ECAC Power Rankings: 10-17-2012
Posted by: Josh SeguinThis week’s installment of the ECAC power rankings will probably be the most difficult to do all season. It is tough to rank teams that have not played against teams that have already played games. The Ivy schools begin their season in the Ivy Shootout, the weekend of October 26th and 27th.The Non-Ivy schools have already begun their seasons.
So far on the season, the ECAC has posted a 7-7-1 record in non-conference action. The big surprises have been a Union loss to Merrimack College and a Quinnipiac win at Maine, both of which occurred on opening night last Saturday.
1. Cornell (0-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) – Preseason: 2
The Big Red have yet to play a game. Cornell was ranked second in the preseason rankings, paired with a Union loss to Merrimack College in week one Cornell moves up one to the top spot.
2. Union (2-1-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) – Preseason: 1
The Dutchmen have high expectations coming into the year. An opening night loss should do nothing to dowse those expectations. It should have just been a bump in what should be a good season for a team that returns a lot of talent from last year’s Frozen Four squad. The Dutchmen recovered this weekend with two wins against Bowling Green to keep them solidly near the top spot in the rankings.
3. Harvard (0-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) – Preseason: 3
The Crimson were ranked third in the preseason and have yet to play a game. So far no team has proven themselves enough to be in the third spot in lieu of the Crimson.
4. Yale (0-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) – Preseason: 5
The Bulldogs were ranked fifth in the preseason ECAC rankings and move up one position in this installment of the rankings because of Quinnipiac’s falter at the hands of Robert Morris on Sunday. Yale could be a sleeper this year and comes into the season with lower expectations than normally expected of them.
5. Quinnipiac (2-1-0, 0-0-0 ECAC)- Preseason: 4
An opening night 2-1 win, on a goal by Jordan Samuels-Thomas, at Maine would have moved the Bobcats up to third place in these rankings. The win was a big step forward for a program that has struggled to enter the elite of the ECAC. Over the weekend, Quinnipiac split with Robert Morris. On Friday night Quinnipiac left with a 4-0 win. A loss on Saturday night by a 4-0 score is what moves Quinnipiac down a spot this week to number five. They still have room to grow as a team and the core is there to move back into the top four sooner rather than later.
6. Renesselaer (1-0-1, 0-0-0 ECAC) – Preseason: 8
– RPI had a solid weekend playing last season’s national runner-up, Ferris State, posting a win and a tie. On Friday night, RPI would receive a strong performance from goaltender Scott Diebold. On the night, he made 30 saves, while his team backed him up scoring three goals. On Saturday night, RPI managed a 2-2 tie against the same Bulldogs. Ranked eighth in the preseason they are the biggest mover in the first installment of these rankings moving up two positions.
7. Saint Lawrence (1-1-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) – Preseason: 6
St. Lawrence split with Western Michigan on the road over the weekend. Western Michigan was picked by CHN to place second in the CCHA during the preseason. The Saints won an overtime affair on Friday night 4-3 and lost 3-2 on Saturday. St Lawrence could have left the weekend with two wins instead of 1-1 but a split on the road is always a good thing in College Hockey. St. Lawrence will get a big test this weekend as they travel to Maine for a two game set.
8. Dartmouth (0-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) – Preseason: 7
Dartmouth is another Ivy school that has not started its season yet. It is tough to rank these teams but like the above teams they are kept as close to where they were ranked in the preseason as possible.
9. Colgate (1-2-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) – Preseason: 9
Colgate had the dream start to their season with a 10-2 win over Niagara last Tuesday, but were quickly brought back to reality over the weekend. Colgate traveled to always tough Miami for a two game series and were promptly swept by scores of 3-0 and 5-1.
10. Princeton (0-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) – Preseason: 11
Princeton is another squad that hasn’t played a game yet.
11. Brown (0-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) – Preseason: 12
Brown is the last Ivy that hasn’t played a game.
12. Clarkson (0-2-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) – Preseason: 10
Over the weekend, Clarkson was swept on the road by Colorado College. On Friday night, Colorado College raced out to a 5-1 lead early in the third and would win the game by a 5-4 score. The Golden Knights showed some poise by scoring three third period goals but it was a case of too little too late. On Saturday night, Clarkson held a 4-3 lead going into the third period but were unable to hold on as Colorado College would score two third period goals to win the game 5-4. The sweep gives them the biggest drop of the weekend, two spots.
