Team Notes: Colgate Welcomes Brown and No. 5 Yale

HAMILTON, NY. – The Colgate men’s hockey team welcomes Brown and fifth-ranked Yale to Starr Rink this weekend as the Raiders are searching for their first ECAC Hockey win in the early season.

Both games are set for 7 p.m., and all links for live video and live stats are available through Men's Hockey Game Central.

OFFENSIVE DEFENSEMEN
Sophomore Thomas Larkin (Cocquio Trevisago, Italy) and junior Corbin McPherson (Folsom, Calif.) have played in all eight games on the blueline and both have already equaled their goal output from a season ago. Larkin has three this year, which leads defensemen and is second on the team, while McPherson netted two against Sacred Heart to give him two on the season. The Raiders have five defensive players with at least one point.

MIHALIK SEES FIRST ACTION
Freshman Eric Mihalik (Avon Lake, Ohio) saw his first action between the pipes against Quinnipiac, becoming the first rookie to start for Colgate since teammate Bryan Bessette earned a start against Harvard on Feb. 13, 2009. The rookie from Avon Lake, Ohio, made 24 stops in his first action including 11 in the first to keep the Bobcats off the board. 

REESE HONORED WITH SILVER PUCK AWARD
Michelle Reese was named the recipient of the 2010-11 Silver Puck Award on Saturday evening at the annual banquet in the Hall of Presidents. Reese becomes the 48th recipient of the award, which began back in 1960 as J. Howard Starr received the inaugural award. The Silver Puck Award is handed out by the Silver Puck Club, the fundraising arm of Colgate men’s hockey and is given to a person or people whose continued support and contributions to the Colgate men’s hockey program warrant special recognition and applause. It has been awarded on an annual basis since 1981. Reese has been with the hockey program for 23 years and helps with team travel, banquets and the Terry Slater Golf Tournament.

THIRD JERSEY SALE
The Colgate men’s hockey team wore its new third jersey last weekend and the jerseys are on sale now with the proceeds going to the Silver Puck Club, the Interfaith Council and Hamilton Food Cupboard. Fans can purchase the jersey by calling Michelle Reese at 315-228-7570.

FOOD & TOY DRIVE COMING SOON TO STARR
On Friday night, the Colgate men’s hockey team will be hosting a food drive for the Hamilton Food Cupboard. Fans are asked to bring can goods or non-perishable items to Starr Rink for the matchup against third-ranked Yale and for their generosity, Colgate athletics will hand out one free general admission ticket for the game. The Raiders will also be collecting toys for the Interfaith Holiday Council on Dec. 11 during the Niagara game, which the items will then be dispersed to the families within Madison County. Fans will again receive a free general admission ticket for their help.

IN NEED OF AN EARLY LEAD
In both wins this season, the Raiders have jumped out to an early lead. The Raiders lost their first game when leading early with the 3-1 loss to Quinnipiac. When Colgate fails to take the first lead, the Raiders are 0-3-1. Last weekend at Clarkson and St. Lawrence, they surrendered lead in both games. 

SECURING THE LEAD
Colgate has taken a lead into the third period in three games this year and is 2-0-1 in those games. The wins came against Army and Sacred Heart with the tie happening last weekend at Clarkson The Raiders had a two-goal lead going into the final frame. Colgate gave up two power play goals, but was able to right the ship and secure one point. 

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
Colgate ranks third in the league in the least amount of penalty minutes and the Raiders committed just one offense against Sacred Heart, but the team is struggling on the kill. Colgate ranks 11th in ECAC Hockey with eight power play goals against in 36 opportunities for a 77.8 percentage success rate. The Raiders surrendered three to the Golden Knights, who came into the game without a score with the advantage. 

LOOKING FOR A MILESTONE
Senior Brian Day (Danvers, Mass.) is eight points away from reaching the 100-point plateau as he has 48 goals and 44 assists for 92 points. He is looking to become the 48th Colgate skater to reach the milestone. The last player to reach 100 points was David McIntyre last season as he posted 41 points to post 131 points in four years.

SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
Colgate continues league play this weekend with visits from Brown and fifth-ranked Yale. The Raiders are still searching for their first conference victory. The Raiders are averaging 2.75 goals a game, which is sixth in ECAC. Yale leads the league at 5.33 tallies a game. Colgate is in the middle of the conference on defense, allowing 2.88 goals against. 

The Raiders have 18 different skaters with at least one point with seven earning four or more points. Day is on top of the scoring list with seven points on four goals and three assists. He is tied for 20th in the league averaging 1.17 points per game. Junior Austin Smith (Dallas, Texas) netted his second goal of the season in the 4-4 tie against Clarkson and he has six points on two goals and four assists, while senior Francois Brisebois (Montreal, Que.) also has six points, including a team-high five assists. 

In net, junior Alex Evin (Castlegar, B.C.) has started 6-of-7 games for the Raiders and has a 2-4-1 mark. He posted his first collegiate shutout against Sacred Heart on Oct. 30 and has recorded a .905 save percentage and a goals against average of 2.70. Mihalik got his first start against Quinnipiac and gave up three goals, while making 24 saves in his Colgate debut in the 3-1 loss..

On special teams, the power play is still trying to find its groove with five goals in 47 opportunities. They are scoreless with the extra man in the last three games after netting three against Clarkson on Nov. 5. The penalty kill has been a concern as well allowing eight goals down a man in 36 chances for its opponents.

SCOUTING THE BEARS
Brown comes west to Hamilton with a 1-2-1 overall mark after having last weekend off. The Bears are still looking for their first ECAC Hockey win as they are 0-1-1 in league play so far. Brown is averaging three goals a game and is giving up 3.75 on the defensive end. The Bears are coming off a 4-3 loss to Princeton and a 3-3 tie with Quinnipiac.

Brown has a small sample size to go from with just four games played, while most teams have played eight. Jack Maclellan leads the team with six points on two goals and four assists. He has had one goal on the power play and one has come as a gamewinner. Harry Zolnierczyk is tied with Maclellan for the team lead in goals with two. His have come on the power play and also shorthanded. Freshman Dennis Robertson leads the team with three goals from the blueline, all coming on the power play. 

In net, Mike Clemente and Marco DeFilippo have split time between the pipes as each has earned two starts. Clemente is 0-1-1 with a 4.80 goals against average and a save percentage of .861. DeFilippo has been more successful with a 1-1 mark and 58 saves on 63 shots. The rookie has a 2.52 GAA and a .921 save percentage. 

The Bears have been explosive on the power play with seven goals in 21 opportunities for a 33.3 percent success rate, which is second behind Union for the conference lead. Union is an incredible 37% on the power play. Brown does a complete 180 turn on the penalty kill as the Bears are dead last in the league with a killing percentage of 76 percent. They have allowed five goals in 21 chances to their opponents. 

SERIES HISTORY
Colgate and Brown will be facing off for the 73rd time since the first meeting back in 1934-35. The Raiders hold a commanding 49-18-5 advantage over the Bears. The .721 winning percentage for Colgate over Brown is the best against any ECAC Hockey team for the Raiders. They are unbeaten in the last three meetings and the longest unbeaten streak for Colgate against Brown is 11, which was from 2003-04 to 2006-07. 

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Fifth-ranked Yale makes the trip to Colgate with a 5-1-0 overall mark and a undefeated 2-0-0 record in ECAC Hockey. The Bulldogs bring the top-scoring offense in the nation to Starr Rink as they are averaging over five goals a game early in the season. They are beating their opponents by more than 2.5 goals a game. Yale is coming off a split trip out west with a win over Colorado College and a loss to Air Force. The Bulldogs have scored at least five goals in five of the six games played. 

Yale is led by three of the top four scorers in the nation in Broc Little, Denny Kearney and Brian O’Neill. Little is averaging two points a game and has 12 on the year with five goals and seven points. Kearney has six goals and six assists for 12 points in six games for a two-point average, while Brian O’Neill has 11 points on six goals and five assists. The Bulldogs have six skaters with at least five points. Andrew Cahill leads the team in ECAC Hockey play with five points on two goals and three assists. 

In net, Ryan Rondeau has started four of the six games and has a perfect 4-0-0 mark with a 2.00 goals against average and a save percentage of .928. Jeff Malcolm has earned two starts and is 1-1-0 with a 4.02 goals against average and a save percentage of .837. The Yale netminders have only been down in a game for 41 of 360 minutes played this season. 

The power play for the Bulldogs has been consistent with a 21.9 success rate with seven goals in 32 opportunities. They are averaging 5.3 chances a game and are scoring over one goal a game on the power play. On the penalty kill, which has been a weakness, they have allowed nine goals in 47 chances for a 78 percent success rate. 

SERIES HISTORY
These two schools will be playing for the 90th time in the series history, which dates back to 1916-17. The series against Rensselaer is the only other rivalry that has lasted longer than Yale as Colgate has played the Engineers since 1915-16. The Raiders hold a 47-38-4 advantage over Yale and each team owns a 1-1-1 record against one another in the last three matchups. Three of the last four games have gone to overtime with each team earning a win and a tie.