ECAC Power Rankings: North Country Teams Perfect on Weekend, but Quinnipiac Holds Top Spot

Not too many people would have imagined debating whether Clarkson was overrated after the first month of the season, but that is just what many are doing this week. The Golden Knights, picked to finish last by both the coaches and media, are off to a 9-2-1 start.

The ECAC Power Rankings for Tuesday, November 12, as compiled by SBNation ECAC reporter and editor Jeff Cox.

1. Quinnipiac (9-1-1)

The Bobcats completely dominated Yale territorially in the rematch of the 2013 NCAA Championship game, but needed a late score by Matthew Peca to force the draw. Quinnipiac has three very productive offensive lines and a solid defense to go in front of first-year starting goaltender Michael Garteig.

Up Next: Harvard (Fri 11/15), Dartmouth (Sat 11/16)

2. RPI (6-2-2)

The Engineers' inability to close out games is concerning, but based on the eye test, this is a team that is very dangerous. RPI skates hard and comes at the opposition in waves. Ryan Haggerty leads the nation in goal scoring with 13, and goaltender Scott Diebold has proven he is capable of replacing the injured Jason Kasdorf between the pipes.

Up Next: at Union (Fri 11/15), Union (Sat 11/16)

3. Yale (3-1-2)

The Bulldogs are unbeaten in their last five contests after being upset by Brown in the season opener. Junior Anthony Day leads the team in scoring with three goals and three assists after registering a total 11 points in his first two seasons. Somewhat surprisingly, senior Kenny Agostino is off to a slow start with just three assists. The goaltending duo of freshmen Patrick Spano and Alex Lyon has performed well.

Up Next: Sacred Heart (Sat 11/16)

4. Clarkson (9-2-1)

The opponents haven't been the toughest in college hockey, but the improvement in team defense and goaltending is remarkable. For the first time all season sophomore goaltender Greg Lewis got both starts on the weekend and performed well. Allan McPherson and Joe Zarbo have five and four goals, respectively.

Up Next: Cornell (Fri 11/15), Colgate (Sat 11/16)

5. Union (4-3-2)

The Dutchmen failed to hold on to 2-0 and 3-2 leads over Colgate on Friday night, but Rick Bennett's team bounced back a night later with a 3-0 shutout victory over Cornell. Daniel Carr's six goals and seven assists leads the way offensively. The viability of goaltender Colin Stevens is one question that will continue to be asked until he proves himself further.

Up Next: RPI (Fri 11/15), at RPI (Sat 11/16)

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

The Greg Carey show keeps rolling right along. The senior from Hamilton, Ont. now has six goals and 13 assists in ten games. Younger brother Matt Carey has eight goals to go along with five assists. The goaltending will have to improve if Greg Carvel's team is to contend for a bye in the first round of the ECAC Tournament.

Up Next: Colgate (Fri 11/15), Cornell (Sat 11/16)

7. Harvard (2-3-1)

Ted Donato's club has lost three straight after starting the season 2-0-1. The offense has gone cold, only finding the back of the net four times in the three losses. Sophomores Kyle Criscuolo and Jimmy Vesey have been the only real bright spots offensively. Goaltenders Raphael Girard and Steve Michalek are holding up their end of the bargain - combining for a .942 save percentage.

Up Next: at Quinnipiac (Fri 11/15), at Princeton (Sat 11/16)

8. Cornell (3-2-1)

The Big Red have yet to outshoot an opponent in a single game and in several instances have been completely dominated on the shot chart. For the first three games, all wins, that didn't stop Cornell from scoring. Mike Schafer's team put up 13 goals in the three wins to start the season. Since then his team has gone 0-2-1 and been shut out twice.

Up Next: at Clarkson (Fri 11/15), at St. Lawrence (Sat 11/16)

9. Brown (3-2-1)

Brendan Whittet's team has given up three or more goals in all but one game this season. The Bears have a tough task Tuesday night, facing a UNH team who just put up 13 goals against UMass this past weekend. Brown has a trio of forwards with tremendous offensive production and defenseman Dennis Robertson who is playing as well as any blue liner in the league. Freshman Tyler Steel is 2-0-1, but his save percentage is considerably lower than junior Marco DeFilippo's who has stopped nearly 94 percent of the shots he's faced.

Up Next: at New Hampshire (Tues 11/12)

10. Colgate (4-6-1)

The Raiders are 0-6 when giving up four or more goals. Don Vaughn's team has given up seven goals three times already this season. Colgate has given up just six goals in its other five games. Sophomores occupy the top five spots on the team's scoring chart.

Up Next: at St. Lawrence (Fri 11/15), at Clarkson (Sat 11/16)

11. Princeton (1-5-0)

Princeton's offensive catalyst, Andrew Calof, is out with an injury that is considered day-to-day. Bob Prier needs to get the Nepean, Ontario native healthy and on track for his team to start winning. Replacing the departed Mike Condon in net has proven to be difficult. One positive has been junior forward Tucker Brockett. Entering the season, the New York, NY native had just two assists in 32 career games. He now has two goals and three helpers to lead the team in scoring.

Up Next: Dartmouth (Fri 11/15), Harvard (Sat 11/16)

12. Dartmouth (0-6-0)

Not much has gone right for the Big Green this season, but the defense and goaltending woes could be the most startling issues facing Bob Gaudet's team. Dartmouth goaltenders have combined for a .801 save percentage through six games. Tyler Sikura was expected to be the offensive catalyst, but he's been held to just three assists.

Up Next: at Princeton (Fri 11/15), at Quinnipiac (Sat 11/16)

More from SBN College Hockey:

• College Hockey Rankings: Minnesota Remains On Top
• ECAC Saturday Night Recap: Clarkson Keeps Winning, Yale and Quinnipiac Tie In NCAA Finals Rematch
• ECAC Friday Night Recap: Quinnipiac Remains Perfect in League
• ECAC Weekend Preview: Dartmouth Looks to Get in Win Column
• RPI Goaltender Jason Kasdorf Could be out for Season