Weekend Preview: Cleary Cup Chase Begins This Weekend
ALBANY, NY -- Each year the ECAC Hockey regular-season champion
is annually awarded the Cleary Cup. All twelve ECAC Hockey
teams will begin journeys this weekend vying for league's 48th
crown. The four nationally-ranked ECAC Hockey teams will face
early challenges, including an electrifying match-up between No. 17
Cornell visiting defending league tournament champion No. 9/9
Princeton in a Friday matinee showdown.
No. 18 Harvard/Dartmouth at
Rensselaer/Union: For the second time this week, the
Engineers will battle the Crimson. Harvard stopped Rensselaer
3-1 Tuesday evening behind solid efforts from defensive partners
Ian Tallett and Alex Biega who each scored goals. Friday's
game will mark the 6th Annual Black Friday game at RPI, which
traditionally marks the first home league game for the
Engineers. Harvard is 31-44-2 all-time against the
Engineers. The two schools split the series last year with
both home teams claiming victory. Harvard is off to a 2-0
start this season led by freshman Matt Hoyle's solid performances
between the pipes. The netminder is 2-0 with a 1.00 GAA and a
.966 save percentage. This weekend the Big Green also travels
to the Capital District for a pair of ECAC Hockey games versus
Union and Rensselaer. Rensselaer is the series leader with a
35-27-5 record while Dartmouth holds the lead over Union,
20-13-4. Dartmouth holds a 11-1-1 record against the
Engineers in the last 13 meetings. The Dutchmen were 5-1-5 at
home last season in conference play. Sophomore forward
Stephane Boileau has netted two game-winning goals for the Dutchmen
this season. Union's defense has only allowed 2.40 goals per
game in five non-conference games this season.
Brown/Yale at No. 15/15 Clarkson/St.
Lawrence: Claiming its tenth regular-season title
last season, posting a 15-4-3 mark, Clarkson starts its quest for
another crown hosting Brown and Yale at Cheel Arena this
weekend. With 19 returning letterwinners, the 15th-ranked
Golden Knights own a 1-1-2 mark on the young season. Cheel
Arena has not been too friendly for league visitors, as Clarkson
posted a 10-0-1 mark against ECAC Hockey foes last season.
Clarkson has won five straight over Brown to lead the series, which
began in 1953, by a commanding 53-13-6 margin. Clarkson has won
seven of the last nine games against Yale to lead the all-time
series, which began in 1929-30, 67-29-4. The Golden Knights
hold a 16-3 mark over the Bulldogs at Cheel Arena. Yale's
last win in Potsdam was a 4-3 overtime triumph on January 31,
2004. Yale makes its long trip to the North Country this
weekend after opening with a 6-3 at Brown last weekend. The
Bulldogs swept last year's set with St. Lawrence, but the Saints
have won four of the last six meetings. After dropping a pair
of close games at Michigan, the Saints have now won three straight
contests. SLU leads the all-time series between the two teams
53-24-7 and is 22-12-2 against Yale in Canton. The Saints and Brown
tied 4-4 at Appleton last season as the Bears continued a streak in
which they have taken at least one point from the Saints in every
season since 1991-92.
No. 17 Cornell/Colgate at No. 9/9
Princeton/Quinnipiac: One of the highlights of the
weekend features an early conference showdown between two
nationally-ranked teams - No. 17 Cornell at No. 9/9 Princeton
Friday. The defending ECAC Hockey Tournament Champion
Tigers were selected as the preseason favorites by both the media
and coaches. Princeton was 9-7 at home last season and holds
an all-time record of 458-459-60 at Baker Rink. The Tigers
are coming off the most successful season in the program's history
in terms of wins, as they earned 21 during the 2007-08
campaign. The Big Red was the third choice among voters in
the preseason coaches and media polls. The Big Red returns 17
letterwinnes and welcomes six freshmen. Cornell claimed 13 of
the last 14 match-ups versus the Tigers prior to heading into last
season, but Princeton picked-up a pair of one-goal victories en
route to a 14-8 league mark in 2007-08. Quinnipiac enters
league-play with a 2-2 record on the young season. Freshman
Nick Pisellinio has played solid in goal posting a 1.09 GAA and a
.952 save percentage over the last three games. The Big
Red holds a 6-3-1 lead in the series against Quinnipiac.
Colgate opens its 2008-09 ECAC Hockey play on the road at
Quinnipiac and Princeton as well. This weekend's Princeton
and Colgate game will mark the 90th meeting between the two
schools. Colgate leads the all-time 45-38-6 overall.
The Raiders have won six of the last 11 match-ups versus the
Tigers. The Raiders have killed off 15 consecutive power
plays and 21 of 22 man advantages on the season.
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