Well now … where do we begin?
Union, Colgate humbled at home
Perhaps the nation’s biggest headline from last weekend (OK, among headlines regarding college hockey) was No. 2 Union’s slip, stumble, and splat at the feet of Rensselaer in the Route 7 Rivalry series. The defending national champions were swept by an 8-2 aggregate score in the home-and-home affair, running their losing streak to three games — their longest since the end of the 2010-11 season and the Dutchmen’s longest regular-season slide since Janurary 2010. RPI scored six goals against Colin Stevens on 45 shots this weekend, and two more against Alex Sakellaropoulos on six shots on Friday night; the wins elevate the Engineers to the top of the ECAC Hockey standings at 2-0. Union has had the significant advantage in the series’ recent history: Rensselaer had not beaten Union on consecutive nights since January 2004.
In Hamilton, the fourth-ranked Raiders beat Mercyhurst 4-0 on Friday but were unable to carry the momentum over to Saturday, falling 2-1 for their first home loss — and indeed, first home goals-against — of the season. Colgate out-shot the visiting Lakers 40-21, but goalie Jimmy Sarjeant was up to the task with 39 saves to earn Mercyhurst its biggest win in program history.
Ivies hit the ice
The six Ivy League programs took to the ice last weekend for their first regular-season games of the season. The only ECAC Hockey action between them took place on Saturday, where Harvard defender Patrick McNally scored twice — including the game-tying goal midway through the third period — to salvage a 3-3 draw against visiting Dartmouth.
Elsewhere, Yale “beat” Princeton 2-2 (winning the shootout) in the late semifinal of the Liberty Hockey Invitational in Newark, N.J.; Yale edged Connecticut for the tournament title on Sunday while Princeton was manhandled by Merrimack in the consolation contest. Brown edged Army 4-2 in the Bears’ only game so far, while Cornell tied and lost at home to unranked Nebraska-Omaha.
Mssrs. October
With November upon us, the early leaders for postseason acclaim are working hard to stay ahead of the pack.
Union’s Mike Vecchione and Colgate’s Kyle Baun are tied atop the goal-scoring leaderboard with five goals in eight games apiece; Vecchione scored once this weekend, while Baun was held off the scoresheet.
Last year’s Rookie of the Year — Quinnipiac’s Sam Anas — has tallied six of his eight overall points on the power play, and he added two more helpers (including one on the advantage) in Sunday’s non-conference win over Northeastern. Teammate and early contender for ROTY Landon Smith has four goals and eight points through six games to lead all freshmen; playing with Anas and Matthew Peca hasn’t hurt, though he is making a name for himself on the second line now as well.
Finally, netminders Charlie Finn (Colgate) and Colin Stevens (Union) are holding down the fort, and then some. Finn boasts three shutouts already and a 1.26 GAA, to go with a .947 save percentage. Stevens is running the same path, holding a 1.84 GAA and .939 save rate along with one clean sheet.
