Around the leagues:
ECAC East: The Camels of Connecticut College aren't getting much
respect. They're barely mentioned in any of the major polls (9th on
the NCAA poll, not mentioned in the USCHO coaches/media or USCHM
internet polls). But look at the ECAC standings and you'll see the
Camels atop the heap, leading Babson and Williams by a point and
three-time defending champ Middlebury by two points (Williams and
Middlebury have a game in hand) Conn College has been able to achieve
this feat by winning close games. They're 7-1-1 in conference despite
outscoring their opposition by a total of just eight
goals....Middlebury sent a message that they're a team to be reckoned
with by chalking up a pair of impressive shutouts last weekend. The
Panthers defeated (then) first place Williams 7-0 and then took
Hamilton 5-0. The win over Hamilton was the 200th in the career of
Panther Coach Bill Beaney....To no-one's surprise, Middlebury's
goaltending tandem of Francois Bourbeau and Chris Farion are first and
fourth, respectively in league GAA.
ECAC West: Niagara took two of three points from RIT to open up an
eight point lead in the standings. The Purple Eagles have the top four
scorers in the league (Chris MacKenzie, Mikko Sivonen, Peter
DeSantis, and Mike Ishorwood) as well as the top goaltender (Greg
Gardner).....RIT travels to Elmira this weekend for their annual
showdown at ThunderDome. The Soaring Eagles come into the contest off
a 2-1 week that saw them defeat Mercyhurst and Potsdam, but lose to
Fredonia...RIT is in a mini-slump, going 2-2-4 in their last eight
games after starting the season 8-0-0. The Tigers still sit atop the
NCAA Division III Eastern Poll, however. Elmira is ranked 10th.
SUNYAC: Geneseo is having a similar season to that of Conn. College
--not much respect, but all they do is win. The Ice Knights have the
second-best winning percentage in the east (12-2-1) but are ranked a
distant fourth by the NCAA. Goaltender Mark Breeden has shined,
leading the league in both minutes and save percentage, both by wide
margins....Masochists will want to check out this week's game between
Cortland and Mass College. The teams are a combined 4-20 this season.
NCHA: While St. Norbert has opened up a big lead in the standings with
28 points, the other three home playoff berths are up for grabs
between UW-River Falls (19 points), UW-Stevens Point (18), Bemidji
(18) and UW-Superior (18). Stevens Point and River Falls meet this
weekend.....Bemidji's Shane Kalbrener scored a Texas Hat Trick last
weekend against UW-Stout. The freshman's four goals were the margin of
difference in an 8-4 win for the Beavers.
MIAC: Augsburg has played a tough non-conference schedule this season,
and the Auggies are a respectable 1-2-3 against the likes of UW-River
Falls, UW-Superior and Bemidji. Augsburg is ranked eighth in the most
recent NCAA Division III Western Region Poll...St. John's has opened
up a six point lead in the standings, but St. Mary's has four games in
hand. The two teams meet this weekend.
ECAC N/C/S: UMass-Dartmouth's perfect season and 18-game winning
streak came to an end last week. The Corsairs dropped a pair to
Division II power Alabama Huntsville, which was not unexpected. But
that was followed by an upset loss to Bentley, dropping the Corsairs
out of their customary place atop the ECAC Central....Bentley is
ranked fifth in the latest NCAA Division II poll, the only ECAC N/C/S
team to be nationally ranked.
Independents: The University of Alabama Huntsville just keeps rolling
along. The Chargers are 16-1-1 with their only loss coming in their
second game of the season. Last weekend, UAH defeated Division I Air
Force 6-1 and 3-0. It appears the road to the Division II title will
go through Alabama this season.
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