Inside College Hockey | ECAC Hockey Quarterfinal Playoff Capsules

March 12, 2010

ECAC Hockey Quarterfinal Playoff Capsules

By Joe Gladziszewski

No. 11 Brown at No. 1 Yale
Brown: 10-18-4 (6-12-4 ECAC Hockey)
Yale: 19-7-3 (15-5-2 ECAC Hockey)
Season Series: Yale, 2-0-0
Bears Fact: Brown scored five goals each game against Yale, but lost both games in the regular season – the only two times all year that Brown lost when scoring more than four.
Bulldogs Fact: Yale scored 14 goals in its two wins over Brown during the regular season, scored by 12 different players. The only person with more than one was Broc Little (three).
How Brown Wins: Sophomore goalie Mike Clemente has shown that he can get hot in the playoffs and he’ll need to be at his best against Yale after an up-and-down season.
How Yale Wins: Maintain the balanced scoring, especially in lieu of being without Sean Backman, and stay hot on the power play. Yale scored seven PPGs against Brown this year.

No. 9 Harvard at No. 2 Cornell
Harvard: 9-19-3 (7-12-3 ECAC Hockey)
Cornell: 17-8-4 (14-5-3 ECAC Hockey)
Season Series: Cornell, 2-0-0
Series Historical Fact: The Big Red has the best winning percentage (.674, 87-41-4) in ECAC Hockey tournament history and the most titles (11). Harvard is second in winning percentage (.654, 85-44-4) and championships, with eight.
How Harvard Wins: The Crimson have tasted a bit of success against Cornell this year, as they created chances on the rush and took a 3-1 lead at Lynah halfway through their early-season meeting. Since then, Cornell has outscored them 8-0. Get to the net with speed and crash for rebounds.
How Cornell Wins: Cornell’s strength is in its team defense and they’ll have to play physically against Harvard. The Big Red will move their feet in the offensive zone and try to draw penalties and create scoring chances.

No. 7 Quinnipiac at No. 3 Union
Quinnipiac: 19-16-2 (11-11-0 ECAC Hockey)
Union: 18-10-6 (12-6-4 ECAC Hockey)
Season Series: Union, 2-0-0
Bobcats Fact: Quinnipiac has five players with 20 or more points, led by Brandon Wong (18-21-39) and Eric Lampe (12-23-35).
Dutchmen Fact: Jason Walters is just two points from becoming Union’s all-time Division I points leader.
How Quinnipiac Wins: Keep trending positively. The Bobcats have been one of the streakiest teams in the nation this year and come into this series having won four of their last five games.
How Union Wins: The Dutchmen are at their best when they’re competing in all areas of the ice and a high-pressure game with lots of puck battles favors Union.

No. 5 St. Lawrence at No. 4 Colgate
St. Lawrence: 17-14-7 (9-8-5 ECAC Hockey)
Colgate: 15-13-6 (12-8-2 ECAC Hockey)
Season Series: St. Lawrence, 2-0-0
Saints Fact: The Saints held Colgate’s power play without a goal in 12 opportunities during SLU’s two regular season wins.
Raiders Fact: Colgate has made it to Albany four times in the last six years, tied for most in that span with Harvard and Cornell.
How St. Lawrence Wins: High-end players make a difference at this time of the year. If St. Lawrence seniors Mike McKenzie and Travis Vermeulen can outduel Colgate’s David McIntyre and Austin Smith, it’s a boost for the Saints.
How Colgate Wins: The Raiders got improved goaltending and special teams down the stretch and went 4-1-1 in their last six games to get fourth place. Those will be keys again this weekend.