It’s NCAA championship weekend and Sportsnet is your home for coverage of the Eastern College Athletic Conference hockey championship.
The Ivy League tournament semi-finals and championship game will stream live here at sportsnet.ca.
Note: Stream only available in Canada
Friday, March 20
Harvard vs. Quinnipiac – 4:00 PM ET
Colgate vs. St. Lawrence – 7:30 PM ET
Saturday, March 21
Championship game – 7:30 PM ET
Favourites Quinnipac will face Harvard in the first semi-final game, while Colgate will meet St. Lawrence in the second game. The tournament to decide the winners of the Whitelaw Cup is being held in Lake Placid, New York.
Here’s a preview of the weekend’s games.
Who
Harvard: The Crimson took a nosedive down the second half of the season before rebounding in last weekend’s ECAC playoffs. The return of Vancouver Canucks prospect Patrick McNally on defence gives Harvard a huge boost heading into championship weekend.
McNally missed the final month of the season with a lower-body injury, but the fourth-round draft pick contributed the game-tying goal and assisted on the double overtime winner in Harvard’s 3-2 victory over Yale last weekend. Forward Jimmy Vesey led the conference in scoring with 50 points. There’s some mystery surrounding the Crimson’s true ability, but a healthy squad could pull off an upset.
Quinnipac: This year’s kings of the conference are known for their defensive system, which successfully bottled up opponents to the tune of a 16-3-3 record in 2015.
The Bobcats’ offence is led by the conference’s third-leading goal scorer Sam Anas, Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Matthew Peca, and British Columbia native Travis St. Denis. Quinnipac are the heavy favourites to walk away as champions, but they’re a youthful team that carries 18 players who are either freshmen or sophomores.
Colgate: A rash of injuries prevented Colgate from realizing its potential until late this season, but a healthy Raiders team has not lost in its last seven contests.
Colgate is the lowest scoring team in the semi-finals with a 2.67 goals per game mark on the season, but the return of defenceman Spiro Goulakos and Kanata, Ontario native Mike Borkowski to the lineup and power play could help elevate the offence.
St. Lawrence: Freshman goaltender Kyle Hayton led the conference in games played (35) and saves (1,035), while finishing second in goals-against average (1.90) and tied for the best save percentage (.939).
The Saints averaged 3.06 goals per game on the season but saw just two players, Gunnar Hughes and Michael Marnell, top the 10-goal plateau. With contributions from everybody and Hayton in goal St. Lawrence will be tough to beat.
What
The Whitelaw Cup has been awarded to the ECAC champion since 1989.
Named after former ECAC commissioner Robert M. ‘Scotty’ Whitelaw, the Whitelaw Cup champion earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Division 1 tournament. Union has won the last three ECAC championship games.
