ECAC Hockey Report, 1995 December 11

It was a weekend of ECAC hockey that saw previously spotless records sullied. The Golden Knights of Clarkson saw their perfect record fall victim to the Brown Bears, who tied them at 4 up in the North Country. But Clarkson bounced back to maintain their unbeaten, if not untied, mark, with a come-from-behind 4-2 win against Harvard the following night. Another previously undefeated front-runner, Cornell, was less fortunate, managing only one point in two games on the road. They dominated RPI early, but the Engineers woke up in the second period to prevail 5-3. In the Sunday matinee, the Big Red blew a two-goal lead at Union and gave up the tying goal with 19 seconds remaining in regulation in a 5-5 tie with the Skating Dutchmen. In other action, St. Lawrence matched Clarkson's 3-point weekend by trouncing Harvard 7-3 before also tying Brown, 2-2. In single games, Colgate handled Union 5-2, while Yale completed a season sweep of Princeton, 4-1. The Elis' only two wins have come over the Tigers. In non-league play, Yale fell victim to UMass-Amherst's first ever shutout, 4-0, Princeton blanked Army by a similar score, and Vermont edged Mass-Amherst 4-3 in overtime.

Taking a look at the standings, Clarkson's strong showing breaks the tie for the ECAC lead, placing the Golden Knights alone at the top with 13 points, plus a game in hand over most of the conference. Colgate hang tight with 12 points, followed by St. Lawrence, with 11 points and a game in hand. Cornell slip to fourth with 11 points of their own. Vermont, idle in the league this weekend, cling to their 9 points, secure in the knowledge that they have three extra games yet to be played. Harvard also weigh in with 9 points, but being swept on the road has left them with three losses the Catamounts don't share. Then there's the drop to seventh place, made a bit smaller by Brown's two-tie weekend. The Bears gain ground with 5 points, plus a game in hand. RPI and Yale vie for eighth with four points a piece, with Rensselaer holding two games in hand. Princeton are #10 with 3 points, followed by Union, with two points, but three extra games remaining. The Big Green of Dartmouth, idle this weekend, also have three games in hand, but have yet to win or tie in five tries.

The ECAC schedule for the upcoming week is sparse as the schools head into exams and vacation. Harvard visits Princeton on Friday in the last league contest of the year. Three non-league contests with Hockey East foes pepper the schedule: Dartmouth host BU on Tuesday, while RPI entertain Mass-Amherst. The other contest sees Princeton at home against UMass Sunday afternoon.

With the ECAC hockey report, this is Joe P------k, Mr. Squishy sports.

Last Modified: 1995 December 11
Joe Schlobotnik / squishy@physics.ucsb.edu