Last time: 3-5-3
Overall: 40-51-11
With three weeks left in the regular season, one point separates third through eighth place in ECAC Hockey, but the highlight of this weekend is Friday’s matchup of St. Lawrence at Quinnipiac. The Saints have won seven in a row and could close to one point of the Bobcats with a win. Here’s a look at that game, along with the 11 others scheduled for this weekend. All games start at 7 p.m.
Friday, February 13
Cornell at Dartmouth
A veteran Big Green team seems to be putting it together at the right time, as Dartmouth has won five in a row heading into the weekend. Cornell scored four goals last time out against Princeton, but the Big Red have continued its offensively challenged ways throughout much of the second half. I think Dartmouth has the more balanced team. Dartmouth wins
Colgate at Harvard
Both these teams are looking for some consistency in the lineup down the stretch, as each has dealt with several key injuries. Harvard forward Sean Malone and Alexander Kerfoot appear to be healthy, while Colgate forward Mike Borkowski returned last weekend after it was originally thought he would be out for the season. I was leaning towards the Raiders, but the school announced late Thursday that starting goalie Charlie Finn was out for the weekend with an upper-body injury, meaning backup Zac Hamilton is in line to get the start. Harvard wins
Clarkson at Princeton
The Golden Knights are in position for a first-round bye, and can’t afford to let any points slip away. Princeton, meanwhile, is trying to stay out of the basement and has only won a single league game this year – in November. Clarkson wins
Brown at Rensselaer
RPI has lost four in a row, but shouldn’t have a problem taking care of the slumping Bears. Rensselaer wins
Yale at Union
The Dutchmen are in a funk following Saturday’s 7-1 loss against St. Lawrence. Union seems to have a hard time carrying momentum from a Friday win into Saturday, but I’m not sure they’ll have that chance against a stingy Bulldog team that still ranks first in the nation in team defense despite allowing six goals to Dartmouth last weekend. Yale wins
St. Lawrence at Quinnipiac
The marquee matchup of the weekend features two of the hotter teams in the league, as the Saints (seven-game winning streak) and the Bobcats (four-game unbeaten streak) meet in Hamden, with Quinnipiac holding a three-point lead over the Saints for first place. St. Lawrence’s overall play has finally caught up to freshman goalie Kyle Hayton, who should be in the discussion for several major awards at the end of the season. The Bobcats have some dangerous forwards, but I think the Saints’ defense and Hayton should be able to shut them down. St. Lawrence wins
Saturday, Feb. 14
Colgate at Dartmouth
If this game was several weeks ago, I would have taken Colgate. But as mentioned earlier, the Big Green are in the midst of an impressive run, and should be able to get past the Raiders, especially with goalie Charlie Finn out. Dartmouth wins
Cornell at Harvard
The Crimson have been scuffling lately, and while Cornell struggles offensively, its defense has given plenty of opponents problems lately. Cornell wins
St. Lawrence at Princeton
Saints freshman Kyle Hayton’s .940 save percentage and 1.91 goals-against-average are impressive, and should only get better when you consider the Tigers are scoring 1.35 goals per-game and opposing goalies have a save percentage of .946 against Princeton. St. Lawrence wins
Clarkson at Quinnipiac
Both teams are good at limiting their opponents’ shots, as each is allowing less than 25 shots a game. Quinnipiac might be as dominant possession-wise as it was in the past, but the Bobcats should have enough finishers on offense to beat the Golden Knights. Quinnipiac wins
Yale at Rensselaer
The Engineers gave Yale plenty of trouble during the Bulldogs’ stretch of NCAA tournament appearances several years ago. If RPI can stick to its gritty, unselfish style that’s led to some success the last few years, the Engineers could have a chance. But I think Yale is simply too strong from the net out. Yale wins
Brown at Union
As much as Union is scuffling, it’s been worse for the Bears. Union wins
