Lots of love on here should be a breath of fresh air in comparison to what happened in Hamden, Connecticut last weekend. I was on vacation in the great west but the hockey did not stop, poor vacation planning on my part. Harvard made a statement against Boston College, Quinnipiac has come out of nowhere to be the team we thought they could be, St. Lawrence is just killing teams right now and others are just playing that line that doesn’t see them mentioned at the top. Lots of trends began to take shape last weekend, hence there will be a plethora of movement throughout the rankings this week

Some of the top teams just a few weeks ago, have struggled in recent weeks. Colgate will still be good but dropped a game at Quinnipiac on Friday. Cornell is winless on the year, have struggled to score and are looking like they aren’t the team we thought they would be. Union is winless in five, who would have ever thunk that possible? That proves that preseason can be arbitrary but then again it is still early. As will be evident throughout, the less games played the more movement in these rankings. Without further ado here we go.

1. Colgate (7-3-0, 1-1-0 ECAC) – Last Week 1

I am going to get hell from all of Quinnipiac and probably everyone in the league on this one. I still think Colgate is really good and the best team in the league, hence I keep them here. The Bank is a tough place to play and it showed. Colgate had these games last year and I think we would be remiss to think they were just going to disappear this season. Good luck finding me a deeper team, lets not dwell on one blowout loss. Those things happen to all teams. Gate has lost to Mercyhurst, St. Cloud and Quinnipiac. Those teams are all good squads. The loss of Mike Borkowski will prove to be a big one, however.

2. Harvard (2-0-2, 1-0-2) – Last Week 7

Harvard got the signature win it needed against Boston College on Tuesday night. The Crimson’s top line is flying right now, as Jim Vesey, Alex Kerfoot and Kyle Criscuolo have combined for nine goals in just four games, with 22 points. The line ran circles around Boston College, scoring five times and combining for ten points. Take my advice, buy, buy buy the Crimson right now.

3. St. Lawrence (6-3-1, 2-0-0) – Last Week 8

A lot can be said of a team that wins and that is exactly what the Saints are doing right now. The Saints have not lost in regulation since the first weekend of the season and they are unbeaten in four games. In its current three game winning streak, all on the road, SLU has outscored its opponents 13-2. It is amazing what good goaltending can do to a team’s confidence, Kyle Hayton has just been phenomenal. Because of that SLU may just be around to stay and be a contender, not a pretender. The possession game still could come back to bite, at some point.

4. Quinnipiac (5-2-1, 2-0-0) – Last Week 10

Quinnipiac swept the two-headed monster of Colgate and Cornell over the weekend. Of course we know Rand Pecknold and Mike Schafer will be having dinner some time soon, ya probably not. A 5-0 win against Colgate is very impressive, but the Bobcats were at home where they are usually very good. Quinnipiac is in my doghouse I will admit, but the results are starting to turn and the defense is starting to get better. Maybe just maybe the Bobcats will repeat its performance two years ago. Seems that might be the case, but lets not overreact that defense has been pretty atrocious the three times I have seen it. It is young and talented, the 1-3-1 will win them games if all else fails.

5. Dartmouth (1-1-1, 1-1-1) – Last Week 2

A 2-1 loss to Rensselaer will not change my opinion on the Green. That top line is still really good and when Chuck Grant comes back, Dartmouth should gain more consistency. It is too early to tell how good Dartmouth is, but early indications we were pretty right on them fighting for a bye, I think that will still be a case.

6. Rensselaer (4-6-0, 1-1-0) – Last Week 9

ECAC has its own version of Jekyll and Hyde, which is Rensselaer 2014. Wins against Notre Dame, two against Union and Dartmouth are good, borderline great wins. Those losses against Bentley and blowouts against Denver and Minnesota though might just show the true colors of an inconsistent team. Last weekend, it defeated Dartmouth but got blown out by Harvard in a game it never found a rhythm. Two weeks in, who would have thought that the Engineers would be leading the league? Not this guy, but they are.

7.  Union (5-4-1, 0-3-1) – Last Week 4

Union is winless in five games and have begun its ECAC slate 0-3-1. The three losses are the same as it lost all of lost season to ECAC teams. The Dutchmen were minutes away from losing a fifth game in a row before tying Harvard late on Saturday night. The results lately have shown some red-lights I thought could happen. The defense has struggled but the offense has struggled more to score the big goal. Union has played in three consecutive overtime games and are 0-2-1 in those games. Good teams find ways to win, which is hardly what Union is doing right now.

8. Yale (1-1-2, 0-1-1) – Last Week 6

Yale has begun the season quietly, but that has really how it has been the last two seasons. It didn’t win last weekend, but it also didn’t get swept. The Elis lost 4-0 to SLU on Saturday and picked up a lone point in two home games. I was pretty iffy on where Yale was going to scoring, and that has indeed been the case. The Bulldogs have scored just six times in four games. Still too early to judge I suppose.

9. Clarkson (3-4-3, 1-0-1) – Last Week 11

Tech was winless in seven contests until a win on Saturday broke that streak. Clarkson is still looking for big goals that will get its wins. More consistent play would also help, as in recent weeks that just hasn’t happened.

10. Brown (1-2-0, 0-2-0) – Last Week 5

Brown is another Ivy that is struggling in the early going, as the Bears were swept by Clarkson and St. Lawrence at home. Brown is young and will come around at the end of the year. The Brown top line is struggling. Mark Naclerio, Matt Lorito and Nick Lappin have combined for just one goal and one point, on a goal by Lorito. That is hardly what is expected of that line. Lappin has also been suspended for two games by the ECAC for his actions Saturday against Clarkson.

11. Cornell (0-3-1, 0-2-0) – Last Week 3

I am really concerned about where I put Cornell in preseason, because it has hardly been that team. The scoring has been suspect, as the big Red have scored just three goals in four games. It was swept over the weekend by Quinnipiac and Princeton. To win hockey games the concept is simple, you have to score more than the other team. Cornell has stopped its opponent and have allowed just six goals in four, but the results just haven’t been there. A loss to Princeton on Saturday just looks bad for a team that is supposed to be good. I really do not think Cornell is eleventh team in the conference, it will not stay here. It is early and scoring will happen but for right now it is struggling mightily. It will also be without its coach on Friday, suspended for two. Trust me… with that defense solid wins will come.

12. Princeton (1-2-1, 1-1-0) – Last Week 12

Princeton is getting results, which is an improvement already but the losses have been really bad. The Tigers lost 5-1 against Colgate Saturday, but Gate is a good team who is clearly a notch above Princeton right now. The Tigers gave up 81 shots on the weekend and have struggled to possess the puck. Both coach and team will have growing pains. A home win will not change, nor move them up in the rankings.

Thursday, November 13th, 2014 - 7:00 pm | Blogs, ECAC, Notes, Thoughts, Ramblings