RPI clinched 2nd place in the ECAC tonight with a 3-2 win over Yale. I don't have any details since I wasn't at the game. However, from what I hear the Engineers defense, after a bit of a lapse, picked up the slack and propelled the team to a win. I'll post details if I get them. Other scores from around the ECAC: St. Lawrence 2 BROWN 5 Clarkson 4 Harvard 4 Things in the ECAC continue to be interesting. Yale has to rely on Brown to beat Clarkson while they have to beat Union, which I'm sure they'll do. St. Lawrence will end up in 6th place, it looks like. For those Brown fans out there, Brown has secured 3rd since they would win the tie-breaker over Clarkson. The biggest factor right now is the positioning of the 7,8, and 9 teams. Princeton will most likely finish 10th. Since I don't have the rest of the scores for tonight I'll refrain from making any more comments about who finished where. RPI IN THE PLAYOFFS Despite having a serious case of the mid-season blues, this young and inexperienced RPI team has proven that they can play with anyone in the ECAC. I only say they're young and inexperienced because everyone else has put that label on them all year. However, I think they've played at a much higher level than many people have given them credit for. The key to this team has been the goaltending of Neil Little. He's made some of the most spectacular saves I've ever seen this year while turning aside all the routine shots. Little has rarely had a bad game and has kept the Engineers close in many games. As everyone knows, goaltending and defense are the keys to winning the playoffs. In fact, good defense and goaltending will usually do wonders for a team regardless of whether they're in the playoffs or not. If you don't believe me, simply look at this year's CHODR ratings. RPI has consistently had good defense, usually in the top ten in the nation, which has helped them be in the top 15 all year. On the other hand, teams with real good offenses haven't always been in the top 15 or even the top half. So watch out for RPI in the playoffs. If Little continues playing at his current level and a few of the guys get hot on offense, RPI could take it all. Finally, as the playoffs approach, I want to wish the best of luck to everyones team. I hope to see some of you at the Field House next weekend and perhaps even more of you in Lake Placid!! -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daniel Orchard-Hays Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute '95 "Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------