Around the ECAC

Despite being shutout 3-0 by Boston College on Friday night, the Harvard men's hockey team can at least take solace in the fact that it remains in a three-way tie for the top spot in the ECAC.

The conference standings remained unchanged this week, this weekend's slate of games featured no league contests.

However, in seven games against Hockey East opponents, ECAC teams posted a sub-par 2-5 record.

Of the two teams sharing first place in the ECAC with the Crimson (5-5-0 overall, 5-3-0 ECAC), only No. 10 Colgate saw action this week, earning a split in two games against Ferris State.

The Red Raiders (10-5-0, 5-3-0) earned a 4-1 win on Friday night before falling to the Bulldogs, 3-2, on Saturday.

In the first game, Colgate netted three of its four goals in the second period. The Red Raiders' attack was led by ECAC Co-Rookie of the Week P.J. Yedon, who collected a goal and an assist on the night.

Additionally, Colgate goalie Shep Harder stopped 29 shots, and was named ECAC Goalie of the Week.

On Saturday, Colgate saw its 15-game home unbeaten snapped by the Wildcats. Prior to that loss, the Red Raiders had won 8 of its previous ten contests.

The third team sitting atop the ECAC, Yale, was one of six conference schools that enjoyed a bye this weekend. Victorious in its last three decisions, the Bulldogs (6-4-2, 4-2-2) do not lace up the skates again until its tangle with the Crimson on Jan. 7.

Yale will definitely need the break to rededicate itself after learning on Dec. 3 that it will be without its captain, senior forward Jeff Hamilton, for the rest of the season.

A finalist for the Hobey Baker award one year ago, Hamilton has been nursing an abdominal muscle injury since the beginning of the season, and after playing in only his second game on Nov. 19 against Princeton, he decided to take a medical hardship waiver. He will retain a year of eligibility and thus will be able to play next season.

In the short term, however, Bulldogs' coach Tim Taylor '63 will need continued goal production from junior forward Ben Stafford, whose 13 points in ECAC play have placed him second among the league's top scorers. The Bulldogs will also rely heavily on its spectacular goaltending platoon of senior Trevor Hanger and sophomore Dan Lombard.

Hanger is second in the conference with a 1.65 goals against average and Lombard is right behind him at 1.82. At least one of them will have to continue their strong play if the Bulldogs will remain contenders.

No. 6 Rensselaer (11-3-0, 4-2-0) was one of the six teams with the weekend off. Currently tied for sixth place in the conference, it possesses perhaps the most explosive offense in the league led by forward Brad Tapper, who stands atop the offensive leaderboard with 23 points.

In other conference action this weekend, fourth-place Princeton suffered two one-point losses to Bemidji State. On Friday night, the Tigers went down 3-2, surrendering three power play goals while capitalizing on only two of ten man-advantages of their own.

The next night saw Princeton surrender two more scores on the power play, as the Beavers downed the Tigers, 2-1.

St. Lawrence, meanwhile, went .500 over the weekend, dropping a 3-1 decision to No. 1 UNH before bouncing back to defeat UMass- Lowell, 3-2. Over the course of the two games, Saints' goaltenders combined for 52 saves on 57 shots. St. Lawrence now ranks second in the ECAC in scoring defense, with an impressive 2.14 goals allowed average.

Saints' forward Jim Lorentz assisted on three goals over the weekend, and was named ECAC Co-Rookie of the Week.

Clarkson (4-8-3, 0-4-3) also split its two games this week. The Golden Knights rallied from behind to overtake UMass-Lowell, 6-4, on Friday, but were manhandled, 6-0, by UNH on Saturday.

The ECAC's top ranked team in the preseason coach's poll, Clarkson is still yet to post a victory in conference play. The Golden Knights currently occupy eleventh place in the ECAC standings, just one point ahead of last place Brown.

Eighth-place Union topped Niagara, 4-3, in its lone game of the weekend. ECAC Player of the Week Doug Christiansen connected on two power play goals, including the game winning score with just under four minutes left in the game, to lift the Skating Dutchmen (5-9-0, 3-3-0) over the Purple Eagles.

After dropping the first five games of the year, Union coach Kevin Sneddon '92 has led his squad to surprising victories in two of its last three games. The Skating Dutchmen will next face Providence on Dec. 29.

Lastly, Dartmouth came up short in both of its weekend match-ups. On Friday, the Big Green (2-5-2, 1-2-2) fell to Providence, 2-0, as the Dartmouth offense failed to muster a goal against Friars' goalie Boyd Ballard (30 saves).

On the following night, Northeastern handed the Big Green a 2-1 defeat. Over the course of the two games, Dartmouth failed to score on all 11 of its power play opportunities. The Big Green is currently second-worst in the league in power play efficiency, making good on only two of 23 man-advantages.

Dartmouth next travels to Cambridge to face off against the Crimson at the Bright Center on Friday.