What a year it's been for the ECAC!  Coaches playing musical chairs, a 
           new commissioner, a new playoff format, a logjam for the playoffs towards 
           the end of the season, and of all teams to advance to the qualifying 
           round, the mangy Prrrrinceton Tigers, whom I've been hissing at for the 
           entire season, managed to claw their way to win the ECAC tournament.  I 
           guess it really didn't matter that they got screwed with three games in a 
           row for the finals, they still won.  Chalk one up to the Commish' 
           Fanter.  I still think the formatt's lousy, but that's only because my 
           favorite team lost to Princeton in the qualifying round.  

           It's just too bad that none of the 3 ECAC teams in the Dance - Clarkson, 
           Yale, and Princeton, advanced past the semis.  It gives the ECAC an image 
           of a second-class league, but it's hard when 6 of the 12 teams can't give 
           athletic scholarships (per se).  Hopefully with the new round of 
           recruits coming into the Eastern College Athletic Conference, combined 
           with the regrouping and conditioning of the generally young teams, there 
           will be a turnaround in the coming years.  

           On a brighter note, several players, including Cornell netminder Jason 
           Elliott and SLU's Joel Prpic, have gone on to bigger and better ice with 
           the AHL.  If these guy hit it big, maybe it will gain the ECAC some more 
           respect.  

           And congratulations to UMich on a stellar performance this year at the 
           Frozen Four.  All I have to say to all the NoDak woofers on the 
           Cornell Hockey Discussion Forum is bow wow, you didn't even make 
           the finals, how are the putting greens in Fighting-Sioux-Land?     

           See you in a few (weeks - once my exams are over),

           Puck

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