HAMILTON, N.Y. (1/22/09) – The Colgate men's hockey team will attempt to end a three-game winless skid this weekend as it hosts a pair of ECAC Hockey foes, Brown and Yale, Friday and Saturday evening at Starr Rink. Both games will start at 7 p.m. and will be broadcasted over Time Warner Sports (Channel 26 in Syracuse).
The Raiders, 6-11-5 overall and 1-6-3 in league action, open the weekend in a tie for 11th with Brown, two points behind Clarkson for 10th. The Bears, 1-12-4 overall, are 0-6-2 in their last eight games.
Friday's meeting marks the 69th all time clash between Colgate and Brown with the Raiders holding a commanding 47-17-4 advantage in the series that dates back to March 8, 1935. Colgate is 6-1-3 in its last 10 games versus the Bears and are 16-0-2 against Brown at home in its last 18 meetings. This marks the first of two games between the schools this year. Both teams protected their home ice last season as the Bears posted a 5-2 victory in Providence, while Colgate returned the favor with a 5-0 win at Starr Rink.
The Raiders have five players with double figured point totals, and this includes two of the top goal scorers in ECAC Hockey in David McIntyre (Pefferlaw, Ont.) and Austin Smith (Dallas, Texas). McIntyre (12-15-27), who had a hand in all five Colgate goals last weekend, ranks in a tie for first in goals and third in scoring among league leaders. The junior is also ranked 14th nationally in points per game after posting 10 goals and 10 assists in his last 13 games. Smith (11-11-22) is tied for third in goals and fifth overall in point totals in ECAC Hockey. The freshman has posted eight goals and eight assists in his last 16 games and ranks fourth in the country in points per game among rookies.
Brian Day (Danvers, Mass.), Francois Brisebois (Montreal, Que.), and Nick St. Pierre (St. Etienne, Que.) round out the double figured point getters for Colgate with 12, 11, and 11 points respectively. Jason Fredricks (Eagle River, Wisc.) and Jason Williams (Plattsburgh, N.Y.) have recently made significant contributions. Fredricks has three goals and four points in his last four outings, while Williams has scored a goal in each of his last two appearances.
Charles Long (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) has seen the majority of action between the pipes for Colgate and sports a 5-7-4 record on the season. The junior has a 2.76 goals against average and a .897 save percentage.
Brown is led by senior forward Matt Vokes (6-9-15) and freshman defensemen Jeff Buvinow (3-9-12). Dan Rosen has played the majority of minutes in the net for the Bears. The junior has a .904 save percentage and a 3.73 goals against average.
The Colgate versus Brown match-up features the only two schools in Division I men's hockey that haven't allowed a shorthanded goal thus far in the season. It also features two of the top power play units in the league. Colgate has converted five of its last 19 opportunities and ranks 12th nationally.
Saturday's meeting with Yale will be the 82nd between the two schools with the Raiders holding a 44-34-3 advantage. Colgate is 24-12-1 at home against the Bulldogs, but Yale is 5-4-1 in the last 10 meetings played against the Raiders. The Bulldogs won both games last year – 6-4 in New Haven and 6-1 in Hamilton.
Yale, 11-5-1 overall, is in fifth in the ECAC standings with a 6-3-1 record. The Bulldogs fell to Clarkson and then tied St. Lawrence last weekend. Prior to those performances, they had a four-game win streak, including victories over then nationally ranked Air Force (3-2) and Dartmouth (2-1).
The Bulldogs have six players with double figured point totals and possesses two of the top snipers in the league. Broc Little (19-9-19) leads the nation with five shorthanded goals, while Sean Backman (10-7-17) is one of the top power play specialists in ECAC Hockey with five power play goals.
Alec Richards, a senior, has started nine games for Yale in net and possesses a 2.90 goals against average and a .882 save percentage.
Game Notes
