College Hockey Preview ECACHL's top 2 teams battle it out

The top 2 teams in the ECACHL will collide this weekend as Colgate battles Cornell in a huge home and home series. This is the time of the year where Cornell plays very well, and also it is the time of year where Colgate usually struggles. Something has gotta give this weekend right?

Well for Cornell to make a run Goaltender David McKee will have to get back in form from his brilliant Sophomore year. He is having a solid Junior season, however the team is struggling to score goals and stay consistant. That will have to change.

Colgate however has won 5 in a row including a victory against St. Lawrence which gave them sole posession of the ECACHL lead just a couple of weeks ago. Sophomore Forward and my ECACHL player of the month Tyler Burton is the leading scorer for the Raiders and look for him to play a key role in this series. The Defense is solid allowing about 2.5 goals per game and allowing less than 2 goals a game in their 5 game winning streak.

This should be an intresting home and home series. What I might pick is a defensive game one night, than an explosive offensive game the next night.

Also another big rivalry game this weekend as New Hampshire will travel to Maine for 2 at Alfond Arena. Both teams will look to improve on their pairwise rankings as UNH and Maine are on the outside looking in in the suggested pairwise rankings and the tournament projections.

UNH will have to play without 7 players including 5 double digit scorers including the teams leading scorer Daniel Winnik and also linemate Brett Hemingway as well as defensmen Mike Radja and forward Sean Collins. However they will be back Saturday night since it is only a 1 game suspension.

Maine on the other hand is beggining a tough road ahead including 2 this week with UNH as well as traveling to Vermont for 2 and hosting Boston College for 2. Maine will need to win some key games in order to move up in the pairwise and solitify their chances in the NCAA tournament. Look for the Black Bears to be a sleeper team in the month of February.

In ohter college hockey action this weekend

North Dakota will travel to Colorado College for a key two game series in the WCHA. This is big for both teams as they look to improve in the porjected NCAA Tournament brackets. Colorado College has a good pairwise ranking at 6 while North Dakota fell from last weeks sweep agaisnt St. Cloud State at Grand Forks.

Vermont and Providence will face each other for 2 at Schneider Arena. Providence has been playing very well lately and Vermont has lost 3 of 4.

And a key CCHA game will feature Lake Superior and Nebraska-Omaha. Lake Superior is currently third in the CCHA standings while Nebraska-Omaha will look to climb up the standings.

In the coming weekend look for a special Beanpot preview.