ECAC Hockey Roundup: Nov. 1-2, 2024

The latest weekend of play in ECAC Hockey has Brown off to an incredible start, with six straight wins and a crack into the top 15. The Bears are getting excellent scoring, forcing 4.5 goals per game (compared to just 1.5 from their opponents) and winning a remarkable 60 percent of faceoffs. As a result, they join a large number of ECAC teams (six of 12!) in the national rankings.

However, there's another team I want to give a little shine to, especially considering they started off pretty slow but look to be giving teams a bit of a run for their money in-conference.

Union Gets a Strong Start in Conference Play

At first glance, the Garnet Chargers' sub-.500 record isn't much to look at... but look closer at the play within the ECAC, and you'll see a different story.

Indeed, Union has gotten off to a strong start in conference matchups, going 3-1-0 and knocking off a nationally ranked opponent in No. 9 Cornell, 3-2, Friday night despite being outshot 27-12. That would in fact be the Chargers' first win over a top-10 team in its history and their first against Cornell in 20 years (!!), dating back to Year One in 2004.

Much of Friday's success was owed to the back end, particularly Sophie Matsoukas who did a great job in net (25 saves), but also to the skaters in front of her who blocked 11 shots throughout the game and withstood a ton of shot attempts, especially in the third period, when it was all Cornell.

The high carried over into yet another near-upset of a top-10 competitor, as Union held a 3-2 lead over No.6 Colgate after 40 minutes of play on Saturday:

Unfortunately for them, that lead was erased on the stick of the Raiders' Alexis Petford less than three minutes into the final frame, and then Kristýna Kaltounková (remember her?) sent the game-winning goal to the back of the net halfway through the third, bookending the scoring for Colgate and earning them the 4-3 win in what proved to be a fairly messy game on both teams' parts, at least when it came to penalties.

Kaia Malachino scored a goal, and Avery Pickering and Maddie Leaney earned two assists apiece on the afternoon for Colgate. Mikayla Blomquist got her first collegiate goal, and Maren Friday and Karianne Engelbert also scored for Union.

Scores

Friday, Nov. 1:

Rensselaer 1, Colgate 4

Yale 1, Harvard 5

Clarkson 0, Quinnipiac 3

St. Lawrence 6, Princeton 2

Saturday, Nov. 2:

Rensselaer 0, Cornell 7

St. Lawrence 1, Quinnipiac 3

Clarkson 6, Princeton 3

Yale 2, Dartmouth 1

Players of the Week

Forward of the Week

Kristýna Kaltounková, Colgate: No surprises here. The fifth-year dazzled in the Raiders' weekend sweep, tallying four points (2 G, 2 A) through two games (including the aforementioned game-winner against Union).

Defender of the Week

Cameron Sikich, Brown: Sikich has been excellent so far for the Bears, and her three points over the weekend (all assists) made her a standout on the blueline within the ECAC.

Goaltender of the Week

Kaley Doyle, Quinnipiac: Doyle posted a shutout on Friday against powerhouse No. 5 Clarkson, followed by a solid effort in the Bobcats' 3-1 victory against St. Lawrence. The effort preserved a perfect 5-0 home record for seventh-ranked Quinnipiac, who heads into play with a pair of Ivies in Harvard and Dartmouth this weekend and have a chance to pull their road record up a bit as well.

Rookie of the Week

Lindzi Avar, Cornell: Avar had a huge Saturday for the Big Red, scoring not just her first collegiate point but her first-ever hat trick in their rout of RPI. Way to burst onto the scene!

What's Next?

All 12 ECAC teams are in action this coming weekend, and I'm keeping an eye on how Union does against two of the stronger teams in Clarkson and St. Lawrence. I'm also intrigued to see how Colgate matches up against Brown, who is as of right now I believe the only undefeated team in the conference, on Friday.

For a full slate of games and how to watch, click here.