ECAC Power Rankings: Week 13
Posted by: Josh SeguinThere has been much change in the ECAC Power Rankings, mainly because the semester is anew and some teams are either making statements or have fallen off. Union hasn’t played since early December and they take the number 1 spot for the first time this season, as Quinnipiac and Clarkson have stumbled a bit. Union sits at the top of the ECAC standings but many teams are within striking distance of the top. Without further ado, here are this week’s power rankings.
1. Union (12-3-3, 8-1-0 ECAC) – Before Break 2
Union has not played since December 14th. It will get a trial by fire on Friday, as it will face Quinnipiac for the top spot in the ECAC standings. If there is one coach that would have his team more ready in this situation than Rick Bennett I would love to see said bench boss’ resume. Bennett will have his Dutch more than ready for this big tilt.
2. Clarkson (12-6-2, 6-2-0) – Before Break 1
Clarkson might be starting to retract the median but I saw many positives for the Golden Knights on Saturday evening against Lowell. In defeat, it was able to hold Lowell to just 14 shots. In the game its opponent was ever opportunistic and Clarkson was the unfortunate victim of that. I have more thoughts on Clarkson in this week’s Three Things I Think, but just realize Lowell is a Frozen Four contender. For Clarkson to get a tie against them on Friday is a step in the right direction.
3. Quinnipiac (15-3-5, 6-2-3) – Before Break 3
Quinnipiac has just won two games in its past six tilts, with wins against Sacred Heart (Ya the Sacred Heart, not so impressive) and Maine (ehh not in the top 20). The two eyesores within this time frame are in fact two ties, against UMass and Harvard. On Tuesday night against Harvard, Quinnipiac held two leads but were unable to hold on to either. Quinnipiac just doesn’t finish its opportunities like it should. That is the main reason it isn’t at the top of these rankings.
4. Colgate (8-9-3, 5-3-1) – Before Break 5
Tons has been written on Colgate this week. I wrote about them in this week’s edition of Three Things I Think. Colgate was also CHN’s Team of the Week. Beating Minnesota and Ferris State moves the Raiders closer to the top.
5. Cornell (8-4-3, 4-3-2) – Before Break 4
The Big Red is quietly going about its business and having a pretty decent season. Despite not being in the headlines much, Cornell is on a three game unbeaten streak. Sitting at 8-4-2 it is in pretty decent shape. It sits in 10th place in the Pairwise.
6. Yale (7-3-4, 3-2-3) – Before Break 7
Yale is another team that has quietly went about its business and put together a solid season so far. Since the end of break, the Elis have a win against Holy Cross and a tie against Vermont to its record. Yale had a late lead against the Catamounts on Saturday but allowed a goal with 53 seconds remaining and settled for the tie.
7. Brown (6-6-2, 3-4-1) – Before Break 9
Brown had one of the quietest, most impressive weekends ever. On Friday night, Brown gave Denver everything it could handle and then some in a 3-3 tie. On Saturday night, the Bears defeated Colorado College, 4-2. Brown is healthy again, it wasn’t for much of the first half. This fact should be scary for the rest of the ECAC.
8. Harvard (5-7-3, 2-6-3) – Before Break 11
Harvard is unbeaten in three games and picked up a huge 2-2 tie against Quinnipiac last night. It defeated Boston University on Saturday, 7-4. The Crimson have proven its ability to get up for big games and this weekend will be the biggest of them all. Harvard plays in the Rivalry on Ice game on Saturday night. Not only is the game at Madison Square Garden, but it is being showing live nationally on NBCSN. It might be a great time for Harvard to show what it is made of and some of that talent that it has.
9. Dartmouth (3-11-2, 2-8-0) – Before Break 11
Despite having only three wins and having a debacle against Northeastern last weekend in a tie to the Huskies, the Big Green are playing better hockey. It is unbeaten in its last three games and has two more wins in the last month than any of the teams below them. Dartmouth has two key injuries, though, as Tyler Sikura will still be out for a month and Eric Robinson is done for the season. Dartmouth can score but question is whether its inconsistent defense can hold up?
10. Rensselaer (8-8-4, 3-3-3) – Before Break 6
Needless to say my once lofty thoughts about Rensselaer are long gone after this weekend. The Engineers have just two wins in its past 10 games. This weekend, while it watched its ECAC counterpart Colgate defeat Minnesota in a shootout and then Ferris state, it got blown out against those same two teams. RPI lost to both by 6-2 scores and was in neither game. It last won against Princeton, on December 7th, meaning that its wins will be at least a month apart.
11. St. Lawrence (8-10-2, 2-4-2) – Before Break 8
The Saints have lost five games in a row and just haven’t looked good in its own zone. It hasn’t won since defeating North Dakota on November 29th. The Saints played its first game in nearly a month on Tuesday night, a 4-2 loss to Vermont at home. The Saints are a paltry 3-5-0 at Appelton this season, while boasting a 5-5-2 record away from its friendly home.
12. Princeton (3-14-0, 2-8-0) – Before Break 12
Since a win against Quinnipiac, the Tigers have lost six in a row. They are getting some key guys back from injury but it hasn’t helped much. Princeton has also lost 8 out of its last 9 games. Its best performance in that time frame, was arguably a 3-2 loss against UNH where it had leads against the Wildcats. Princeton did not play last weekend.
