Weekend Preview: Seniors Begin to Say Goodbye
ALBANY, N.Y. -- This weekend marks the first of two
consecutive weekends where ECAC Hockey teams will recognize seniors
at their home rinks. The quest for the Cleary Cup is still there
for the taking with Union holding a one point lead over Yale with
four games remaining on the schedule.
No. 2/2 Yale/Brown at Quinnipiac/Princeton:
Winners of three of four conference games, Yale will take to the
road to battle Quinnipiac and Princeton this weekend. The ninth
Heroes Hat championship is on the line when Quinnipiac and Yale
face-off Friday night. The New Haven Country rivalry between Yale
and Quinnipiac is currently led by the Bobcats who lead the series
with a 6-4-1 overall record which began in 2005-06. Quinnipiac,
2-2-3 over its last seven, is coming off a 3-1 loss at Dartmouth
last Friday. The Bobcats are in seventh place, a point ahead of
Clarkson. The Elis have clinched a home ECAC Hockey playoff series
in March, but the weekend has yet to be determined. The Bulldogs
boast the nation's top offense at 4.32 goals per game. The Bobcats
will take on Brown Saturday evening. Quinnipiac is 4-1-0 all-time
at the TD Bank Sports Center against the Bears. Jack Mclellan leads
the Bears in goals (14), assists (17) and points (31) while Harry
Zolnierczyk has also tallied double figures in goals (11) and
assists (14) for 25 points. Princeton will also face both Brown and
Yale this weekend in its final home regular-season finale. The
Tigers look to snap its season long four-game winless streak and
solidify its place in the ECAC Hockey standings. Princeton is
currently in sixth place with 20 points and sits four points behind
third-place Dartmouth. Cornell and Rensselaer sit in between the
two with 22 and 21 points respectively. The Tigers are 63-80-7
all-time against Brown and hold a 30-34-4 record in the series at
home. The Tigers hold a 102-125-9 all-time record against Yale and
lead 47-41-4 in the series at home.
No. 7/7 Union/No. 14/14 Rensselaer at Clarkson/St.
Lawrence: Union carries the longest winning streak
in the nation (seven) into the North Country this weekend, where it
will have the opportunity to further cement its place in the school
record book taking on Clarkson and St. Lawrence. The Dutchmen can
clinch a first round bye for the second straight year, and for the
second time in program history tonight with one point gained by the
Dutchmen against Clarkson, or loss by Rensselaer, which takes on
St. Lawrence. The Dutchmen, who are fourth in the nation in
scoring, have registered three or more goals in 21 games this
season, resulting in an 18-1-2 record. Through 29 starts this
season, Paul Karpowich posts a .912 save percentage, a 3.02
goals-against average and a 14-13-2 record, including one shutout
for the Golden Knights. Clarkson leads the all-time series against
Union, which began with a 5-1 Dutchmen win in Schenectady on
January 23, 1925, 27-16-5. Union, however, is on its longest
winning streak in the rivalry with six straight victories and has
outscored the Green and Gold 38-10 during the stretch, including
19-3 over the past two games. The No.14 Engineers travel to the
North Country to battle St. Lawrence and Clarkson Friday and
Saturday evening. Senior forward Chase Polacek has a team-high 43
points in 30 games for the Engineers. RPI has lost eight games this
season and six of them have been by one goal. Another was by two
goals, with the opposition (Yale) tallying an empty-net goal.
Though 4-12-3 on the season, Saints’ freshman goaltender Mat
Weninger (2.50 GAA, .912 save pct.) has been impressive. Sophomore
forward Kyle Flanagan has been a force for the Saints in conference
play, with 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) in 18 games.
No. 16 Dartmouth/Harvard at Colgate/Cornell: No. 16 Dartmouth will take to the road this weekend for the last time during the regular season, traveling to Colgate Friday and Cornell Saturday. Senior Scott Fleming continues to lead the Big Green in scoring with 24 points. Dartmouth leads the overall series with Colgate, 42-39-5 since the two teams began meeting in 1929. The Big Red has won or tied ten of its last 12 contests after having a six-game unbeaten streak snapped at Union last weekend. Greg Miller leads the Big Red offensively with 22 points in 25 games, collecting three goals and a team-best 19 assists. Harvard is 18-8-5 in post‑Beanpot ECAC games and 38-21-9 in all post-exam league games under Ted Donato. The Crimson is 20-3-1 in February home games in Donato's six-plus seasons. Harvard has lost eight games by a single goal and another game by two goals with one coming on an empty net. In 2011, five of the Crimson's six league losses have come by one goal. Harvard is 1-6-1 in 2011 ECAC Hockey games despite being outscored by just three goals, 22-19, in those games. The Raiders enter their final home weekend with a 5-23-2 record and a 2-14-2 mark in ECAC Hockey play with four games left in the regular season. Colgate is one of four teams in ECAC Hockey that have had every skater score a point, but the Raiders are the only team with two points for every skater.
