hello, i'm a hockey-d subscriber so i only cchime in occassionally.
It is my observation since following Div 1 hockey, that every year
the ECAC as a league gets sort of snubbed, yet since 1985 there has been
an ECAC team in the final four almost every year, and in the final itself
over 1/2 the time.
 
While the ECAC may not be considered as strong a league as the others
since they typically play a shorter schedule, I think recent history  shows
that the top ECAC team is as good as any other team in Div 1, and in general
the top 2-3 teams are as good.
 
-JaH