Flip at the Top - Cornell Now in First After ECACHL Weekend Games
Others starting to move as we hit the stretch
ALBANY, N.Y. - Cornell and Colgate played its annual home-and-home series this weekend and at the end, they switched places in the standings, as the Big Red is now first and the Raiders are second. Three other teams moved up one spot each in the ECAC Hockey League standings after their weekend performances, with Dartmouth, Union and Princeton all making moves.
With little movement in the standings over the weekend, it is still possible for any of the 12 teams to receive a bye in the league tournament. In fact, eight teams can still finish anywhere from first to last, making the next few weeks even more important - and thrilling.
Cornell and Colgate upped the ante with their series over the weekend. The Raiders entered the games three points ahead of the Big Red in the standings and relinquished their lead with two losses. Cornell gained momentum after killing of a 5x3 in Friday's game and then scored shortly after en route to a 4-1 win and then scored with less than 40 seconds to go in regulation on Saturday for a 3-2 victory. Junior forward Mark McCutcheon was the hero on Saturday, netting the clutch, winning goal. Goalie David McKee earned both wins after stopping 43 shots over the two games and earned goaltender of the Week honors. Colgate's Kyle Wilson scored both of his team's goals in the loss.
Princeton made its one-step move with a weekend sweep over St. Lawrence and Clarkson. The Tigers posted a tough 4-3 win on Friday and then came back with a 4-3 victory the next night. Grant Goeckner-Zoeller led the way for the Tigers with a goal and three assists - with two of his helpers coming on the winning goals. Earlier in the week, he also had a goal in a loss to Robert Morris. His five-point week, and two winning assists, earned him Player of the Week honors. Teammate Eric Leroux and Brett Wilson also contributed to the wins. Leroux stopped 61 shots in the two league wins, while Wilson, a rookie, had a goal each night - both on the power play.
Quinnipiac also swept the North Country teams, beating Clarkson 6-1 and SLU 3-1. Freshman Brian Leitch had five points in the two games, including the game winner vs. the Saints and earned this week's Rookie of the Week accolades. Bud Fisher continues to be solid between the pipes, making a total of 48 saves in the two wins. Thirty-one of them came against the Saints.
Despite his team's two losses, T.J. Trevelyan turned in a strong weekend for St. Lawrence, with two goals and two assists. Three of his points (2-1) came against Princeton.
Dartmouth made its one-spot move in the league standings after downing Yale 6-4 and then tying Brown 2-2 over the weekend. Tanner Glass had three points in those games to help the Big Green continue its four-game unbeaten streak. He helped his team come back from three goals down with a goal and the game-winning assist vs. the Bulldogs and then had his second helper of the weekend vs. Brown.
On Saturday, the Big Green and Bears traded goals, with Brown going ahead 2-1 with an even-strength goal at 8:04 in the third. Dartmouth tied it up with 55 seconds to go in regulation with David Jones scoring.
It was the second straight overtime game for the Bears, as they went to an extra stanza against Harvard the night before. Brown's Cory Caouette evened the score at 1-all and forced overtime. The Crimson's Dan Murphy ended it at the 2:55 mark in the extra period.
Union and Rensselaer also played its annual home-and-home series and the Dutchmen came out on top with a 3-2 win on Friday and a 1-1 tie on Saturday. Kris Mayotte was strong as ever in goal, making 52 saves in the two games to earn three team points. Twenty-two of his saves came in the win. Chris Potts netted the unassisted game winner on Friday. All the scoring in Saturday's game came in the third period, with Rensselaer's Andrew Lord scoring an unassisted marker at 5:03 and Union's Lane Caffaro tying it up less than three minutes later.
Harvard kicks off this week's action at the Beanpot tonight (Feb. 6) in the 8 p.m. game vs. Boston University. It is the 54th year for this annual event.
In league play this coming weekend, Colgate and Cornell travel to Clarkson and St. Lawrence, while Brown and Yale are at Rensselaer and Union. Quinnipiac and Princeton will play at Dartmouth and the Tigers will also take on Harvard. The Bobcats have already played the Crimson twice, and Harvard will be idle on Saturday as it prepares for the second round of Beanpot play next Monday (Feb. 13).
