Weekend Preview: ‘Pink’ Occupies Rinks
ALBANY, NY -- This weekend marks the second of
three for the ECAC Hockey's Pink at the Rink promotion. Fans
can logo onto www.ecachockeycoachesvscancer.com to place bids on
game-used sticks decorated with special pink wraps from the
league's student-athletes. With only two weeks of
regular-season play remaining it is still anyone's race, as the top
five positions are only separated by a mere six points.
Quinnipiac/Princeton at No. 6/6 St.
Lawrence/Clarkson: The Saints are looking to hold
down the top spot in the ECAC Hockey standings as they welcome
Quinnipiac and Princeton this weekend. The Scarlet and Brown
have an impressive home ice record of 15-5-1. The Saints have
received solid play between the pipes all season, as junior
netminder Brittony Chartier is 10th in the nation in save
percentage (.930) and 13th in goals-against average (1.85).
The Bobcats will come calling first Friday evening and look to
avenge a 2-0 blanking by the Saints earlier this season.
Quinnipiac is led by junior forward Janine Duffy and senior forward
Elyse Cole who are tied for the team-lead with 18 points on the
season. Clarkson will also be hosting the two visitors this
weekend. After going winless in their first 11 meetings with
the Tigers, the Golden Knights have won the last three
meetings. Clarkson showcases a 8-2-1 record all-time versus
Quinnipiac. The Golden Knights have been sound all season in
Potsdam earning a 11-2-2 record. The Tigers are 6-2-0
all-time in games at Clarkson. Princeton also holds a lead in
its series with St. Lawrence showcasing a 23-16-3 advantage, but
has only won just three times in the last 18 match-ups versus the
Saints.
No. 8/8 Dartmouth/Harvard at
Colgate/Cornell: Winners of eight of their last nine
games, the Big Green takes to the road this weekend sitting in the
No. 2 spot in the ECAC Hockey standings. Dartmouth has been
dominating on the power play this season as they are 20 man-up
goals in its last nine games. Dartmouth holds a 21-2-1
all-time advantage over Colgate. The Raiders have five
student-athletes which have amassed at least 20 points on the
season, led by senior forward Sam Hunt (12-14-26). Colgate
showcases the nation's fourth best power play unit converting on
24.3% of its chances. Travel partner Harvard will also make
the trek to Central New York for its final regular-season road
trip. The Crimson are riding a six-game win streak against
ECAC Hockey foes. The Crimson's strong senior class has
collected 84 of their 151 points on the season. Harvard is
12-0-2 when scoring first this season. Cornell will play its
final home series this weekend when it host Harvard and
Dartmouth. The Big Red packs a powerful one-two scoring punch
with sophomore forward Rebecca Johnston and freshman Catherine
White accumulating 37 and 34 points respectively on the season.
Rensselaer/Union at Yale/Brown: Brown and
Yale will host its final regular-season games of the year taking
part in the Pink at the Rink league-wide promotion. The
Bulldogs will also pay special tribute to one of their own, junior
forward Mandi Schwartz, who has been diagnosed with leukemia.
Six different student-athletes have scored game-winning goals for
the Bulldogs this season. The Engineers enter the weekend
with an eight point lead over Yale for the eighth and final
postseason spot. Forwards junior Whitney Nashlun and freshman
Alisa Harrison are tied for the team lead in points with 24 for
Rensselaer. Yale holds a perfect 13-0-0 all-time mark versus
Union. Senior netminder Lundy Day has been a mainstay in goal
for the Dutchwomen. She is only one of three seniors on the
young squad that includes 11 freshman. The Bears will be
saying goodbye to their seniors at home including netminder Nicole
Stock, who has played in 20-plus games in each of the last three
seasons for Brown. Forwards Nicole Brown, Andrea Hunter and
Jenna Dancewicz each have registered five goals on the season for
the Bears.
