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On Monday, October 1, the ECAC caught up with the rest of the NCAA when they approved an increase in the number of games teams are permitted to play. The new policy allows conference teams to play a full 34-game schedule during the regular season. The league also approved a change in the playoff format, expanding the conference tournament to include all 12 teams. Both changes will take effect in the 2002-03 season.

Currently, ECAC member institutions are limited to 32 regular season games, except for the Ivy League institutions (Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale), which are limited to 29 regular season games. Unless the Ivy League changes their policy, only Clarkson, Colgate, Rensselaer, Union, St. Lawrence, and Vermont will be affected by the change.

The change in format spreads the playoffs out over three weekends and gives more teams a chance to host playoff games. With the change, all teams will qualify for the playoffs, and the top four seeds will receive a first-round bye. The fifth through eighth seeds will host the first round in a best-of-three game series. The following weekend, the top four teams will host the quarterfinals at their home arenas. The semifinals, finals, and consolation game will be played as usual at the ECAC Championships in Lake Placid, N.Y., in the final weekend of ECAC action.

U.S. College Hockey Online reports that after the first round, teams will be re-seeded entering the quarterfinals, while the ECAC press release confirms that the ECAC Champion will continue to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.

The extended schedule will help the conference grow, while the new playoff format will place more emphasis on the regular season. But until next year comes, the teams of the ECAC will fight for home ice in the first round, while two teams will find themselves looking in on the playoff picture from the outside.

Brown

When Head Coach Roger Grillo signed on with the Bears in 1997, he brought about a rapid turnaround—the school went from 12th place in the ECAC to fourth. Since then, however, he has had no success. The Bears were 10th in the 1998-99 season, fell to 11th the following year, and hit rock bottom last season, finishing with an abysmal 2-16-4 conference record.

The biggest bright spot for the Bears this year is the return of Goalie Brian Eklund for his senior year. Eklund was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in 1999, and posted a .902 save percentage in 19 starts for the Bears last season.

The hopes of the Bears this year rest on their nine freshman players, including six forwards to try to spark an anemic offense. Brown has nowhere to go but up, but unfortunately for them, the new playoff format doesn’t kick in until next year, meaning that they’re unlikely to see postseason play—both the media and the coaches’ poll put the Bears squarely last in the conference. Don’t look for much out of this team this year.

Clarkson

Although the Golden Knights started last season 5-6-3 overall, they finished the year with a 21-11-3 record, as Head Coach Mark Morris amassed his 11th 20-win season in 13 years. This year looks like it will be another, especially with Center Matt Poapst (17-18-35) and Defenseman Kerry Ellis-Toddington (4-18-22) as co-captains. Offensively, they will be joined by David Evans (12-19-31) and Rob McFeeters (15-15-30), both prolific scorers in their own right.

On the blue line, Dave Reid (5-20-25), Chris Bahan (3-7-10), Ian Manzano (0-2-2), and Joe Carosa (1-4-5) have over 250 combined games, and will form an efficient defense with Ellis-Toddington as their leader. Last season, Clarkson allowed a second-best 2.05 goals per game, and this year should be no different.

Between the pipes this season, junior Mike Walsh (1.65, 0.931, 14-3-0) will post another league-leading goals against average, and should record approximately six shutouts this season, as he is a quick and agile goaltender. With the experienced defense in front of the crease, do not be surprised if junior Karl Mattson and sophomore Dan Weinreib are given some ice time to show off their abilities. Last year, Morris learned an important lesson in mid-February when team doctors advised Goalie Shawn Grant to forego playing competitive hockey because of his chronic knee problems: injuries drastically change the dynamics of a team, and having a competent backup goaltender is extremely important.

Clarkson is picked to finish among the top teams in the conference, and as history has shown, they will undoubtedly be formidable opponents.

Colgate

Two years ago, the Red Raiders were one of the most dangerous teams in the conference, finishing ninth in the final USA Today/American Hockey Magazine poll. Last year, they were merely a speed bump in the ECAC, finishing 11th in the standings with a 10-20-4 (8-13-1 ECAC) record and missing the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. This year, look for the Red Raiders to climb the conference ladder, but not too high.

Having graduated much of their offensive talent, Colgate needs to develop their young talent, and quickly. They open the season with two series, one against Nebraska-Omaha (CCHA) at home, the second against Minnesota (WCHA) at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis. Both teams won over 20 games last season, finishing in the top five of their respective conferences.

Life after Andy McDonald and Darryl Campbell will be different, as Head Coach Don Vaughan already knows. But with only one 20-point scorer returning in Scooter Smith (10-14-24), offense must be a focus in the preseason. P.J. Yedon (6-7-13) and Kyle Doyle (6-7-13) will need to emerge as the draw men for Colgate, while Etienne Morin (9-7-16) will need to become more of an offensive threat.

On defense, Rob Brown (1-10-11) and Ben Bryce (1-7-8) will need to have career years and prevent offensive-minded teams from bombarding sophomore David Cann (2.74, 0.895, 5-9-0) and senior Jason LeFevre (3.47, 0.876, 5-11-4) with shots. Cann emerged as the more reliable goalie near the end of the season, but considerable improvement is necessary for either of them to survive at the collegiate level.

Cornell

The Big Red made it to the conference finals last year before losing to St. Lawrence. The team has lost none of its top players, and will most likely improve on its fourth-place 2000-01 finish.

Cornell is led this year by junior Captain Stephen Baby, who tied sophomore Ryan Vesce for the team’s scoring lead last season with 27 points. Along with Forward Sam Paolini, these players will spearhead a potent Big Red offense.

The Cornell defense is anchored by juniors Mark McRae and Doug Murray—they combined for 36 points last season. Matt Underhill returns in the net for the Big Red; he posted an outstanding 1.88 goals against average in 25 games last year, compiling a 13-8-3 record.

Of last year’s top six scorers, only one was a junior—the rest were sophomores and freshmen. These players all return with more experience, making the Big Red one of the top threats in the ECAC this season.

Dartmouth

Last season, Dartmouth beat the Engineers in the opening round of the ECAC playoffs, losing to eventual champion St. Lawrence in the semifinal match-up in Lake Placid. This year, look for the Big Green to win in the semifinals.

Dartmouth is a team that bolsters quickness and speed in some areas, while retaining strength and size in others. They have no standout scorer, although they have the best goaltender in the East in Nick Boucher. With eight of their top nine scorers returning this year, Dartmouth will be the measuring stick in the ECAC. Captain Mike Maturo (18-15-33) led the team in goals and points last season, and will be joined by Center Kent Gillings (11-18-29) and Right Wing Mike Murray (7-14-21) on the Big Green’s top scoring line. With names like Jamie Herrington (7-16-23) and Chris Baldwin (14-10-24) on the roster, the offense runs deep and is well balanced.

The blue line will rely heavily on two juniors, Trevor Byrne (5-21-26) and Pete Summerfelt (2-15-17), who combined for 43 points and over 60 percent of the defensive scoring for the squad last season. If Mike Turner (2-4-6) can repeat with another plus-14 rating this year, the team will be a brick wall on the blue line.

That, combined with Boucher (2.56, .912, 16-12-4) in goal, will make the Big Green the toughest team defensively in the ECAC this year. Boucher doubled his wins over the previous year, starting 28 consecutive games while recording personal bests in nearly every category in 2000-01.

Harvard

Last year the Crimson posted a 12-8-2 ECAC record and finished third in the conference. This year, they possess the top spot in the Coaches’ Poll and all the pressure that comes with it. They have developed into a formidable opponent over the past two years, and had their first winning season since 1993-94 last year. A top spot in the conference is obtainable if the team can find consistent goaltending as they did last year.

Sophomore Will Crothers (4.50, 0.854, 1-0-0) will likely earn the starting position for the Crimson as he is the only goaltender with collegiate experience on the squad. He brings size to the position and covers a lot of net, but look for teams to take advantage of his slow glove hand. Harvard also has junior Ben Weiss and newcomer Dov Grumet-Morris waiting in the ranks for playing time.

This team also has six forwards and two defensemen on their roster that have already been drafted by NHL teams, the most of any school in the ECAC. This includes new recruits Noah Welch (2001, second round, Pittsburgh) and Tom Cavanagh (2001, sixth round, San Jose), a defenseman and center, respectively.

With senior Defenseman Peter Capouch (7-14-21) as the team’s captain and with four other returning letter winners on the blue line, this team will be tough defensively. Teammate Graham Morrell (0-2-2) brings three years of experience, while sophomore Dave McCulloch (1-7-8) supplies power from the point. They are important additions with an untested goaltender, and should make Crother’s transition a little easier.

Offensively, Dominic Moore (15-28-43) returns as top scorer for Harvard last year, along with two other players in the top five, Tim Petit (14-17-31) and Tyler Kolarik (13-15-28). Past these snipers, the offense runs deep with players like Brett Nowak (7-9-16), Jeff Stonehouse (1-2-3), and Aaron Kim (0-5-5), who filled in as a defenseman last season after injuries left the blue line thin.

Princeton

Graduation has taken a huge toll on the Tiger offense, and the success of the team will depend greatly on the ability of some younger players to step up and score some goals.

The departure of starting forwards Kirk Lamb, Chris Corrinet, and Shane Campbell leaves Center Brad Parsons as the Tigers’ main offensive threat. George Parros, who turned in a fine season as a sophomore, will join Parsons on his right, but the left wing position is fairly wide open—senior Josh Roberts and sophomore Chris Owen will likely split time there.

The defense is more solid. David Schneider and Neil McCann return with their 26 combined points, and they are backed by a pair of sophomores, Steve Slaton and Matthew Maglione, both of whom had fine freshman seasons.

In goal, Princeton retains the services of both Dave Stathos and Nate Nomeland; Stathos will presumably get the starting nod again for the Tigers.

The squad has added six new players, but the team is relying heavily on last year’s large freshman class to carry them through the season. Unless they find a diamond in the rough, though, it’s not likely to be a pretty season for the Tigers.

St. Lawrence

The Saints are coming off of their second consecutive victory in the ECAC tournament, but have lost eight lettermen, including their top three forwards and both their starting and backup goaltender.

St. Lawrence is hoping that many players will be able to improve their play enough to fill the huge gaps in the team.

"We don’t expect any one guy to jump up and make up for the kind of scoring loss you take when Erik Anderson, Mike Gellard, and Alan Fyfe graduated, but if four or five players show an increase in goal production, we can be effective as we were last season," said Head Coach Joe Marsh.

Anderson was the 2000-01 ECAC Player of the Year, Gellard led all ECAC players in scoring with 57 points, and Fyfe contributed 16 goals and 23 assists. The Saints are also down starting defender Matt Desrosiers.

Senior Russ Barlett is the Saints’ top returning scorer; he picked up 43 points last year after transferring from Boston University. The team will also get an offensive boost from forwards Robin Carruthers and Blair Clarance.

On defense, senior Ray DiLauro leads a group of talented sophomores, including one of last year’s top freshman defenders in Ryan Glenn.

In the crease is where St. Lawrence may have problems. Junior Tim Hall, last year’s third-string keeper, will compete with several freshmen for this season’s starting job.

The Saints have enough talent remaining on the team for them to finish well, but the dramatic losses and the uncertainty in goal mean that they are highly unlikely to take a third consecutive conference title—a feat that has not been accomplished since Boston University did it in the 1970s.

Union

The name that always comes to mind when one mentions Union College is Garnet Goaltender Brandon Snee (3.11, 0.899, 12-17-4). On track to set Union records in games played, minutes played, and saves, Snee was the Dutchmen’s team MVP in 2000-01, and will likely improve on last year’s slightly disappointing numbers. The only question that remains for Union is their offensive tenacity.

Last year, Union started the season with a 6-1-2 record (3-0-1 ECAC), with their only loss being to Providence. In those games, they outscored their opponents 27-22, including the two games against RPI. The Dutchmen beat the Engineers 4-2 at Achilles Rink in their ECAC opener and stole a tie at the Houston Field House four weeks later, scoring with 6:42 left in the third period. It was Union’s first-ever series win against RPI.

In those games, Snee made 69 saves, giving up only four goals in 125 minutes of action. If Union can muscle 68 or more goals this season in conference games, Head Coach Kevin Sneddon will lead his troops to their first ever Lake Placid appearance.

But in order to score 68 goals, their second-leading scorer will need to be a forward instead of Defenseman Charles Simard (7-14-21). Jeff Wilson (12-10-22) and Kris Goodjohn (7-13-20) will need to have career years by contributing about 20 goals each, and someone will need to step up and succeed Brian Yackel as the leading face-off winner on the squad. The team is also in desperate need of role-players; specific players that can take control in different situations.

On defense, Simard and Randy Dagenais (3-14-17) will need to stop the offensive thrust of the perennial powerhouses by standing up at the blue line and clearing rebounds from the front of the net. They are joined by Jason Kean (2-7-9) and Brent Booth (0-5-5), both strong defensemen who will need to develop into effective puck movers to jumpstart the offense.

The bottom line is that Union always improves with every game, and they need to be taken seriously by the other teams in the ECAC, especially Rensselaer.

Vermont

The Catamounts return six of their top eight scorers from last season, including sophomores Patrick Sharp (12-15-27) and Jeff Miles (8-23-31), both selected in the NHL Entry Draft in June of this year. Senior Ryan Cox (10-11-21) was voted team captain, and is an excellent leader both on the ice and in the locker room for this squad. Cox has built a reputation in Burlington as a hard worker and is a tremendous asset on the penalty kill, having scored three short-handed goals last season.

With the recent news of Graham Mink’s indefinite suspension from Vermont’s hockey program, Bryson Busniuk (11-11-22) and John Longo (5-12-17) will have to put up impressive numbers to help out their squad offensively.

Sophomore Shawn Conschafter (2.56, 0.908, 4-5-0) returns to take his stance between the pipes for the UVM squad this year. Conschafter captured the starting position from senior Andrew Allen at the end of the season last year after relieving Allen in the second period against St. Lawrence. In the last four games of the season, the Buffalo native made 106 saves in three games against Clarkson in the first round of playoff action, and made 33 saves against Dartmouth in an overtime loss at Lake Placid.

Mike Gouett (0-1-1) is the only senior defenseman on the squad this year, which returns three other regular blue liners from the 2000-2001 campaign. Between Thomas Hejek and Oriel McHugh, the Cats have a good core, but are lacking in depth.

Watch for Vermont to struggle in the beginning of the season, especially with Boston College, New Hampshire, and Boston University as their first three opponents. Head Coach Mike Gilligan will need to inspire his troops after they start the season 0-3.

Yale

The 2001 Ivy League Champions will have a difficult time defending their title this year, especially after graduating nearly fifty percent of their offense. Three-time All-American Jeff Hamilton became Yale’s all-time scoring leader last season after another 45-plus point season. He leaves his mark of 80 career goals and 93 assists on the Bulldogs’ record board.

Without Hamilton and Ben Stafford, Captain Luke Earl (14-13-27) will need offensive support from juniors Nick Deschenes (17-20-37) and Evan Wax (7-13-20). Watch for Deschenes to have a 40-point season by deflecting shots and cleaning up trash in front of the cage. The question will be whether Yale will be able to generate balanced scoring, with only four players with five or more goals last season returning to the team.

The blue line looks to be on stable ground, especially with sophomore Jeff Dwyer (3-18-21) returning for defense. Dwyer was a member of the All-ECAC Rookie Team and will be a huge threat on the power play this year. Classmates Bryan Freeman (0-8-8) and Stacey Bauman (0-6-6) will be among the mainstays on defense, while newcomers Joe Callahan and Michael Grobe bring size to the lineup.

In goal, it appears senior Dan Lombard (3.65, 0.881, 14-15-0) will get the nod again. The Bulldogs have a bountiful supply of goalies, but Lombard is the only one with experience, having played all but 142 minutes last season. Sophomore Peter Dobrowolski (3.54, 0.881, 0-1-1) started two games last season against Harvard and Brown, allowing eight goals on 67 shots. Look for Lombard to play 25 games this season, with Dobrowolski picking up all but two of the rest.