Last time: 4-8-3
Overall: 33-20-11
Here’s a look at the schedule for the next few days in ECAC Hockey. All games start at 7 p.m. unless noted.
Thursday, Jan. 21
Rensselaer at Quinnipiac
It’s a meeting of the first and second place teams in the ECAC in a rare Thursday night conference game. At this point, Quinnipiac looks to have first place locked up, and now it’s just a matter of determining which teams get the last three first-round byes. While the Engineers only have one loss in their last eight games, the Bobcats are clearly the class of the league right now. Quinnipiac wins
Friday, Jan. 22
Yale at Clarkson
Lost amongst Quinnipiac’s year-long dominance has been Yale’s recent play. The Bulldogs are on a six-game unbeaten streak that stretches back to December. Clarkson has picked it up recently as well, as the Golden Knights have won three of their last four. Goalie Alex Lyon stole a game for the Bulldogs last Friday, and I think he and Yale’s power play (ranked tenth in the country) could be the difference against a Clarkson team that scored five goals against Harvard last weekend, but has struggled to score goals for stretches this season. Yale wins
Harvard at Colgate
Both teams have strong power-play units, so really it could come down to which one does the best job staying out of the box. The Raiders and the Crimson have several impressive forwards, but I like Harvard’s depth a little better. Harvard wins
Dartmouth at Cornell
Outside of Yale, there might not be a hotter ECAC team than Dartmouth over the last few weeks. The Big Green are 5-1 in 2016, including a sweep against Clarkson and St. Lawrence at home last weekend. This should be a tight game, but it’s hard to pick against Cornell’s season-long steady play, especially given that the Big Red are at home. Cornell wins
Brown at St. Lawrence
It’s been a rough go of things lately for the Saints, who are stuck in a five-game losing streak. The Bears outplayed Yale for stretches last Friday, and Brown’s top line of Tommy Marchin, Mark Naclerio, and Nick Lappin is quietly one of the better in the conference. But Brown had some turnover problems against the Bulldogs on Friday, and that could hurt them against a St. Lawrence team that plays at a fast pace. St. Lawrence wins
Saturday, January 22
Brown at Clarkson
Clarkson is 7-1-1 at home this year, so it’s tough to pick them to get swept at Cheel this weekend. Still, the Bears top line should be able to generate enough offense for Brown to head home with two points. Brown wins
Dartmouth at Colgate
Freshman Adam Dauda’s arrival has given the Raiders some needed depth, and the defense allowed four goals in a three-point weekend last time out against Union and RPI. Those are good signs for a struggling Colgate team, but Dartmouth has been playing extremely well lately and it’s tough to pick against the Big Green. Dartmouth wins
Harvard at Cornell
Harvard’s ridden a high-powered offense this year, but might have a hard time creating chances against the Big Red’s rock-solid defense. Cornell has shown the ability to score goals this season, and that should be enough to keep up with the Crimson. Cornell wins
Yale at St. Lawrence
This should be an entertaining game, as both teams play an up-tempo style and move up the ice quickly. But Yale’s Alex Lyon and St. Lawrence’s Kyle Hayton are arguably two of the best goaltenders in the conference, so don’t expect a lot of goals. Yale’s shown the ability to finish its chances lately and that should give them the edge. Yale wins
Union at Rensselaer, 7:30 p.m. (Mayor’s Cup)
Union looked like it was getting back on track earlier in the month, as a 5-4 win over Robert Morris on Jan. 3 pushed the Dutchman’s unbeaten streak to seven games. But Union is 0-2-2 since then, while the Engineers are 2-1-2 since returning from the holiday break. RPI is dealing with some injuries, but it’s a veteran team that shouldn’t repeat last year’s 8-3 loss to Union in the Mayor’s Cup. Rensselaer wins
Tuesday, Jan. 26
American International at Princeton
The Tigers are back in action for the first time since Jan. 8 following the school’s exam break. Princeton has show signs of improvement this season, and it should start the stretch run with a win against an American International team that doesn’t have a non-conference win this year. Princeton wins
