Home Teams On Top Over Weekend in ECACHL
ALBANY, N.Y. -- It was good to be the home team this past weekend, as the visitors were only able to take four of 12 games in the ECAC Hockey League. With the various wins and losses, there is now no single team remaining undefeated in league play, and there is a four-way tie at the top of the standings.
Rensselaer and Union proved to be the toughest trip of the weekend, as they both swept Princeton and Quinnipiac.
Rensselaer started the weekend by marring Quinnipiac's unblemished league record before taking down Princeton. Jonathan Ornelas helped the Engineers earn the sweep with three goals in the two games while also going +5 for the weekend. His efforts, including the game winner vs. the Tigers, earned him Player of the Week honors. The Engineers also relied on the strong play of freshman netminder Mathias Lange. He earned both wins after stopping 59 of the 62 shots he faced over the weekend for a 1.50 goals against average and a .952 save percentage. His efforts achieved him Rookie of the Week honors for the second time this season.
Goaltending helped Union win its two league games as well, with senior netminder Kris Mayotte earning Goaltender of the Week honors. Mayotte stopped 28 shots both nights and earned his sixth career shutout with the 1-0 blanking of Princeton. Offensively, sophomore Josh Coyle chipped in two goals and an assist on Friday, while rookie Augie DiMarzo had a goal and three assists on the weekend.
Brown also swept its opponents over the weekend, taking games from North Country foes Clarkson and St. Lawrence. In a tight game with the Golden Knights, Jeff Prough tallied the eventual game winner on the power play with 38 seconds remaining in regulation. The sophomore also had an assists in the game for a two point night. Against SLU, the Bears scored once in each period for the win. Special teams also netted the winner on this night, with Sean Hurley scoring on the power play in the second period.
While Clarkson and St. Lawrence weren't lucky in Providence, they were able to earn wins at Yale to go home with two points each. The Saints saw 12 goals scored in their game with the Bulldogs, and it was a tight 6-5 contest after two periods of play. Kyle Rank came through in the third for SLU, netting an insurance goal. The Golden Knights also won by two, scoring three straight in the middle of the game and then tallying an empty-netter with 36 seconds left on the clock.
Cornell and Colgate started of their weekend road trip with wins at Harvard and Dartmouth, respectively. The Big Red netted two goals within the final 5:04 to come from behind and earn the win. Topher Scott's winner came with 2:31 to go in the game. Colgate edged the Big Green by scoring short-handed, at even strength and on the power play. J.T. Wyman brought the game within one at 10:10 in the third, however, Kyle Wilson's PPG in the second held up as the game winner.
The following night, it was Harvard and Dartmouth picking up the wins. The Crimson had two goals from Paul Dufault, with the remaining goals coming from four others in the victory over Colgate. The Raiders came out and scored less than six minutes into the game before the Crimson reeled off six straight. Colgate rallied in the last 11 minutes of the game with three power-play goals, but it wasn't enough to derail the Crimson.
In New Hampshire, the Big Green scored three goals in the first and added three more in the second to take the win from the Big Red. Eric Przepiorka's goal (the fifth Big Green tally of the night) chased Cornell starter David McKee out of the nets for the first time in his career. Nick Johnson scored twice for Dartmouth, while Mike Devine earned the win between the pipes after making 19 stops.
This week's action starts on Tuesday night, when Harvard plays cross-town rival Boston College. The weekend has all league games, with Rensselaer and Union at Colgate and Cornell; Brown and Yale at Dartmouth and Harvard; and Princeton and Quinnipiac at Clarkson and St. Lawrence. The Brown at Harvard game is going to be played on Sunday afternoon to accommodate television. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU starting at 3 p.m.
