Here's how every ECAC program is shaping up ahead of the 2018-19 season. Last year, Princeton, Clarkson and Cornell all made the NCAA Tournament.
Brown
Brown welcomes back second-leading scorer Tommy Marchin, whose 12 goals paced the Bears. Also returning up front is senior Alex Brink, along with juniors Nolan Aibel and Chris Berger. Zach Giuttari and Max Gottlieb are back on the blue line, while Luke Kania and Gavin Nieto return after splitting netminding duties last year and recording four wins apiece. Brown’s offense connected for just 2.16 goals per game last season while surrendering 3.35 goals per outing, although the Bears return six players who attained double digits in points.
Clarkson
Clarkson came within an overtime goal of a conference postseason crown but fell to Princeton. The Golden Knights will have to try again without several regulars, including All-America forward Sheldon Rempal (46 points), who signed with Los Angeles following his sophomore season. Josh Dickinson also turned pro, with Colorado, after registering a 15-goal, 26-point freshman campaign. Junior goaltender Jake Kielly (22-11-6, 1.82, .929) is back in net after an eight-shutout season, but Clarkson will have to replace three of its top 10 point-producers from last winter along with three senior defensemen, including 2018 All-America selection Kelly Summers.
Colgate
Colgate will miss Colton Point, who turned pro with Dallas after earning All-America accolades as a sophomore with a 16-12-5 record and a nation-best .944 save percentage. Bobby McMann will be back after putting up a team-high 30 points, and the Raiders return 14 of their top 15 scorers in all from last season, including senior defenseman Willie Brooks and junior forward Ben Sharf. The big question for coach Don Vaughn’s mark will be in goal, with no returnees, which leaves freshmen Mitch Benson, Andrew Farrier and Will Friend (South Hamilton, Mass.) vying for the No. 1 spot. Friend was a student at Governor’s Academy before entering college.
Cornell
Cornell was tabbed by league coaches and media to finish first in ECAC Hockey this season. Returning netminder Matthew Galajda led the nation with a 1.51 goals-against average and nine shutouts, while fashioning a 21-5-2 record and earning All-America status as a freshman. Mitch Vanderlaan (20 points) is the Big Red’s top returning scorer, with the departures of Trevor Yates and Anthony Angello. Yanni Kaldis is back on defense with Alec McCrea and Matthew Nuttle. Cornell allowed a nation-low 52 goals last season and killed off 83 percent of power plays.
Dartmouth
Dartmouth will welcome back eight of its top 10 scorers from 2017-18, after finishing in the top half of the league standings and ending up one game under .500 overall. The Big Green also will be searching for a new No. 1 goaltender, with the graduation of Devin Buffalo (15-11-1, 2.84, .906), and return experienced juniors Adrian Clark and Dean Shatzer. At least a half-dozen defensemen will be back in Hanover, including Brendan Less, while Dartmouth as a team will need to improve upon its 2.37 goals scored per game and 3.06 goals allowed per contest.
Harvard
Harvard said farewell to All-America forward Ryan Donato (Scituate, Mass.) following last season’s ECAC Hockey semifinal loss to Clarkson, after missing him during the Olympic Winter Games. The Crimson will welcome back junior defenseman Adam Fox, who has earned All-America honors in both his college campaigns and was Harvard’s third-leading scorer last year with 28 points. Senior forward Lewis Zerter-Gossage had a career-high 29 points last season. Starting netminder Merrick Madsen (10-10-3, 2.27, .918) backstopped the Crimson to the 2017 NCAA Frozen Four but is now gone to graduation, leaving senior Michael Lackey (4-4-1, 2.72, .899).
Princeton
Princeton will be looking to expand upon its first ECAC Hockey championship in a decade by returning two All-America senior forwards in Max Véronneau and Ryan Kuffner, who both made the league’s preseason squad, along with classmate Josh Teves on the blue line. The Tigers found their No. 1 netminder last season in rookie Ryan Ferland (Franklin, Mass.), who won 18 games a year ago and earned ECAC tournament MVP accolades. Princeton will still have to replace the loss of three of its top 10 scorers if it hopes to have the nation’s best power play (almost 28 percent) again.
Quinnipiac
Quinnipiac got off to a somewhat slow start last season en route to its first sub-.500 campaign since 1995-96. The Bobcats will look to get back on track with returning top scorer Odeen Tufto, who notched 32 assists and 41 points as a freshman in 2017-18. Also back is top goal scorer Alex Whelan, who lit the lamp a career-high 16 times as a sophomore, and top goaltender Andrew Shortridge (11-12-2, 2.36, .906). Quinnipiac will need to improve upon an offense that struck for just 105 goals in 38 games, while surrendering 106 tallies in turn.
Rensselaer
Rensselaer begins Year 2 under head coach Dave Smith after seeing marginal success last year, marred by two late-season five-game losing strings. Although the Engineers lost three of their top five scorers, they return leader Jacob Hayhurst, who potted a team-high 12 goals and 23 points as a freshman. Sophomore netminder Linden Marshall appeared in 29 games as a rookie and recorded five of RPI’s victories, then participated in the Chicago Blackhawks development camp over the summer. The Engineers’ power play was successful just 12 percent of the time, while the penalty kill clicked at only 78 percent.
St. Lawrence
St. Lawrence lost some talent from last season, most noticeably defenseman Ben Finkelstein (Burlington, Vt.), who transferred to Boston College during the campaign. Leading scorer Mike Marnell also is gone after collecting 79 points in his career, as is Jacob Pritchard, who transferred to Massachusetts following a 20-point performance. Arthur Brey saw action in 31 games in net, recording five of SLU’s eight wins. The Saints will have to shore up a power play that connected on just 15 percent of its chances, while the penalty kill was the nation’s lowest-ranked.
Union
Union will be looking to return to the NCAA tournament in 2019, after missing out last spring for the third time in the past four years. Second-leading scorer and senior Cole Maier will lead the way up front following his first 30-point season and will get help from classmate and fellow Garden State native Ryan Walker, who tallied a career-best 11 goals last year. The blue line will be young and will rely upon backing from senior goaltender Jake Kupsky (11-11-2, 2.43, .917), a San Jose Sharks draftee, and sophomore Darion Hanson (10-4-0, 2.32, .908).
Yale
Yale got back to the .500 mark last season and will be looking to improve upon its conference finish plus a two-step first-round playoff sweep at the hands of local rival Quinnipiac. The Bulldogs return nine veterans who amassed double-digit point totals last season, led by Joe Snively, who paced Yale in goals, assists and points with a line of 19-17-36. Yale averaged under three goals per game (2.81), while allowing about the same (2.84). Wilton, Conn., native and senior Sam Tucker (8-11-1, 3.08, .903) and junior Corbin Kaczperski (7-4-0, 2.02, .933) split goaltending chores.
