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ECAC Power Rankings: Union Makes Huge Leap with Sweep of RPI, Quinnipiac Holds Top Spot

The three ECAC teams to make the NCAA Tournament last season occupy the top three spots in this week's SBNation ECAC Power Rankings.

By Jeff Cox
Union junior defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere
Union junior defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere
Courtesy Photo: Union Athletics

1. Quinnipiac (11-1-1)

The Bobcats took care of business against Dartmouth and Harvard to run its unbeaten streak to 12 games. They did it without the usual cast of characters really putting up huge numbers. Kellan and Connor Jones are a little banged up, but nothing that should keep them out of the lineup.

2. Union (6-3-2)

The Dutchmen swept archrival RPI to continue their winning streak against the Engineers which now stands at 10 games. Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere proved he is one of the top players in the country as he scored two goals and two assists over the weekend. Rick Bennett's team is 5-1-1 in its last seven after starting out 1-2-1.

3. Yale (4-1-2)

Keith Allain's team easily dispatched undermanned Sacred Heart over the weekend in a nonconference affair. The Bulldogs haven't been overly spectacular in their six game unbeaten streak, but that's never really been Yale's mantra.

4. Clarkson (10-3-1)

The Golden Knights blew a 3-1 lead against Colgate on Saturday or they would be higher in these rankings. Casey Jones' team did pull out yet another last minute win the night before - this time against Cornell. Ben Sexton and Allan McPherson continue to pace the offense, but the defense and goaltending has slipped some. We'll see if that's an aberration or if that is a continuing trend.

5. RPI (6-4-2)

The Engineers were swept by their archrival and were held to just 39 shots on goal over the weekend. Not an encouraging sign, but this is still a RPI team that has two really solid lines and an adequate goaltender. The question still lingers whether Scott Diebold can hold down the fort for a full season with Jason Kasdorf sidelined.

6. Colgate (6-6-1)

Don Vaughn's team has won four of five, including a weekend sweep in the North Country. Three players, Tylor Spink, Kyle Baun and Darcy Murphy, have scored 18 of the team's 36 goals. The defense and goaltending still need to improve for the Raiders to be taken seriously.

7. St. Lawrence (6-4-2)

The Saints went winless on the weekend against Colgate and Cornell. The offense went cold for the high standards set by Greg Carvel's team. Greg Carey has now scored a goal in six straight games, but he was held without a multipoint game for the first time since October 25. SLU was 3-0-2 over that period where the Hamilton, Ontario native had at least two points in each game.

8. Harvard (3-4-1)

Ted Donato's team snapped its four-game losing streak on Saturday night when the Crimson defeated Princeton, 5-3. Jimmy Vesey and Kyle Criscuolo have six and five goals respectively while the entire rest of the team has only scored 8 goals. A tough test awaits on Wednesday night when BC come to Cambridge for a nonconference battle.

9. Cornell (4-3-1)

In a statistical anomaly Cornell scored seven goals on the weekend on just 31 shots on net. Four of the seven goals were scored on the man advantage, including the only two goals the team scored in a loss at Clarkson. How long can Cornell try to win with such a limited time in the offensive zone?

10. Brown (3-3-1)

The Bears looked awful against New Hampshire, and coach Brendan Whittet said his team just didn't play the brand of hockey he has come to expect. Brown does have a number of players banged up, and will have 10 days off to recuperate before its next game at Cornell on Friday.

11. Princeton (2-7-0)

The Tigers snapped a six game losing streak by defeating Dartmouth, but started another one the next night falling to Harvard. Star senior forward Andrew Calof has missed four consecutive games with an injury. Andrew Ammon and Tucker Brockett have stepped up their offensive production in his absence.

12. Dartmouth (0-8-0)

The Big Green have yet to win a game which has to be wearing on the boys from Hanover who were not predicted to be this bad. It's tough to place the blame on one position or group, but the defense and goaltending has been atrocious. The team has combined for a .818 save percentage while allowing over five goals per game. Another area of concern has to be the lack of production out of top returning scorer Tyler Sikura. One bright spot is Eric Neiley who has five goals and two assists.

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Jeff Cox covers college and junior hockey, NCAA recruiting, NHL Draft prospects and the AHL for SBNation. Follow him on twitter @JeffCoxSBNation.