March
11, 2004
Anybody's
Guess
By
Joe Gladziszewski
One of the
things that makes the ECAC such an enjoyable league to follow
is the fact that every weekend brings surprises. Intriguing storylines
and emerging talents give coaches, players, fans, and writers
plenty to talk about on a weekly basis. Among the major stories
this year were:
• Colgate's
regular season title: Save for a few folks in the Colgate dressing
room, nobody expected the Raiders would have the type of season
they produced. Every time they were faced with a big-game situation
the Raiders responded with a solid performance. How does a 7-0-1
record against the next four teams in the standings sound? Colgate's
longest losing streak was two games, and the longest winless streak
was three.
• Harvard's
so-so campaign: Preseason expectations were very high for the
Crimson and those expectations weren't met. Harvard showed flashes
of its vast potential but inconsistent efforts led to a sub-.500
season and sixth-place league finish.
• Vermont's
improvement: The Catamounts were the only winless team in the
nation as Christmas approached. A young team, with a new coach,
came together down the stretch and posted a 5-2-1 record in the
month of February.
• Len
Quesnelle's dismissal: Princeton finished in last place for the
second year in a row. A 17-game winless streak to end the year
spelled the end for former Tiger player and assistant coach Len
Quesnelle.
• Mike
Schafer's suspension: A post-game tirade about league officiating,
and specifically Joel Dupree's administration of a Jan. 17 loss
to Rensselaer, resulted in a one-game suspension for Cornell coach
Mike Schafer.
| Quarterfinal
Matchups |
| No.
10 St. Lawrence at
No. 1 Colgate
SLU: 7-12-3 ECAC, 13-19-6 overall
GATE: 14-6-2 ECAC, 19-10-5 overall
Season Series: Split 1-1.
Saint
Fact: The Saints blasted Colgate 5-1 on Nov. 14
in Canton. It was Colgate's worst loss of the year.
Raider Fact: Colgate's football team went
to the Division I-AA title game and women's basketball team
won the Patriot League and automatic NCAA bid earlier this
week. Can the men's hockey team keep up with
its colleagues in Hamilton?
How
St. Lawrence wins:
Maintain the positive momentum gained from
last week's sweep at Yale. Confidence shouldn't be a problem
for SLU after those wins, and some measure of success against
Colgate in the regular season.
How Colgate wins: Playoff success starts
with good goaltending, and
the Raiders have one of the best around in Steve Silverthorn.
If he
can keep SLU at bay while his team fights home-ice jitters,
Colgate should eventually pull it out. |
|
No.
9 Clarkson at No. 2 Cornell
CLK: 8-12-2 ECAC, 15-16-5 overall
COR: 13-6-3 ECAC, 15-8-6 overall
Season Series: Cornell won 1-0-1
Golden
Knight Fact: By scoring 13 goals in last weekend's
sweep of
Union, Clarkson eclipsed its 12-goal weekend against Mercyhurst
in
early January.
Big Red Fact: Cornell has a winning all-time
record against every one
of its ECAC opponents...except for Clarkson. The Golden
Knights
lead the all-time series 44-42-9, but Cornell is 9-1-1
in the last
11 meetings.
How
Clarkson wins: The Golden Knights have been able
to learn from
experiences throughout the year, and coach George Roll feels
that his young team is more prepared for Cornell and Lynah
after playing there
two weeks ago.
How Cornell wins: The Big Red's key to
success doesn't change from
the regular season to the post-season – solid defense,
good
goaltending from David McKee, and scrubbing together a few
goals here
and there. |
|
No.
6 Harvard at No. 3 Brown
H: 10-10-2 ECAC, 14-14-3 overall
BU: 13-7-2 ECAC, 15-9-5 overall
Season Series: Brown won 2-0-0
Crimson
Fact: Goaltender Dov-Grumet Morris posted a modern-day
school record 184:35 scoreless streak that included parts
of four games over the last two weekends.
Bear Fact: Yann Danis put his name on the
map with a 66-save effort against Harvard as a sophomore.
All of his heroics still couldn't prevent a 2-1 double OT
playoff loss. Since then, Danis is 3-1-0 against Harvard
with two shutouts.
How
Harvard wins: Improved play by Morris and line
combinations that
are clicking have the Crimson playing its best hockey at
the right time of the year.
How Brown wins: The Bears need to find
the power-play magic that carried them through the first
half of the season. After going 1-for-30 on the PP in a
five-game winless streak, Brown exploded for four goals
in seven chances last time out. |
|
No.
5 Rensselaer at
No. 4 Dartmouth
RPI: 13-8-1 ECAC, 21-13-2 overall
DC: 10-5-7 ECAC, 12-8-9 overall
Season Series: Dartmouth won 1-0-1
Engineer
Fact: RPI's current four-game winning streak is
its longest
of the season. They've scored 19 goals in the stretch.
Big Green Fact: Dartmouth finished in fourth
place and earned home
ice for this round, despite winning fewer than half of its
league
games (10 of 22).
How
Rensselaer wins: Sophomore forward Kevin Croxton
is the team's
leading scorer, and RPI is 19-7-1 when he gets his name
on the scoresheet. He didn't score on Saturday, and the
Engineers were
stretched to overtime by lowly Princeton.
How Dartmouth wins: The Big Green have
been tough to beat at Thompson Arena over the last two seasons,
losing only six times in 30 home contests. The venue might
be the only advantage Dartmouth needs. |
THE
FAVORITE
Anything can happen in the ECAC, and to call anyone a favorite
is frankly quite silly. See the preseason polls for all of the
evidence you need. However, for the playoffs, we'll tab Colgate
as the favorite because they've shown they can beat the other
contenders. The Raiders are 8-0-1 this season against Cornell,
Brown, Dartmouth, and Rensselaer. Sixth-place Harvard has given
Colgate fits, with a pair of two-goal wins.
THE
'GATE CRASHER
Rensselaer has strong goaltending in Nathan Marsters, excellent
senior leadership from co-captains Scott Basiuk and Ben Barr,
and came into the year with a sense of purpose. One year ago,
the Engineers were 12-25-3. That left a sour taste during the
offseason. RPI has turned things around with a 19-13-2 heading
into this weekend's series at Dartmouth. The Engineers have the
right mix of goaltending, scoring, defense, and team chemistry.
INCH'S
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
F
– Rich Peverley, St. Lawrence
He may not get the notoriety of other guys around the league,
but Peverley's as dangerous as they come, evidenced by his league-high
41 points. The senior from Guelph, Ontario led the Saints in scoring
for the third year in a row and was a team co-captain.
F
– Adam Mitchell, Colgate
Not only did he finish second on his team in scoring, his leadership
and attitude were a big part of Colgate's success and the development
of young players. He tallied 23 of his 31 points at even strength.
F
– Lee Stempniak, Dartmouth
He tied for the team lead in scoring and ranked in the top-five
in the ECAC in points in conference games. Stempniak is equally
dangerous as a finisher or set-up man. Coach Bob Gaudet likes
how Stempniak brings a well-rounded game to the rink every night.
D
– Scott Basiuk, Rensselaer
This do-it-all defenseman helps his team in so many ways. His
25 points are an impressive contribution, and lately he's been
scoring big goals at critical stages of important games.
D
– Ben Wallace, Cornell
The senior defenseman played through injury for most of the year,
and was the glue of the Big Red's stingy defense. His leadership
was necessary when fellow star rearguard Charlie Cook missed four
games at crucial points of the season.
G
– Yann Danis, Brown
Simply stated, Danis is the best pure goaltender in the nation.
His numbers are spectacular, and his decision to spurn NHL overtures
to return to Brown gave the Bears a sense of purpose early in
the season. Take 100 shots on Danis and you’ll score five
times.
COACH
OF THE YEAR
This one's a no-brainer
in the ECAC, and the same probably holds true in evaluating coaches
from across the country. Colgate's Stan Moore did exactly what
a coach is supposed to do. He helped his team reach its potential.
Moore's best asset as a coach is his ability to communicate with
players, and he's shown that he knows how to get the best out
of a player whether it takes encouragement or discipline. Colgate
went 11-3-2 over its final 16 conference games despite being without
stalwart defenseman Joey Mormina.
PLAYER
OF THE YEAR
Wait a second...how can the player of the year not be on the INCH
All-Conference team? Other goalies have posted better numbers,
but it's hard to argue that they're more valuable to their teams
than Colgate junior netminder Steve Silverthorn. His emergence
as the number-one guy after two years of platoon work coincided
with Colgate's second half success. And he showed up when the
games mattered. Head-to-head against Danis, Silverthorn was 2-0-0.
He shutout Cornell at Lynah Rink in late January and then stood
up for a teammate involved in a scrap with six seconds left. He
beat Rensselaer three times, including one non-conference game,
and got a win and a tie against Dartmouth. There may be better
goalies around, but in terms of the overall picture, we'll take
Silverthorn.
FRESHMAN
OF THE YEAR
If you saw Nate Ewell's Hockey East article this week, you may
have noticed that it was a decidedly down year for the crop of
rookies in that conference. The same can't be said in the ECAC.
Not only were freshmen able to make the leap from junior hockey
to the college game, they were impact players. Three true candidates
emerged for this honor and all have legitimate credentials. Like
goaltending? Then Cornell's David McKee is the man. A high-scoring
forward? Then Brown's Brian Ihnacak is the way to go. Our choice
is Dartmouth's standout blueliner Grant Lewis. He assumed some
major responsibility despite his youth, as the Big Green lost
three starters from their defense corps in the off-season. Lewis
chipped in with 25 points from the blueline and led ECAC defenseman
in points per game. Scouts are high on Lewis, who will be a coveted
talent in June's NHL Entry Draft.
BREAKTHROUGH
PLAYER
"Breakthrough" might not be a strong enough word to
describe the kind of season that Colgate sophomore Jon Smyth had.
As a freshman, Smyth played in 25 games, scored a pair of goals,
and added an assist. This season, he became one of the top offensive
threats in the nation. He leads the team with 39 points. Smyth
skates on the left wing with a pair of linemates from Port Elgin,
Ontario – childhood pals Darryl McKinnon and Adam Mitchell.
A
variety of sources were utilized in the compilation of this report.
