neighbors Quinnipiac and Yale. Brown joins its travel partner in playing the Bobcats, while Princeton also hits the road to face the Bears and Bulldogs.
Friday night features the Quinnipiac-Yale contest, taking place at Ingalls Rink and televised live on NESN. It will be just the second time ever that the two neighbors have ever faced each other. The Bulldogs claimed the first game in the series 4-3 in early January. Yale has a longer history with Princeton and the two were travel partners prior to this season. In fact, the two teams have met 222 times with the Bulldogs holding a 118-95-9 advantage in the all-time series. Yale has won the last two meetings in the series, taking a 7-1 win last season in New Haven and a 6-1 win in Princeton in January. The Tigers posted a 6-3 win at home in the first meeting between the two last season.
The Tigers will start off their weekend in Providence vs. Brown. The two teams skated to a 2-2 tie in early January at Baker Rink and split their games last season, with each team winning on the road. Like Yale, Brown will also be meeting Quinnipiac for just the second time ever. The first meeting between the two went to overtime, with the Bobcats earning the go-ahead goal for a 3-2 win.
