The 2017-2018 NCAA hockey season is now a month in, and while it's definitely still early, we've learned a pretty decent amount throughout the first several weekends. Here's what we've learned so far from the ECAC and some things to expect throughout the rest of the year.
1. Denver (6-2-2)
2. St. Cloud State (7-2-0)
3. North Dakota (7-2-3)
4. Notre Dame (8-3-1)
5. Minnesota State (8-3-0)
6. Cornell (6-0-0)
7. Minnesota (7-4-1)
8. Clarkson (8-3-1)
9. Wisconsin (7-5-1)
10. Providence (6-4-0)
11. New Hampshire (6-3-1)
12. Northeastern (6-3-1)
13. Harvard (2-3-0)
14. Minnesota-Duluth (5-5-1)
15. Western Michigan (6-4-1)
16. Ohio State (6-3-3)
17. Michigan (6-3-1)
18. Boston University (5-6-1)
19. Colgate (6-2-4)
20. Northern Michigan (6-4-0)
________________________________________
.@CUBigRedHockey WINS IT! Cornell scores in the final seconds to defeat Harvard, 3-2! #ILN #LGR pic.twitter.com/RhZzDE1hkd— Cornell On ILN (@CornellOnILN) November 12, 2017
Cornell has climbed to No. 6 in the rankings following a 6-0 start, including a last-second 3-2 win over then-No. 5 and arch-rival Harvard on Saturday night. This team is looking like the class of the ECAC and has the size and depth to compete with anybody in the country.
Along with the undefeated Big Red, Clarkson has stormed out the gates to an 8-3-1 start and climbed to No. 8 in the rankings. The Knights are coming off a four-point weekend with a 5-3 win over Brown on Friday and a 4-1 win at Yale on Saturday. Clarkson is one of the deeper teams you'll see in college hockey, as their fourth line of all freshmen (Jack Jacome, Josh Dickinson, Kevin Charyszyn) is maybe the best fourth line in the entire country, especially after the trio combined for nine total points this past weekend against Yale and Brown.
The popular pick that many had to win the ECAC this season and make another run to the Frozen Four was Harvard, who is coming off two one-goal road losses this past weekend at Colgate (2-1) and Cornell (3-2). Consistency has been a bit of an issue for Harvard on both the offensive and goaltending fronts. One night, the Crimson are winning 5-0 against Dartmouth, and the next, they are giving up five goals in a lopsided loss to Yale. There's still a ton of time for Harvard to turn things around, but it might be time to start considering Clarkson or Cornell as the favorites to win the ECAC until Donato and the gang get it going.
Colgate, meanwhile, is a big-time sleeper. The Raiders are coming off a four-point weekend against Harvard and Dartmouth and got back in the top-20 of the rankings for the first time since 2014. Colgate may not be as deep as a team like Cornell or Clarkson, but they are certainly a team that can surprise a lot of people and contend atop the conference.
Freshman Dante Palecco (four goals, two assists) and junior Joe Snively (five goals, three assists) have guided Yale to a .500 start at 3-3, but the Bulldogs proved to clearly be a step behind Clarkson on Saturday, falling 4-1. A lot of hockey left but I'm not buying into Yale this season.
Union began the season 0-5 with five consecutive non-conference losses but rebounded with seven wins in their last eight contests, most recently earning a four-point weekend against Princeton (4-3 in overtime) and Quinnipiac (4-3). A big weekend looms on the prairie as the Dutchmen travel to No. 3 North Dakota for a chance to prove whether or not they are legit.
Princeton is a team that has caught some tough luck in the early going, as the Tigers tied Colgate 0-0 before losing 5-4 against Cornell and 4-3 in overtime at Union. Princeton earned a nice 6-2 bounce-back win over Rensselaer on Saturday but isn't on the game level as a Clarkson or Cornell.
Brown is starting to turn things around in terms of climbing out of the basement of the ECAC, but they are still likely a few years away from competing for a conference title and NCAA Tournament berth.
Quinnipiac began the season 3-1-1, including a weekend sweep at Northeastern. However, the Bobcats have now dropped four straight, getting outscored 15-6. This team needs more scoring.
Dartmouth hasn't looked that impressive, as the Big Green earned 0 points this past weekend with defeats at Cornell (3-0) and Colgate (3-2). Lack of scoring will keep this team from having success in conference play.
Things have gotten extremely ugly at St. Lawrence, as along with a 1-10-1 start, the Saints skated with just three lines of forwards on both Friday and Saturday night due to injuries. Ryan Lough was ejected for hitting from behind early in the second period against Brown, forcing St. Lawrence to skate with just eight forwards for more than half of Saturday night's game. Even without the injuries that are currently plaguing them, St. Lawrence is struggling to fill their roster and recruit. This team will finish dead last in the ECAC this year, no question and will continue to struggle in the coming years.
No comments:
Post a Comment