For what it is worth, here are my ECAC predictions and a preseason
national top 20.
 
ECAC
 
1. Colgate- Just about everybody back; good depth - particularly up
front. Defense maturing. Clearly best team in league on paper, but
we'll have to see about the intangibles.
 
2. Clarkson- Pretty impressive track record is enough to put them in
the top four. Lost a ton (top four scorers), so onus on Palmer, DeRuiter,
Seitz and Lipsett to increase production. Losing Adam Wiesel to the
pros doesn't help - freshmen will need to step right in and contribute.
 
3. Vermont- Clearly the top two offensive talents in the league, in
St. Louis and Perrin. Great goalie in Thomas. Defense scrappy but not
particularly deep, scoring depth a major concern. More likely to drop
back than move up.
 
4. Princeton- I may as well prepare for getting flames from Providence.
Solid defense and goaltending, great freshmen class coming in to bolster
scoring. Jonathan Kelley scored 24 goals last year when everyone in the
rink knew he was going to shoot - why not 30 this year? Losing J.P.
O'Connor (academic casualty) could push the Tigers back down.
 
5. Brown- Certainly a proven commodity - Mulhern and Jardine about as
good a 1-2 punch as it gets. Potentially great goalie tandem, some
good young defensemen. Scoring depth a concern, as is experience
on the blueline.
 
6. Harvard- Best freshmen in the league (by a long shot), maybe the
best in the nation. Konik, Nielsen, Halfknight all top-flight players and
Tracy should be more reliable in net after adjusting to life w/o
Israel. Will go as far as the rookies take them (something you will
NOT hear Ronn Tomassoni say, I assure you).
 
7. St. Lawrence- With a bullet. Saints need to clean up their own
end, but scoring is not a problem. Power play unit pretty scary and
that's good for 8 or 9 wins in the regular season by itself.
 
8. RPI- Lost a ton and didn't get enough incoming talent to compensate
just yet. Love to watch Richardson and Tamburro, but the Engineers
need a year or two to reload.
 
9. Cornell- Free at last, free at last! Life without McCutcheon is good
for a win or two in and of itself. No stars, unless Auger is 100%, but
a solid nucleus and enough depth to move up a few spots.
 
10. Dartmouth- Can't get excited about a team that relied on five seniors
to carry it through a late run for the playoffs (especially where you
have to try pretty hard to MISS the playoffs). Everyone likes the
sophomores, but Bill Kelleher is the only other plus.
 
11. Union- Will still steal a win or two through sheer effort, but not
enough scoring or depth to move up much.
 
12. Yale- No Todd Sullivan. No Jason Cipolla. No Andy Weidenbach. Not much
depth. It could be a long year for a team that has plenty of heart but
not enough talent.
 
National top 20
 
1) Maine: Returns all but three from NCAA runner-up.
2) Michigan: Some concern on D, but enough firepower to cover.
3) Boston University: Definite depth problems on D, but otherwise tough.
4) Colorado College: Top four scorers, Ryan Bach return.
5) Minnesota: Couldn't score last year, still made it to semifinals.
6) Lake Superior State: How can you not pick the Lakers in the top 6?
7) Colgate: Best in ECAC - but probably not an NCAA contender.
8) Bowling Green: Lost Holzinger, not much else.
9) Michigan State: Don't look it on paper, but still very tough.
10) Merrimack: Would YOU want to get near their crease?
11) New Hampshire: Home sweet home at last.
12) Denver: I can't wait for those Sinuhe flame wars on Hockey-L.
13) Wisconsin: Most likely to move up a few spots.
14) Clarkson: Second best in ECAC - but probably not an NCAA contender.
15) Miami of Ohio: O.K., I'm officially on the Kevyn Adams bandwagon.
16) North Dakota: You just have to love a guy named 'Teeder.'
17) UMass-Lowell: Defense should improve w/experience.
18) Western Michigan: 20 letterwinners back.
19) Vermont: Perrin (St. Louis), St. Louis (Perrin), etc., etc.
20) Princeton: See Merrimack.
 
You want more reasons? Pick up the Hockey Digest in October (I think) for
the full-text story.
 
Geoff Howell
Drop the Puck
 
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