It seemed like just yesterday that I was sitting on a conference call talking with the league coaches in preseason. Of course Seth Appert, as he usually does, gave us the best quote of the day when he said, “The coaches and media are normally wrong with their preseason polls.”  He of course was correct and we all knew that he was correct to begin with, but we still do them to give everyone an idea of where the conference is and who the favorites are.

Heading into the second half, Harvard and Quinnipiac top the standings but any team from 1-10 is in contention for the league. Brown has been the biggest disappointment so far but one could think they are due to pick up a bunch of wins. The top ten in the league are separated by just six points, which should make for phenomenal stretch run. There are some teams at the top half that I think will fall (Clarkson, RPI, SLU), while some may be poised to rise (Dartmouth, Gate, Union, and Cornell). Of course I say that because I have seen most of the teams in the league and have seen them multiple times.

If the NCAA tournament were to start now, the ECAC would have two teams in the tournament. Harvard sits second in the Pairwise rankings, while Yale sits in 15th. Quinnipiac, Dartmouth and Colgate are all in the running. Those three make a group of five ECAC teams in the top 20 in the country, in terms of the Pairwise rankings. That should bode well going forward but there are still a bunch of huge non-conference games in the coming weeks.

Top Storylines

Harvard’s resurgence to the top

Harvard has been the biggest surprise in the conference so far, I am sure you have heard by now. Their 9-1-2 record at the break has them second in the Pairwise and fourth in the Krach rankings. Those are the rankings that ultimately matter and the ones we should all pay attention to. The Pairwise rankings decide the NCAA tournament field, hence them being second in those is a big deal. Both of those rankings are surprises because of Harvard’s struggle in recent years for consistency. Harvard was picked ninth in the coaches poll and tenth in the media poll in preseason, mainly based upon its inconsistency to find a right formula despite a ton of talent on the roster.

Harvard’s resurgence has gone and hand in hand with its improvement on offense. Jim Vesey, Alex Kerfoot and Kyle Criscuolo have come on the scene in a big way to comprise one of the best, if not the premier, first line in the country. The trio have combined for 19 goals and 47 points in just 12 games. Patrick McNally’s offensive game on the blue line has been huge as well for a team that struggled dearly last year for production from its defense. The senior has four goals and 11 assists at the Break.The Crimson’s offense is ranked fourth in the country, scoring at a clip of 3.75.

Mentioning Harvard without mentioning how good its defense and goaltending has been would be wrong. The Crimson sit in eighth in the country in team defense and Steve Michalek has been a huge reason for that. Michalek is making a huge push for the Richter award with his third best nationally save percentage (.944) and fifth best save percentage (1.72). Harvard had a good enough offense last season but now with balance it has become a contender for everything. If you dont believe the record, it is time to start to believing in the boys from Cambridge, Alston, or Boston (wherever you consider the home of Harvard).

St. Lawrence’s Kyle Hayton has stormed on the scene

St. Lawrence was supposed to struggle this season, especially on defense and in the net. But that has hardly been the case this season, as Kyle Hayton has arrived on the scene to steady the ship. Early in the season, I wrote about the Saints freshman and since his early season success it has just continued. St. Lawrence has been struggling of late, but Hayton has continued his strong play.

Hayton has seen and saved the second most shots in the country, as the Saints play its uptempo game that allows a ton. The numbers have gotten better for the Saints overall, but Hayton has been a rock. Playing and starting in all but one game for his team this season, the freshman has been impressive. Seeing a ton of shots is often problematic for goaltenders, but seeing a lot of shots can often be good as well as the goaltender stays in the game and is a big part of it. This is where Hayton excels, as he has saved more than 38 shots in a game three times on the year.

Hayton’s 2.10 GAA is really good, but is only 7th best in he ECAC so far. His .935 save percentage is good for eight nationally and third in the ECAC conference. Among freshmen goaltenders nationally, he is first in save percentage (.935), second in GAA (2.10), second in wins (8) and second in games played (16). Hayton is first in the nation in shutouts and has proven himself to be one of the leading contenders for both ECAC and national rookie of the year (of course if there wasn’t this guy named Jack Eichel playing college hockey this year). No freshman has made a bigger impact to his team in the ECAC so far this season. It was seriously unexpected to begin the year.

Clarkson’s strange first half

Clarkson’s 6-8-4 record overall screams mediocrity up in Potsdam, NY but when one looks at the league standings Tech is in great position to make a second half push. Heading into the Break, Clarkson has just one loss in conference and sits two points out of the league lead with a game in hand on both those teams. It is 4-1-2 in league play, while it is 2-7-2 in non-conference play. Its Pairwise and national tournament hopes will rely upon the ECAC tournament, which it will need to win probably to make the tournament.

Tech relies on its defense to do most of its work, as its offense has struggled to score. Last season, the Golden Knights made its damage on late goals and the big next goal, which hasn’t happened to this point this season. Its defense is old fashioned and struggles to move the puck offensively, but in terms of hard, in your face defense, Clarkson is arguably on the best in country. It allows just 24 shots per game, which is good for third in the country and second in the league behind Quinnipiac. Clarkson is first in the ECAC in league games, allowing a meager 1.25 goals per game.

As good as Clarkson’s defense has been this season, its offense has struggled. It is 50th in the country in scoring, only finding the net 1.93 times per game. In a weekend sweep at the hands of Merrimack, Clarkson struggled to get any offensive pressure on its opponent. that has been the hallmark of its season so far, which is probably not the one a team would like. Its forward core has tons of new faces, as much of its core from last season graduated.

In college hockey, conference play is so important. So far the Golden Knights have passed the test with league wins against Quinnipiac and St Lawrence. Its only loss in conference was in overtime to Cornell. The inconsistency of it all is strange but not uncommon. For Clarkson though carrying its conference consistency will make all the difference in the second half.

End of First Half Power Rankings

1. Harvard (9-1-2, 5-1-2 ECAC)
2. Quinnipiac (10-5-1, 6-2-0)
3. Yale (6-3-2, 4-3-1)
4. Cornell (5-5-1, 3-3-0)
5. Union (9-6-1, 3-4-1)
6. Colgate (9-6-1, 3-2-1)
7. Dartmouth (6-4-1, 3-4-1)
8. Clarkson (6-8-4, 4-1-2)
9. St. Lawrence (8-8-1, 4-3-0)
10. Rensselaer (6-12-1, 4-4-0)
11. Princeton (2-10-1, 1-7-0)
12. Brown (3-8-0, 1-7-0)

Midseason Awards

Player of the first half: Jim Vesey, Harvard

Vesey was expected to be one of the best players in the league at some point in his career. He was highly touted and he has a ton of skill. FInally being the most skilled player in the league is coming through for him. The Nashville prospect has at least a point in every game so far this season and his 1.42 points per game played is good for seventh in the country. His 17 points is good for fifth in the conference but because he is in the Ivy league, he has played four less games than the rest of his competition. He is also second in the conference in goals. For Harvard, his success has led it back into contention within the league.

Rookie of the First Half: Kyle Hayton, St. Lawrence

See above about Hayton, but this is clearly his award right now. No ECAC freshman has had a bigger impact on his team than has Hayton. For St. Lawrence is was the missing piece in the past few years. The Shattack product has been lights out and one should expect it to continue.

Goaltender of the First Half: Steve Michalek, Harvard

Harvard’s resrugence wouldn’t have been possible without great goaltending. Steve Michalek has provided it and then some for the Crimson, as his numbers on the season have put him into contention for the Richter award. Michalek is third in the nation in save percentage, fifth in win percentage and fifth in goals against average. Within the league, Michalek is first in win percentage and second in both save percentage and GAA. For Michalek he has a great defense, but he also has made the saves when he needed to. Harvard gives up a ton of shots and Michalek saves 31 per game.

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2014 - 10:36 pm | Blogs, ECAC, Notes, Thoughts, Ramblings