ECAC WEST NEWSLETTER Volume 3, Number 5 November 26th, 1996 NIAGARA GOES 4-0 on the week; ELMIRA BEATS PLATTSBURGH FOR SEASON SWEEP - The Purple Eagles of Niagara won all four of their games last week in impressive style - the combined score of the four contests was 38-5. Elmira completed a season series sweep of Plattsburgh with a 5-4 victory at Plattsburgh. STANDINGS W L T Pts GF GA Niagara (8-4) 2 0 0 4 78 39 RIT (4-0-1) 1 0 0 2 52 22 Mercyhurst (5-3) 1 0 0 2 45 23 Elmira (6-1) 1 1 0 2 34 28 Canisius (5-3) 1 2 0 2 40 31 Hobart (1-6-1) 0 3 0 0 36 58 Note: Niagara, in their first season in the ECAC West, is ineligible for the playoffs. RECENT RESULTS 11/19: Canisius 2 at Fredonia 1 Oswego 4 at Hobart 4 Brockport 1 at Niagara 13 11/22: Elmira 5 at Plattsburgh 4 Buffalo State 1 at Mercyhurst 5 Findlay 1 at Niagara 7 Canisius 4 at Cortland 5 11/23: Fairfield 4 at Canisius 8 Mercyhurst 2 at Oswego 5 Findlay 2 at Niagara 8 RIT 6 at Geneseo 6 11/24: Fairfield 1 at Niagara 10 TEAM-BY-TEAM REPORT: CANISIUS: The Griffs went 2-1 on a week that saw them defeat Fredonia 2-1 on Tuesday. Canisius then lost a tough 5-4 decision at Cortland on Friday, but rebounded to defeat Fairfield the next night. They host Holy Cross on Friday. ELMIRA: The Soaring Eagles continued their recent mastery of rival Plattsburgh State. Elmira has already swept the season series with the Cardinals, defeating them by identical 4-3 scores both times. The Soaring Eagles will spend Thanksgiving in Maine, as they participate in the Colby Tournament on 11/29-11/30. Elmira will face Bentley in the first round. HOBART: The Statesmen showed promise is a 4-4 tie against Oswego. Hobart lead 4-2 with just 1:43 to play before Oswego launched a furious comeback to tie. Hobart will also be hosting Holy Cross this week - their game is Saturday. MERCYHURST : The Lakers had a .500 week, defeating Buffalo State 5-1 on home ice but then losing in Oswego by a 5-2 score. The Lakers will host St. Norbert of the NCHA in a pair of games this weekend. NIAGARA - The Purple Eagles continue to impress. They won all four of their games last week by a combined score of 38-5. Niagara has already played 12 games this season, and appear to be gaining confidence with each favorable showing. They face a real test this weekend at the Plattsburgh Tournament, which features four quality teams (Niagara, Norwich, Plattsburgh, RIT). RIT: The Tigers did not play up to potential in a 6-6 tie with local rival Geneseo in a game that lasted over four and a half hours due to problems with the ice surface. The Tigers join Niagara at the Plattsburgh Tournament this weekend. RIT faces Norwich in the first round. UPCOMING GAMES 11/29: Holy Cross at Canisius RIT vs. Norwich (Plattsburgh Tournament) Niagara at Plattsburgh (Plattsburgh Tournament) Elmira vs. Bentley (Colby Tournament) St. Norbert at Mercyhurst 11/30: Holy Cross at Hobart RIT vs. Niagara/Plattsburgh (Plattsburgh Tournament) Niagara vs. Norwich/RIT (Plattsburgh Tournament) Elmira vs. Colby/Southern Maine (Colby Tournament) St. Norbert at Mercyhurst GAME OF THE WEEK: The Colby and Plattsburgh Tournaments should include games with NCAA tournament ramifications. Elmira will be looking to face Colby in the championship game there, while the Plattsburgh Tournament is truly up for grabs with the likes of Niagara (8-2 excluding D-I Air Force), Plattsburgh (3-2-1 to lead the SUNYAC), Norwich (2-0) and RIT (4-0-1). ECAC WEST vs. SUNYAC 11-5-2 ECAC East 0-0-0 ECAC N/C/S 5-0-0 Other 3-3-0 TOTAL 19-8-2 Chris Lerch US College Hockey Magazine HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.