Here's the ECAC coaches' pre-season poll which I finally managed to get a
copy of (first place votes in parentheses):
 
     1.   Cornell (10)        142
     2.   Clarkson (1)        123
     3.   Harvard             115
     4.   RPI (1)             110
     5.   St. Lawrence         94
     6.   Colgate              87
     7.   Brown                67
     8.   Vermont              65
     9.   Princeton            53
     10.  Yale                 47
     11.  Dartmouth            19
     12.  Army                 17
 
Although polls in general aren't worth much, this one makes a little more
sense than some of the other ones I've seen for the ECAC.  The coaches seem
to think Harvard will earn a home-ice spot in the playoffs, and since the
Crimson have their usual collection of talented skaters, they should be able
to.  (Other polls have placed Harvard sixth, where they finished last year)
Also, despite their wins last weekend at Lowell and Northeastern, Colgate is
nowhere near as strong as they were last year, having lost seven forwards as
well as their top goalie, and the Red Raiders may be hard-pressed to finish
in the top four.  The return of Marc Dupere, who was a senior last year but
got an extra season of eligibility after sitting out his freshman year with
a back injury, will help the Red Raiders out a lot.  By the way, it looks
like Greg Menges will be splitting the "dufflebag" duties with Ken Baker,
who got the win against Northeastern on Saturday.
 
And I guess this is as good a time as any to start the rumor mill going.
Published reports have indicated that Army may withdraw from the ECAC to
become a Division I independent, and that this might take place as early as
next season.  If this does happen, there is some sense that either RIT or
Union College, which are both currently in Division III, may try to join the
ECAC Division I league soon afterwards.
 
Bill Fenwick
Cornell '86
LET'S GO RED!!
 
"I love driving.  My dad gave me a car when I was 16 years old.  What a nice
 guy, huh?  Although I recently found out it was a rental car and I owe 1.5
 million dollars."
-- Peter Gaulke