ECAC Roundup: Oct. 25-27, 2024

If there's one thing this season has been in the ECAC, it's this: unexpected. "Inconsistent" may be a harsher term to use, but it might be just as apt considering the wild results we've been getting over the past month. Brown remains undefeated in four games, while Clarkson is smarting from an unlikely sweep and Quinnipiac's offense sputtered to a halt against two different opponents (including the Bears) in this week's roundup.

Golden Knights Can't Withstand Eagle Attack

Yeah, you read that right: Clarkson is no longer undefeated. The Golden Knights fell not once, but twice to Boston College, the latter time inexplicably coughing up a 3-1 lead in the process.

Saturday, Oct. 26: Clarkson 1, BC 3

Saturday's game started solidly enough; although BC did get out to a 1-0 lead midway through the period, Baylee Kirwan's goal in the final minute of the first frame kept things close. Just 20 seconds into the second period, though, an Eagles power play and a subsequent transition led to the game-winning goal by Sammy Taber, as Clarkson looked disjointed trying to get back and cover.

From there, Grace Campbell and the Eagles' skaters alike shut the door. They withstood a two-skater disadvantage in the second and blocked 17 shots throughout the game, adding an insurance goal late in the third to preserve a huge win over a top-1o opponent (the second by a Boston-area team in as many weeks).

Sunday, Oct. 27: Clarkson 3, BC 4

Sunday's game started similarly to Saturday, with the two teams knotted up at one after one period of play on goals by Jenna Goodwin (for the Knights) and Molly Jordan (for the Eagles). A scoreless second period segued into a flurry of offense for both teams in the third, starting with Clarkson. Rhea Hicks, then Anne Cherkowski on the power play gave the Knights some distance within the first six minutes of the final frame – but BC wasn't done yet.

Some key breakdowns in front of goaltender Holly Gruber led to Katie Pyne getting a goal off of a couple of rebounds, then captain Gaby Roy scoring her second of the weekend off an opportunistic rush the Knights failed to pick up in time (that really seemed to be the theme of the weekend).

Then, with just under three minutes left in regulation, Andie Proulx misplayed the puck on a zone exit, leading to a streaking Julia Pellerin picking it up, breaking away toward the Clarkson end, and going low pad on Gruber to break the hearts of the visiting squad.

The sweep is yet another upset of an ECAC power, as well as a stunning loss by one of the top five in the nation. The real issues looked to be the transition game and communication lacking in the defensive end of the ice, leading to all sorts of trouble for both Holly Gruber and Julia Minotti in net.

Scores

Friday, Oct. 25:

Cornell 2, Penn State 0

St. Lawrence 4, RIT 1

Dartmouth 1, RPI 3

Harvard 0, Union 3

Princeton 1, Yale 3

Quinnipiac 1, Brown 2 (OT)

Maine 3, Colgate 8

Saturday, Oct. 26:

St. Lawrence 2, RIT 2 (SLU won shootout 2-1)

Dartmouth 1, Union 2

Harvard 0, RPI 3

Princeton 3, Brown 4

Quinnipiac 1, Yale 1

Maine 1, Colgate 4

Cornell 3, Ohio State 7

Weekly Awards

Forward of the Week

Elyssa Biederman, Colgate

I feel like Jade Iginla could have gotten this one, because she had a hell of a weekend for Brown; still, five points (2 G, 3 A) is an impressive feat for the junior Raider in their rout of Maine, and she's just picking up where her former upperclassmen have left off.

Defender of the Week

Andrea Trnková, Rensselaer

The Czech standout has tallied eight points (4 G, 4 A) in eight games played in her sophomore effort for RPI, and three of those came this weekend against Harvard with two assists and the eventual game-winner in their 3-0 win.

Goaltender of the Week

Pia Dukarič, Yale

I love Dukarič's play, and this season has started well for the senior netminder. She only allowed two goals over the weekend against Princeton and Quinnipiac, posting an incredible .968 save percentage and an unbeaten streak of three games (two wins, one tie). I'd keep an eye on her this year to see what ends up happening; if she elects to go pro stateside, the Slovenian netminder could be a great stealth pickup for any of the PWHL's soon-to-be eight teams.

Rookie of the Week

Karianne Engelbert, Union

Finally, some Garnet Chargers love! Engelbert was a key factor in Union's own 3-0 shutout of Harvard Friday night – and as a side note, man did Harvard have a rough weekend after that electric start. But Engelbert ended up scoring a hat trick in the effort, and for that, she gets the honors this week. She clearly has a nose for the net, as depicted in this excellent tip-in in front for her second of the night:

What's Up Next?

We're finally hitting full conference play in ECAC Hockey, with all 12 teams in action both Friday and Saturday. RPI takes on Colgate and Cornell back to back, Dartmouth hosts Brown and Yale respectively, and Clarkson and St. Lawrence will both make the trip out to Connecticut to visit Quinnipiac. It'll be super interesting to see how some of these fast-starting teams will fare against those who have been a little less consistently in the "W" column, but I also wonder how a team like Colgate, for example (who has had some interesting results in out-of-conference play this season so far), might find their groove as well.

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