And now, in order to prove that undergrads are, in fact, capable of making
intelligent (or at least semi-intelligent) predictions, here are mine...
 
1.  Cornell
(OK, so this prediction is my rabid fan side showing through.)  But
seriously, I'm going to be the first to say over Hockey-L that Ian Burt is
going to pick up where Jason Elliott left off.  He looked darn good late in
the season after hardly playing at all, and when he wins the #1 spot, he'll
be even better once he's playing regularly.  Plus, after the RPI playoff
series I think Jeff Oates is finally going to come out of his shell and do
some scoring.  Also, I think Kyle Knopp will have the big year everyone
expected him to have THIS year, and look for Jeff Burgoyne to anchor a
solid defense.  Cornell isn't losing TOO much in the way of talent, alhough
in particular the confidence that came with having Jason Elliott in net,
and Jason Dailey's sheer desire to win will be missed, so I think there's
plentiful young talent there to fill in the gaps.  So don't be surprised.
 
2.  Yale
Ray Giroux's graduation hurts, but not all that much.  Alex Westlund has
shown that he's hot stuff, and while he didn't do so well in the playoffs
this year, give him a break, it was his first time.  Next year he'll know
what to expect.  Jeff Hamilton will be the focus of an offense that might
not be as strong as it was this year, but will be enough to get the job
done in front of a tough defense and strong keeper.
 
3.  Clarkson
Clarkson will once again have a competitive team, but after graduating both
of their goaltenders, I don't think they're going to have quite enough for
a top two finish.  They'll rely on their offense and will do well in the
regular season, but will likely bow out early when the playoffs rolls
around due to inexperienced goaltending.
 
4.  Princeton
I don't think their stretch run was a fluke; the Tigers retain some good
speed that'll nip any team in the ECAC, along with a steadily improving
Erasmo Saltarelli.  Expect to see Princeton in Placid again next year.
 
5.  Rensselaer
I don't think Eric Healey's loss will hurt too much, as RPI still has Matt
Garver and Alain St. Hillaire, the other 2/3 of their top line.  They've
got a lot of young scoring talent, but their lack of much in the way of
defense will be a problem again, and I just don't think either Scott
Prekaski or Joel Laing are up to par with some of the others in the ECAC.
 
6.  Harvard
Harvard returns most of its top scorers next year, along with a quality
goaltender in J.R. Prestifillipo.  However, call it a hunch, I just don't
think they're going to finish very high.
 
7.  Brown
Damian Prescott takes Browns second and third top scorers from this season
with him when he graduates, along with his team-leading 39 points, more
than twice the total of any returning member.  With Jeff Holowaty gone,
Scott Stirling will show himself to be one of the top goalies in the ECAC,
but unfortunately, like Trevor Koenig has been for the past couple of
years, will be (IMHO) the bright spot on an otherwise weak team.
 
8.  Colgate
Colgate loses Dan Brenzavich, who's been their starter in goal for a while
now, along with a lot of scoring punch and experience in Dru Burgess and
Tim Loftsgard.  The Red Raiders will, nonetheless, have a decent offense
next year, but lack of experienced goaltending will keep them from a high
finish.
 
9.  St. Lawrence
On the other hand, I do think SLU's stretch run was a little bit of a
fluke, and I don't think they have enough strength either offensively or
defensively for a high finish.  The loss of Paul DiFrancesco and Mark
McGrath, I think, will cause some difficulty scoring, but Eric Heffler will
be strong enough to earn SLU another playoff spot.
 
10.  Union
The loss of Trevor Koenig hurts.  While you might think his 5-13-3 record
suggests that he's no big loss, he takes his save percentage of .915 with
him, leaving behind only Union's lackluster offense, and while Leeor Shtrom
isn't a BAD goalie, he isn't good enough to take this team very far.
However, look for Union's plethora of freshmen to take them somewhere
higher come 1999-2000, and also look for Union to hand Cornell at least one
loss in the regular season, perhaps two.  Some things just never change.
 
11.  Vermont
This will be another of those "rebuilding years" for UVM.  Andrew Allen
will continue to improve, and UVM will be a team to be reckoned with in
another couple of years.  Until then, most of their players lack experience.
 
12.  Dartmouth
Sorry, but it just ain't gonna happen this year.  They lose 3 of their top
5 scorers to graduation this year.  Like RPI, they have a pair of decent
young goalies who have the potential to do well, but unlike RPI, Dartmouth
lacks the offense to support them.
 
Flames and other criticism are, of course, always welcome.
Josh Herman
Cornell '99
 
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