Weekend Preview: Crunch Time Begins
ALBANY, NY -- League action is on tap this weekend with eight of
the 12 ECAC Hockey teams competing in two sets of weekend games
looking for league points.
No. 4/4 St. Lawrence/Clarkson at
Union/Rensselaer: The Dutchwomen and Engineers
return to the Capital District to begin four-game homestands.
Union will first host the nationally-ranked Saints Friday evening
followed by a matinee affair against the Golden Knights
Saturday. The Saints are winners of three of their last four
games and are coming off a weekend sweep of Brown and Yale.
St. Lawrence is led on the offensive end by senior forward Carson
Duggan, who has a team-best 15 goals, including five registered on
the power play. On the defensive end of the ice, the Saints
are anchored by junior goaltender Britony Chartier, who has seen
all of the action in net, posting a 14-5-3 record with a 1.91
goals-against average and a .931 save percentage. The Saints
own a 10-0-0 all-time record versus Union. The number "3"
continues to be close to a sure thing for the Scarlet and Brown, as
they are 13-0-2 this season when scoring three or more goals.
The Dutchwomen have received balance scoring this season with five
players tied at the top of the list with seven points each.
Senior goaltender, Lundy Day, the Dutchwomen's all-time save
leader, has been a workhorse between the pipes and sees most of the
action for Union. Friday's meeting between Rensselaer and
Clarkson contest marks the seventh all-time meeting with the Golden
Knights holding a 4-1-1 advantage in the series. The
Engineers will look for a fast start this weekend as they are 7-2-1
when scoring the game's first goal this season. Rensselaer is
5-1-1 when leading after the first frame and 9-0-0 with the lead
after the second. Goals will be precious in the
Clarkson/Rensselaer game as the Golden Knights are sixth in scoring
defense in the nation, allowing just 1.82 goals per contest while
Rensselaer is ninth (2.04 goals allowed).
Colgate/Cornell at Brown/Yale: Colgate and
Cornell will be visiting Brown and Yale this weekend for Friday
night games, followed by Saturday 4 p.m. contests. Riding a
five-game unbeaten streak (4-0-1), Colgate is led on offense by
senior forward Sam Hunt with 21 points. Hunt has 11 goals and
10 assists. Junior forward Katie Stewart has also been a
spark on the offensive end 17 points for Colgate. Brown leads
Colgate, 9-5-1, in the all-time series including a 4-3 win earlier
this season. The Raiders have won three of the last five
meetings and is 5-2-1 in the last eight games. Brown is led
by junior forward Andrea Hunter with 10 points off four goals and
six assists, while freshman defender Paige Pyett and sophomore
forward Maggie Suprey have seven points each. Senior Nicole
Stock has played all 18 games in net for the Bears. She has a
3-14-1 record, with 3.45 goals against average and a .912 save
percentage. In its last seven games Yale has faced five
goalies currently ranked in the top nine in the country in save
percentage. The Bulldogs have a 4-4 record at home this
season. Yale is led by senior forward Crysti Howser and
sophomore forward Bray Ketchum. Howser has 19 points off 12
goals and seven helpers, while Ketchum has tallied seven goals and
chipped in eight assists. Freshman forward Aleca Hughes has also
chipped in 13 points off five goals and eight assists. Yale
rotates two goaltenders; sophomore Jackee Snickeris is 5-5 with a
2.13 GAA and .923 save percentage while freshman Genny Ladiges is
2-6 overall, with a .899 save percentage and a 2.73 GAA. The
Big Red then endured a 3-6-1 skid, but appears to have righted the
ship with a sweep of Union and Rensselaer last weekend.
Sophomore forward Rebecca Johnston, who scored a pair of goals
against the Bulldogs, leads the Big Red in scoring with 13 goals
and 12 assists entering the weekend. Cornell forward
Catherine White is sixth in the country in points per game among
freshmen (10-14-24 in 19 games).
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