Weekend Preview: Crunch Time

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ALBANY, NY  --  With only four full weeks of action remaining in the ECAC Hockey women's regular season, the ‘do or die' attitude is being felt in the lockerrooms. 

Yale/Brown vs. Dartmouth/No. 1 Harvard:  Owning the nation's best winning percentage of .944, No. 1-ranked Harvard looks to build its lead with weekend contests at Brown and a home game versus Yale.  The Crimson, who are riding a 14-game conference winning streak, possess a relentless offense that is outshooting its opponents 35 to 19 in each contest.  Not be be outdone, the stingy defensive of Harvard has only surrendered 10 goals in 14 league games and has only allowed more than two goals once this season.  Harvard's game receives help from all lines with 11 different players having found the back of the net this season.  The upset-minded Bears will look to combat the high-powered attacks of both Dartmouth and Harvard weekend behind junior netminder Nicole Stock, who boasts an impressive save percentage of .931 in league play.  Dartmouth will look to build on the series leads its holds on both Yale and Brown.  The Big Green have dominated the Bulldogs in head-to-head play, holding a 58-4-1 advantage; and bettered the Bears by a 30-28-8 mark.  Yale's special teams play continues to be an affirmative part of its on-ice play, ranking third in the conference and fifth nationally in combined special-teams play.

Union/Rensselaer at Quinnipiac/Princeton:  The Dutchwomen and the Engineers hit the road this weekend traveling to Quinnipiac and Princeton.  The Tigers currently sit in the middle of the pack in the standings, two points off the crucial No. 4 spot, which means home ice for the post-season.  The Engineers hope their disciplined game earns them points this weekend, as they vie for a post-season goal of their own, earning a chance to extend their season.  The Bobcats and the Dutchwomen are searching for their first league wins of the season -- the two teams played to a scoreless draw in Schenectady earlier this season. 

Colgate vs. Cornell:  The Big Red and the Raiders will play a home-and-home series this weekend.  The Raiders are led by junior forwards Sam Hunt and Elin Brown, who have each netted 23 points on the season.  Freshman goaltender Lisa Plenderleith has played in 20 games,  posting an 8-8-3 record for the fifth-placed Raiders.  Cornell has also received substantial contributions from its freshmen class with freshman Rebecca Johnston and Karlee Overguard, who rank second (1.31 G/GM) and ninth (0.95) in scoring among their counterparts, respectively.  Cornell's last win over Colgate was March 2, 2002.

No. 6 St. Lawrence vs. No. 9 Clarkson:  In a match-up of two top 10s, the Golden Knights and the Saints have more than ‘North Country' bragging rights on the line this weekend, as their annual home-and-home series takes place this weekend.  Clarkson hosts St. Lawrence at Cheel Arena Friday, and then travels the familiar path 10 miles down Route 11 to take on its rivals at Appleton Arena Saturday.  Both teams enter the weekend with noteworthy winning streaks, as the Saints are winners of five straight and the Golden Knights four straight.  The Saints feature one of the nation's most productive offensives, averaging nearly four goals per contest with 12 players reaching the double-digits point level.  Emerging star freshman netminder Eve Grandmont-Berube will lead a tightfisted Clarkson defense that has only yielded 1.57 G/GM in league-play this season.  St. Lawrence leads the all-time series.