Last time: 5-3-2
Overall: 38-23-13
It’s the stretch run in ECAC Hockey. Seems hard to believe, doesn’t it? There are just three-season weekends left after this, so look for the standings to start to take shape as teams make a final push. All games are 7 p.m. unless noted.
Friday, Feb. 5
Harvard at Brown
Harvard is coming off another disappointing Beanpot opener, as the Crimson lost to Boston College 3-2 on Monday. Harvard had won three in a row prior to that, while Brown is in the midst of a seven-game winless streak. The Bears have gotten production from the trio of Tommy Marchin, Nick Lappin, and Mark Naclerio, but minimal offense from the rest of the lineup. That could be a problem against a Crimson team that may have one of the deepest forward groups in the conference. Harvard wins
Colgate at Princeton
It hasn’t been a great season for either team, but the Tigers are at home and have goalie Colton Phinney, who is averaging just over 34 saves per game this season. Princeton wins
Cornell at Quinnipiac
It’s been a tough month for the Big Red, who haven’t won since Jan. 9, going 0-5-1 in that span, including a pair of overtime losses at Clarkson and St. Lawrence last weekend. Quinnipiac has kept winning, although it hasn’t been as dominant as it was earlier in the season. I’m not sure if the Big Red will be able to keep up offensively with the Bobcats. Quinnipiac wins
St. Lawrence at Rensselaer
St. Lawrence seems to have moved past its midseason slump, as the Saints have won three of its last four. However, I like RPI at home, as the Engineers have been good at protecting the front of the net for goalie Jason Kasdorf. Rensselaer wins
Clarkson at Union
Clarkson hasn’t won at Messa Rink since March 6, 2005, while the Dutchmen own a 15-1 record in the last 16 meetings between the teams. But the Golden Knights are on a 4-0-1 run and have been a much better team once it has gotten back to full strength in the second half. Clarkson wins
Dartmouth at Yale
Outside of a heartbreaking 7-5 loss to Quinnipiac last weekend, the Big Green have been one of the hottest teams in the country of the last several weeks. Yale had an eight-game unbeaten streak snapped last Friday, but rebounded with a 3-0 win over RPI on Saturday. I think the Bulldogs will pick up where they left off last weekend. Yale wins
Saturday, Feb. 6
Dartmouth at Brown
These teams are trending in opposite directions heading into the season’s final month, and the Big Green have won the last four meetings between the teams as well. Dartmouth wins
Cornell at Princeton
A struggling Cornell offense won’t have an easy go of it against Phinney, but he might have little room for error, as Princeton hasn’t exactly been scoring at a prolific rate this season either. Cornell wins
Colgate at Quinnipiac
Defense has been a problem for the Raiders for most of the season, but Colgate hasn’t scored more than two goals in any of its last five games. That doesn’t bode well against a Quinnipiac team that has been good in both zones for much of the season. Quinnipiac wins
Clarkson at Rensselaer
I picked the Golden Knights to end their lengthy drought at Union, but I don’t think that will carry over to Saturday. This game is the annual Big Red Freakout and the home crowd should be ready to go. Rensselaer wins
St. Lawrence at Union
The Dutchmen beat Yale, a strong defensive team with speed, last weekend on the road. St. Lawrence fits that profile, but I think the Saints will pull out a win against Union. St. Lawrence wins
Harvard at Yale
These teams skated to a 2-2 tie during November’s game in Cambridge. It should be another close one Saturday, but the Bulldogs should have enough to shut down Harvard’s prolific offense. Yale wins
Monday, Feb. 8
Northeastern vs. Harvard (Beanpot consolation game), 4:30 p.m.
This is a game both teams have found themselves in too often over the years. While it’s hard to get up for the consolation matchup, the Crimson could use a win here to help propel them to a strong stretch run to close the season. Harvard wins
