Team Notes: Colgate Hosts Pair of Nationally Ranked Foes

The following article appeared November 17 on the Colgate Web site.

After posting back-to-back three-point weekends on the road against Brown and Yale in consecutive seasons, Colgate returns home for the final time in 2009 as it hosts a pair of nationally ranked teams in 13th-ranked Quinnipiac (8-1-0, 4-0-0) and 19th-ranked Princeton (3-2-1, 2-1-1). The Raiders head into the weekend with a six-game unbeaten streak, which is tied for the second longest in the country. Colgate, 5-2-4 overall and 3-0-1 in league play, received votes in the most recent major national polls – 43 in the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports (third on the others list) and 4 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine (seventh on the list of others). This weekend will mark the last home games until the Raiders host non conference foe Robert Morris, January 22-23. Friday night’s game not only features the top two programs in the ECAC Hockey standings at this point of the season, but two of the top 20 offenses in the country in Quinnipiac (2nd) and Colgate (17th). These two programs have played nothing but nail bitters over the last eight meetings. Saturday’s tilt with the Tigers will be broadcasted over Time Warner Sports out of Syracuse. Both games are set for a 7 p.m. start.

ANNUAL CANNED FOOD AND TOY DRIVE TO BE HELD: Saturday evening, fans will get a chance to receive one free general admission ticket to the televised game with Princeton for bringing either a toy or two canned goods. Spearheaded by Ethan Cox, last year’s drives raised over $1,000 in cash, 350 pounds of food and 200 toys. These funds and items were handed over to the Hamilton Food Cupboard and the Interfaith Holiday Council to help bring holiday cheer to families in the immediate Hamilton area.

MEET THE HEAD COACH: Don Vaughan is in his 17th year at the helm of the Colgate Raiders. The 1984 graduate of St. Lawrence enters the campaign as the program’s all-time winningest coach with a 274-255-63 mark. On February 16, 2008, he became the all-time winningest coach with his 252nd victory as Colgate blanked Union 8-0. On November 11, 2007, former Colgate President, Rebecca S. Chopp, announced the creation of the Donald F. Vaughan Endowed Coaching Chair for Men’s Hockey.

Complete article can be accessed via the Colgate Web site by clicking here.