Clarkson (4-8 overall, 1-4 ECAC Hockey) and Harvard (1-4-1) face off at 7 tonight at the Bright Hockey Center in Boston and each team has one thing in common: their only conference win has come at Dartmouth.

Last Night's Games

Clarkson 3, Dartmouth 2: Golden Knights' goalie Paul Karpowich had his best game of the season, stopping 35 of 37 shots to lead Clarkson to its first road win since late last season, snapping a nine-game losing streak in games away from Cheel Arena. Clarkson trailed 2-1 after two periods but rallied with third-period goals from Brandon DeFazio (4 minutes, 17 seconds) and Mark Borowiecki (7:15). The Golden Knights had been 0-7 this year when they trailed after two. Clarkson also won for the first time all season when it did not have a lead after the first period.

St. Lawrence 3, Harvard 2: The statistics show that Harvard dominated this game (though I did not see it). The Crimson outshot SLU 44-28, including an 18-7 edge in the second period. However, while Harvard was taking shots, SLU was making them. The Saints built a 3-1 lead early in the third period on goals from George Hughes, Travis Vermeulen and Peter Child. Harvard scored on a power-play shots from Michael Biega in the second and Alex Killorn in the third.

Stat of the Night

Clarkson's motto is 'Defy Convention', but in hockey it's Harvard that is doing so, at least statistically. The Crimson is 0-2 when it scores the first goal of a game and 1-2-1 when it does not. Clarkson, by comparison, is 3-3 when it scores first and 1-5 when the opposing team scores first. Harvard is also 0-2 if it leads after the opening period. Clarkson is 3-2 when it leads after one and 1-6 when it is tied or behind after the opening 20 minutes.

Who to Watch

Clarkson: The same name shows up a lot in this category and once again senior Matt Beca is the most dominant player for Clarkson against the Crimson, with four career goals and two assists. The four goals is the big number because in most of these previews Beca shows up more because of several assists. The only other Golden Knight with multiple points against Harvard is Tim Marks, who has one goal and one assist. Lauri Tuohimaa is the only other Clarkson player with a career goal against Harvard. Paul Karpowich is 0-1 with a 5.00 goals-against average and a .783 save percentage against Harvard. Richie LaVeau is 0-0-1 with a 2.77 goals-against average and .885 save percentage.

Harvard: Harvard's Doug Rogers has the best numbers against the Golden Knights with two goals and four assists. Alex Biega has three assists against the Golden Knights. Goalie Kyle Richter is 0-4 against Clarkson with a 3.32 goals-against average and .882 save percentage. Ryan Carroll is 0-0-1 with a 2.77 goals-against average and .900 save percentage.

Last Meeting: Harvard's Chris Huxley scored a power-play goal at 11:43 of the third period to give the Crimson a 3-3 tie at Cheel Arena on Feb. 21. Clarkson built a 2-0 lead with goals from Matt Beca and Shea Guthrie. Harvard tied the game by the end of the second period with scores from Doug Rogers and Alex Killorn. Beca scored another goal early in the third to give Clarkson a 3-2 lead.

Stats and Notes: Clarkson will be missing its leading scorer, sophomore Louke Oakley, until at least the second semester after he suffered a knee injury late in the first period of Friday's game. ... For a brief time Harvard had taken the career lead in the series with Clarkson. But the Golden Knights are 7-2-1 in the last 10 meetings and lead the series 48-45-10. Clarkson had a six-game win streak against the Crimson end with Harvard's 5-1 win at the Bright Hockey Center last season. ... This is only Harvard's second official home game of the season. The Crimson did have an exhibition game at home against McGill. Harvard is 53-21-2 at home under coach Ted Donato. ... Harvard freshman Louis Leblanc, a Montreal Canadiens draft choice, has been one of the top rookie forwards in the league this season with two goals and five assists. Clarkson freshman Adam Pawlick has four goals.

Clarkson won its first ECAC Hockey game of the season and snapped a six-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over Dartmouth at Thompson Arena in Hanover, N.H. Friday night.

The win also snapped a nine-game losing streak on the road dating back to last season.

The only downside for the Golden Knights was losing the team's leading scorer, Louke Oakley, to a knee injury late in the first period. Coach George Roll said Oakley probably won't be back in the lineup until January.

Clarkson (4-8 overall, 1-4 conference) rallied from a 2-1 deficit after two periods. The Golden Knights had been 0-7 this season when trailing after 40 minutes.

Here are the three stars:

No. 3: Dartmouth's Joe Gaudet (one goal and one assist)

No. 2: Clarkson's Mark Borowiecki (scored the game-winning goal in the third period)

No. 1: Clarkson goalie Paul Karpowich (stopped 35 of 37 shots for a .946 save percentage).

Two teams in desperate need of a win meet at 7 tonight as Clarkson (3-8 overall, 0-4 ECAC Hockey) faces off against Dartmouth (0-5) in Hanover, N.H.

The Golden Knights were 3-2 less than a month ago after a 4-1 win over St. Lawrence University in a nonconference game, but have lost six straight games. Clarkson has also lost nine straight road games, dating back to last season.

Dartmouth ended last year with three straight losses and has picked up that pace this season, starting 0-5.

Clarkson Coach George Roll on the Weekend

"Both teams' (Dartmouth & Harvard) records are probably not indicative to the way they have played, similar to us. Obviously, it is a key weekend for all three of us. Even though it is early, only four games in, none of the teams can dig themselves in any deeper. For us, it is just a matter of building some confidence and continuing to work, and maybe some of the puck luck will go our way."

Stat of the Night

This is yet another game where the start could speak volumes. Both of these teams have been winless this season when they don't lead after the first 20 minutes. Clarkson is 0-8 if it's not ahead after one period and Dartmouth is 0-5. The Big Green has been outscored 5-1 in the opening 20 minutes this year and has scored the first goal in just one game.

Who to Watch

Clarkson: Senior Tim Marks is the only Golden Knight with more than one goal against the Big Green. He has three career goals and one assist, but all three goals came in the same game on Nov. 3, 2007 at Cheel Arena. Senior Matt Beca has one goal with six assists. The other Golden Knights with career goals against Dartmouth are Jake Morley, Brandon DeFazio, Julien Cayer and Bryan Rufenach. Richie LaVeau is 1-0 against the Big Green, stopping 18 of 21 shots (.857) in a Clarkson win last year. Paul Karpowich played 28 minutes in relief of former Clarkson goalie Tim Potter last year, stopping 13 of 14 shots.

Dartmouth: Junior Kyle Reeds has the best numbers against Clarkson with two goals and an assist. Junior Adam Estoclet also has two goals for Dartmouth against the Golden Knights. Scott Fleming, Peter Boldt, Joe Gaudet and Evan Stephens each have two assists and Josh Gilliam has one goal and one assist. Goalie Jody O'Neill went 1-1 against Clarkson last year, stopping 56 of 62 shots (.903).

Last Meeting

Seniors Shea Guthrie and Chris D'Alvise each reached 100 career points in the same game as Clarkson used a four-goal third period to cruise to a 6-3 win at Cheel Arena on Feb. 20. Guthrie had two goals and D'Alvise added a goal and an assist.

Stats and Notes

Dartmouth has three sets of brothers on its team this season. Senior Joe Gaudet, the son of head coach Bob Gaudet, plays with his younger brother Jim. The other sets of brothers are Connor and Mark Goggin and Nick and Dustin Walsh. ... Clarkson has lost four of its last five games at Thompson Arena. ... Neither squad has impressive special teams numbers. Overall Clarkson is minus-five and Dartmouth is minus-three (that stat takes power-play goals scored and subtracts power-play goals allowed and the shorthanded goal differential). ... Clarkson has been outscored 22-7 in the second period of games this season.

ANNOUNCEMENT:Starting the week after Thanksgiving the schedule on my blog will change and ECAC Hockey Notes will run Wednesdays with a Clarkson Notes Preview running on Thursday. (That way you don't have to wait 2 days after a teaser to see a story). Also, due to the holiday next week the schedule will change slightly. Monday will be Pro Hockey Notes and Tuesday will be a combo of Clarkson/ECAC Notes. Also, late Tuesday, a Boston College game preview will be posted. There will be no postings on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday until after the BC game ends.

Now, onto this weeks notes:

A Glance Around the League

Colgate has been a bit of a surprise team so far this season with a 3-0-1 mark in conference play. The Raiders won a road game at Brown 5-3 last Friday then tied pre-season favorite Yale on the road 3-3 on Saturday.

Colgate was 6-11-5 in conference play a year ago.

“Everyone has stepped up and decided to hold themselves to a higher stand point and strive for perfection during practice which has really translated for us in games,” Colgate freshman Robbie Bourdon told the Colgate Maroon-News. “Experience-wise all of us now have games under our belt and have been able to contribute to the team’s success. Ever since our last exhibition game, the lines have clicked. Also, our power play units have finally found a way to the hit the back of the net.”

Princeton, one of the pre-season league favorites, has staggered a bit this season with a 2-1-1 mark in conference games. All of the Tigers games have been at home.

One highlight for Princeton last weekend was a 2-1 overtime win against Dartmouth on a goal from Cam MacIntyre:

"Cam adds confidence, and he’s obviously a great player. He gives confidence to a team. He’s just a physical presence with great hands,” Tigers coach Guy Gadowsky told the Daily Princetonian. “The overtime goal he scored Friday night was just a tremendous individual effort. He was able to make a great move without putting himself at risk or turning the puck over.”

Princeton tied Harvard 3-3 on Saturday night. Here are some highlights of that game:

Weekly Award Winners

Player of the Week: Brian O'Neill, Yale.

Goalie of the Week: Dan Clarke, Quinnipiac.

Rookie of the Week: Keith Kincaid, Union.

Home/Road Index

These standings look a bit different than the conference standings because some teams have only played home games so far and others only road games. You get two points for a road win, one point for a road tie. You lose one point for a home tie and two points for a home loss:

Colgate 3

Harvard 3

Cornell 2

Rensselaer 2

Union 2

Quinnipiac 0

St. Lawrence 0

Yale 0

Dartmouth -2

Princeton -3

Brown -3

Clarkson -4

Recent Scores

Friday

Union 4, St. Lawrence 3

RPI 5, Clarkson 2

Princeton 2, Dartmouth 1 (OT)

Colgate 5, Brown 3

Yale 4, Cornell 2

Quinnipiac 5, Harvard 1

Saturday

Princeton 3, Harvard 3 (OT)

St. Lawrence 2, RPI 1

Union 5, Clarkson 1

Quinnipiac 4, Dartmouth 2

Cornell 6, Brown 0

Yale 3, Colgate 3 (OT)

Tuesday

Providence 4, Brown 3

Wednesday

Niagara 4, RPI 1

Upcoming Games

Tonight

Massachusetts at Yale, 7 p.m.

Friday

St. Lawrence at Harvard, 7 p.m.

Clarkson at Dartmouth, 7 p.m.

Quinnipiac at Colgate, 7 p.m.

Princeton at Cornell, 7 p.m.

Saturday

St. Lawrence at Dartmouth, 7 p.m.

Clarkson at Harvard, 7 p.m.

Quinnipiac at Cornell, 7 p.m.

Princeton at Colgate, 7 p.m.

Yale at Brown, 7:30 p.m.

This week's Clarkson Notes will run Friday (look at our website for the story).

The lead item will be a feature on senior defenseman Jeremiah Crowe, who played in 55 games, but missed 58, during his first three years as he battled with shoulder injuries.

Here's what Crowe had to say, that isn't in the story, about going through the injuries and missing the NCAA Tournament in 2008.

"It's very frustrating. It's never fun. I had surgery after my sophomore year in the summer and it really didn't work out as I planned. I had another injury pretty early in my junior year where (the shoulder) came back out. That was really frustrating because I spent so much time rehabbing and stuff."

(On the missed NCAA games)

"You try and make the best of it and root for your teammates. You can only control what you can control. It was out of my hands, but it was tough and frustrating to be watching. I had played pretty well up to that point."

Another aspect of Crowe's life I did not have room for in the feature was his background, spending his senior year of high school in Missouri and Texas and graduating from high school in Texarkana, Texas.

He played for the Texarkana Bandits in the 2003-04 season and said the team got the name because Texarkana is the location in the 1977 film, "Smokey and the Bandit" where they have to go to get the illegal Coors Beer to haul back to Georgia.

"It was an awesome experience," Crowe said. "People were a lot more slow-paced down south. They talk slower and sometimes the family I lived with would have trouble understanding me because they thought I talked very fast. The town was small and simple, no big stores or anything. I loved it there."

This week's edition will again feature former Clarkson goalie David Leggio, who took a brief hiatus from his TPS Turku team in Finland to represent the U.S. in the Deutschland Cup.

The Americans went 2-1 and finished in second place. Every game ended in a shootout.

Leggio played in two games and stopped 55 of 59 shots, for a .932 save percentage.

His goals-against average was 2.44 and he had a 1-1 record in shootouts. He was the winning goalie in a 3-2 shootout against Switzerland on Nov. 7 and he split time with former Cornell goalie Jean-Marc Pelletier in a 3-2 shootout loss to Slovakia.

Here's some highlights of Leggio's game against Switzerland:

Odds and Ends

Shawn Weller is the captain of the Bakersfield Condors of the East Coast Hockey League (don't ask me to explain how Bakersfield, Calif., is in an East Coast league). ... One of Weller's teammates is former Clarkson goalie Tim Potter, who has not seen action yet. ... Jean Desrochers started the year with the Quad City Mallards of the International Hockey League but is no longer on the active roster. I have not been able to locate where he's playing. ... Chris D'Alvise is off to a strong start with Stockton of the ECHL. He had a hat trick on Nov. 1 in a 5-2 win over Victoria and was interviewed recently:

Stats

Here are the stats of Clarkson's players who are not in either the NHL or AHL. (remember, if you see someone missing please send me an email (ccarey@wdt.net) or leave a comment here so I can include them in the next cycle. Also remember that below the stats will be the videos of NHL goals scored by Clarkson alums last week.

All stats for forwards/defensemen will be: games played goals-assists points. For goalies wins-losses-ties goals-against average save percentage

ECHL

Shawn Weller (Bakersfield) 14 4-10 14

Chris D'Alvise (Stockton) 14 6-5 11

Shea Guthrie (Utah) 12 2-5 7

Phil Paquet (Florida) 3 0-0 0

CHL

Tyrell Mason (Texas) 9 1-0 1

Mike Willemsen (Texas) 3 0-0 0

Kyle McNulty (Arizona) 0-3-1 3.24 .885

France

David Cayer (Guthiques) 7 4-12 16

Finland

Max Kolu (TPS Turku) 12 0-1 1

David Leggio (TPS Turku) 6-2-4 3.34 .888

Germany

Rob McFeeters (Kaufbeuren) 14 3-16 19

Kerry Ellis-Toddington (Ravenburg) 18 2-10 12

Mike Sullivan (Lausitzer) 15 3-8 11

Dave Reid (Munich) 16 2-5 7

Chris Blight (Ravensburg) 6 2-2 4

Chris Bahen (Munich) 4 0-0 0

Italy

Mac Faulkner (Alleghe) 11 7-3 10

Wales

Jay Latulippe (Cardiff) 22 8-13 21

This Week's NHL Goals

Todd Marchant Triple Play

Todd Marchant shows up three times this week (He managed to slip his first goal of the season on Nov. 5 past me, so I'll add that one first, followed by goals on Friday vs. Columbus and Monday vs. Pittsburgh)

Chris Clark Wednesday vs. Islanders (Shootout)

Randy Jones Double Play

Jones scored twice in his first week with the Los Angeles Kings. He scored a goal in his first game on Wednesday against Carolina and on Monday he added a shorthanded goal against Florida

Clarkson lost its sixth straight game Saturday, falling 5-1 at home to Union College.

The Golden Knights scored first on a late first-period goal from Brandon DeFazio on a power play.

But Union scored two goals 20 seconds apart in the second period and wound up producing four goals in the middle frame. Clarkson has now been outscored 22-7 in the second period this season.

For the game story see the local sports link on our site.

Here are the 3 stars:

No. 3: Union's Jon Lareau. Assisted on two goals, finished at plus-two.

No. 2: Union's Mario Valery-Trabucco. Scored first goal on an empty net as Clarkson goalie Richie LaVeau had moved out to play the puck behind the net. Also added an assist.

No. 1: Union's Andrew Buote. Received the puck from LaVeau when he was trying to clear the puck out from behind the net and set up Valery-Trabucco's goal. Also scored a goal of his own about three minutes later.

Video Clips

Clarkson takes the ice for pre-game warmups

Brandon DeFazio's goal

Green and Gold money grab (a fan tries to collect as much money as she can between periods by using hockey gloves to stuff cash into a bank deposit bag)

Clarkson (3-7 overall, 0-3 ECAC Hockey) is looking to snap a five-game losing streak before it starts a stretch of four consecutive road games next weekend. Union (4-3-3, 1-0-2) will try to remain undefeated in conference play in tonight's 7 p.m. contest at Cheel Arena.

Last Night's Results

Rensselaer 5, Clarkson 2

It was a frustrating evening for the Golden Knights who dropped their first home game of the season. Clarkson fell behind 2-0 but rallied with two power-play goals in 65 seconds, on shots from Adam Pawlick and Brandon DeFazio, to tie the game. But Jake Morley was called for an elbowing penalty shortly after the tying goal and the Engineers scored on the ensuing penalty and went on to a comfortable win.

Union 4, St. Lawrence 3

The Dutchmen nearly blew a big lead late but held on to edge St. Lawrence University in Appleton Arena. Union built a 4-1 lead after two periods, thanks in part to power-play goals from Mario Valery-Trabucco and Kelly Zajac. The Saints cut the lead to one with third-period goals from Brandon Bollig and Derek Keller. Union had 23 shots in the first two periods but put up just six in the third.

Clarkson Coach George Roll on Union

"We know what to expect from Union. We had a tough time with them in the playoffs last year. They are a physical team and do a lot of the little things well."

Stat of the Night

Just like last night's game, scoring first and leading early could be huge tonight. Union is 3-1 when it scores first and just 1-2-3 when it does not. The Dutchmen are 3-0 if they lead after one period and 1-3-3 when they do not. Clarkson is only 3-2 if it scores first, but its lost all five games when it does not. If the Golden Knights do not have a lead after the first period they are 0-6 this season.

Who to Watch

Clarkson:Senior Matt Beca has scored one goal with four assists in eight career games against Union. Junior Bryan Rufenach has two goals and two assists in six games. Junior Scott Freeman has two goals with one assist, including the 10,000th goal in program history in last year's ECAC Hockey playoffs, and senior Tim Marks has three assists against Union. Goalie Richie LaVeau is 0-1 with a 3.70 goals-against average and an .884 save percentage against Union. Paul Karpowich is 0-2 with a 3.51 GAA and .890 save percentage.

Union:Junior forward Adam Presizniuk has been dominant against Clarkson, with five goals and seven assists. Senior Jason Walters has four goals and three assists and Valery-Trabucco has four goals and two assists. Goalie Corey Milan is 3-1-1 lifetime against the Golden Knights.

Last Meeting

Union won its first-ever postseason series by sweeping Clarkson with a 7-2 victory in game two of a first-round series at Messa Rink on March 7. The Dutchmen blew the game open early with three goals in the first period and added four more in the third, although two came on empty nets as Clarkson coach George Roll was forced to play with an extra attacker to try to cut into the deficit.

Stats and Notes

Clarkson is 27-13-5 lifetime against the Dutchmen, but Union is 3-1-1 in the last five games. Union has lost six straight games at Cheel Arena, last winning 5-3 on Jan. 31, 2003. ... The Dutchmen rank 10th nationally in scoring, averaging 3.6 goals-per game. ... Union defenseman Mike Schreiber has a plus-13 rating this season, leading the conference, and has yet to have a game with a minus number. He was plus-one in Friday's contest.

Clarkson lost its first home game of the season Friday night, falling 5-2 to Rensselaer. The Golden Knights fell behind 2-0, then scored two goals 65 seconds apart on power-play shots from Adam Pawlick and Brandon DeFazio to tie the game.

But RPI responded with three straight goals to close out the scoring.

Before the video clips from tonight, here are the 3 stars:

No. 3: RPI goalie Allen York. Made 25 saves, including a few big ones when Clarkson had a two-man advantage for 65 seconds of the third period.

No. 2: RPI forward Alex Angers-Goulet. Assisted on three of RPI's goals.

No. 1: RPI defenseman Bryan Brutlag. Scored first goal of game and added an assist.

Now the videos:

Pre-Game Meeting

Clarkson huddles around goalie Paul Karpowich prior to opening faceoff.

Penalty Party

RPI's Peter Merth is called for tripping at 4 minutes, 33 seconds of the first period and the Clarkson student section begins to celebrate the upcoming power play.

Clarkson's First Goal

Down 2-0, freshman Adam Pawlick gets Clarkson back in the game with this power-play goal at 8:57 of the second period.

Clarkson's Last, Best Chance

The Golden Knights enjoyed about a minute with a two-man advantage in the third period, while down 4-2, but couldn't get a shot past Engineers goalie Allen York. Here is some of that power play.

Clarkson (3-6 overall, 0-2 ECAC Hockey) hopes to improve to 4-0 at home tonight and snap a four-game losing streak as it hosts Rensselaer (6-3-1, 2-0) at 7 p.m.

The Golden Knights are 0-6 away from Cheel Arena, but all of Clarkson's road losses have come against ranked teams: No. 14 Michigan State, No. 18 Minnesota-Duluth, No. 19 Princeton and No. 20 Quinnipiac.

RPI is looking for its first winning season since going 22-15-2 in 2003-04. The Engineers were 10-27-2 a year ago but have gotten off to a strong start this season.

Tonight's game will be the fourth on the road for the Engineers, who are 1-1-1, including a 1-1 tie on Oct. 17 at No. 9 Alaska.

Clarkson Coach George Roll on RPI

"RPI is coming into our building with some momentum after getting the league sweep at home this past weekend. They have done a nice job of scoring and their goaltending has been very good. RPI is a much different team than we have seen in the past. Their skill level is very good."

Stat of the Night

This game could be decided in the first 20 minutes. Clarkson is 0-5 this season in games where it does not have a lead after the opening 20 minutes. RPI has been behind after the first period just once this season, and lost that contest.

Who to Watch

Clarkson:Senior Matt Beca has four goals and four assists in six career games against the Engineers. Senior Tim Marks has one goal and four assists. Junior Brandon DeFazio has two goals in four games and sophomore Nick Tremblay had one goal and one assist in two games last season. Goalie Richie LaVeau, who has started most Friday games this season, has never faced RPI. Goalie Paul Karpowich is 2-0 with a 2.46 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage.

RPI:Junior Tyler Helfrich has two goals and four assists against Clarkson. Chase Polacek has one goal and three assists and Bryan Brutlag has two goals and two assists. Goalie Allen York stopped 21 shots in a 4-2 loss to Clarkson last season.

Last Meeting

Clarkson scored twice in each of the first two periods to gain a 4-2 win at the Houston Field House on Feb. 27. It was the last road win for the Golden Knights, who have dropped nine straight since. Bryan Rufenach and Louke Oakley scored the first-period goals and Nick Tremblay and Brandon DeFazio had the second-period goals. RPI received third-period goals from Chase Polacek and Tyler Helfrich. Clarkson outshot the Engineers 23-19 and limited RPI to only seven shots combined in the first two periods.

Stats and Notes

RPI's seniors have never defeated Clarkson, going 0-5-1 the last three years, including the overtime loss at Cheel Arena last season. ... RPI's Helfrich may miss this weekend's games with an ankle injury he suffered on Oct. 24 in a 3-2 win over American International. He has not played since, but will make the trip this weekend. ... North country road trips have not been kind to RPI, which is a combined 31-80-7 in games in Canton and Potsdam. ... RPI is 0-3-1 with two or less goals this season and 6-0 when it scores at least three. ... This weekend's homestand marks the only games at Cheel Arena in Nov. Clarkson will play at Harvard and Dartmouth next weekend and close out the month with a game at Boston College the day after Thanksgiving. ... Ten of Clarkson's 23 goals this season have come in the first period. The Golden Knights have allowed 26 of the 33 goals they've given up in the second and third periods. ... Clarkson's best shooter this season has been Tim Marks, who is connecting 28.6 percent of the time. But he averages just one shot a game. Adam Pawlick, who has three goals, has scored 21.4 percent of the time and Matt Beca, who has six goals, is scoring on 20 percent of his shots. Defenseman Bryan Rufenach leads the team in shots, with 32, despite missing one game. Beca has taken 30 shots and Mark Borowiecki and Brandon DeFazio are tied with 23 shots.

The first full weekend of the season has ended and home teams were dominant, going 9-1-2. The only road win last weekend was St. Lawrence University's 5-2 victory over Princeton. Harvard opened the season a week earlier with a road win at Dartmouth.

That brings me back to re-introducing my Home/Road Index format of keeping track of the standings. Teams get no points if they win at home, because that is expected, and they lose no points for a road loss, because, as last weekend proved, that's also to be expected.

If a home team loses, they lose two points, and if they tie, they lose one point. Road teams gain one point for a tie and two for a win.

When the season is over, these standings will mirror the order of finish in the conference. They provide a way to see if a team may just be leading the conference now because they've had a lot of home games.

Current ECAC Hockey Standings

Cornell 2-0-0 4 points

Colgate 2-0-0 4

Quinnipiac 2-0-0 4

Rensselaer 2-0-0 4

Princeton 1-1-0 2

St. Lawrence 1-1-0 2

Union 0-0-2 2

Harvard 1-2-0 2

Brown 0-1-1 1

Yale 0-1-1 1

Clarkson 0-2-0 0

Dartmouth 0-3-0 0

Home/Road Index Standings

St. Lawrence 2 points

Harvard 2

Brown 1

Yale 1

Colgate 0

Cornell 0

Quinnipiac 0

Rensselaer 0

Clarkson 0

Princeton -2

Union -2

Dartmouth -2

Harvard Upbeat

The Crimson suffered a tough loss on Friday, blowing a 4-1 lead at Colgate and losing 5-4. That was followed by a 6-3 loss at Cornell on Friday.

But coach Ted Donato remains upbeat, as he told the Boston Herald this week.

“We have a lot of reasons to be optimistic,” said Donato. “We feel like we are a much more dangerous offensive team. We’re really trying to promote an up-tempo style. We have a good influx of young talent and the guys really made a commitment from last spring to come back in great shape.

“To this point, as coaches, we’re real happy not only with the performance but with the overall atmosphere and culture of the team.”

Cornell Power Play Impresses

After beating Harvard 6-3 on Saturday, Cornell improved to 8 of 18 on the power play this season, clicking on 44 percent of its chances.

"They have four of their five guys running that similar set now for a few years," Donato told the Ithaca Journal. "(Sean) Whitney is the only guy that hasn't been there as much as the others. They're a dangerous team on the special teams. I think (Cornell coach Mike Schafer) deserves a lot of credit. His teams are always sound defensively and excellent on the special teams."

Cornell's top unit on the power play consists of Whitney, Brendon Nash, Colin Greening, Riley Nash and Blake Gallagher. They have produced seven of the eight man-up goals.

"Coach told me to use my skills and trust those guys, because if you get them the puck then good things are going to happen," Whitney told the Ithaca Journal. "I think they've helped me and I'm having a lot of fun out there on the point. A lot of fun."

Weekly Awards

Player of the Week: David McIntyre (Colgate). McIntyre produced two goals and three assists last weekend to lead the Raiders to wins over Harvard and Dartmouth. He had a four-point night against Harvard.

Rookie of the Week: Thomas Larkin (Colgate). Scored one goal with one assist against Harvard. The goal was the first of his career.

Goaltender of the Week: Dan Clarke (Quinnipiac). Led the Bobcats to home wins over Clarkson and St. Lawrence. Stopped 34 of 36 shots against the Golden Knights and 27 of 29 against SLU.

In the Polls

Cornell (3-0 overall) moved up to No. 3 in this week's U.S. College Hockey Online poll and leads the conference. Yale (1-1-1) is No. 12. Princeton (2-2) and Quinnipiac (6-1) round out the rankings at No. 19 and No. 20.

Last Week's Scores

Friday

St. Lawrence 5, Princeton 2

Quinnipiac 4, Clarkson 2

Colgate 5, Harvard 4

Cornell 5, Dartmouth 1

RPI 5, Yale 2

Brown 3, Union 3 (OT)

Saturday

Quinnipiac 5, St. Lawrence 2

Princeton 4, Clarkson 1

Colgate 3, Dartmouth 2

Cornell 6, Harvard 3

RPI 3, Brown 1

Union 3, Yale 3 (OT)

This Weekend's Games

Friday

Union at St. Lawrence, 7 p.m.

RPI at Clarkson, 7 p.m.

Dartmouth at Princeton, 7 p.m.

Colgate at Brown, 7 p.m.

Cornell at Yale, 7 p.m.

Harvard at Quinnipiac, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday

Harvard at Princeton, 4 p.m.

RPI at St. Lawrence, 7 p.m.

Union at Clarkson, 7 p.m.

Dartmouth at Quinnipiac, 7 p.m.

Cornell at Brown, 7 p.m.

Colgate at Yale, 7 p.m.

Today I learned why it can be dangerous to bring a video camera to a Clarkson men's hockey practice!

Timeout With Tom Pizzo

First up is a video interview with junior defenseman Tom Pizzo, a Rochester native. This is the first of a series which will feature about 10 questions, a mix of serious and silly. (Unfortunately this video ends a bit prematurely thanks to assistant coach J.F. Houle)

A "brief" chat with Louke Oakley

Oakley, a sophomore, leads the team in scoring heading into this weekend's home series with Rensselaer and Union. I was hoping to ask him a few more questions but a surprise visit by junior Brandon DeFazio cut this interview short:

A few moments of practice

This turned out to be the safest video shoot of the day, even though I was on the bench close to the action:

North country cable television subscribers will have a chance to see two former Golden Knights face off on Wednesday night.

Time Warner Cable's Channel 26 will show an American Hockey League game between the Albany River Rats and Syracuse Crunch live at 7.

Watch to see if Syracuse defenseman Grant Clitsome is able to get any good hits in on former Clarkson classmate Nick Dodge, a River Rats forward.

Hockey's Future Analysis

Both Steve Zalewski and Grant Clitsome were recently analyzed by the Web site 'Hockey's Future'. Here's what the site had to say about each player:

"Steve Zalewsk, 23, is in his third professional season and he has started to chip in in the NHL as well. Zalewski will continue to get some third and fourth line time on San Jose. He has seven points in 10 games for Worcester, but is -8."

"Clitsome, a ninth-round pick in 2004, has certainly made the most of his opportunities. He had a great four-year career at Clarkson University and earned a pro contract in 2008, playing his first full pro season last year. He will be relied upon heavily by Syracuse this season and will likely be one of the top call ups should a defenseman on Columbus go down to injury."

Stats

Former Clarkson and Vermont forward Matt Syroczysnki joins this list after signing with the Norfolk Admirals on Oct. 29:

Player (team) Games Goals-Assists Points

Steve Zalewski (Worcester) 13 5 4 9

Nick Dodge (Albany) 14 4 0 4

Grant Clitsome (Syracuse) 12 0 2 2

Matt Nickerson (Springfield) 5 0 0 0

Matt Syroczynski (Norfolk) 4 1 1 2

Coach

Mark Morris (Manchester) 9-3-1-1 (first place in Atlantic Division)

This Week's NHL Goals

Erik Cole, Saturday vs. Columbus

The Golden Knights (3-6 overall, 0-2 ECAC Hockey) dropped their sixth straight road game this season, and ninth straight dating back to last year, falling 4-1 at Princeton's Hobey Baker Rink Saturday.

Clarkson dominated the first period, outshooting the Tigers 19-8, but had nothing to show for their efforts. The Tigers (2-2, 1-1) scored at 5 minutes, 29 seconds on a goal from Dan Bartlett to take the early lead.

Princeton added to Clarkson's list of frustrating road second periods this season by scoring two more goals and outshooting the Golden Knights 17-6 in the middle period.

Clarkson got back in the game when Matt Beca scored his sixth goal of the year at 3:10 of the third period, but the Tigers ended the scoring with an empty-net goal from Matt Arhontas at 18:07.

Three Stars

No. 3: Mark Magnowski, Princeton: one goal and two assists, plus two rating.

No. 2: Matt Arhontas, Princeton: Scored two goals and added an assist and finished with a plus-two rating.

No. 1: Alan Reynolds, Princeton: The Tigers backup goalie saw his first action of the season and stopped 31 of 32 shots.

Clarkson (3-5 overall, 0-1 ECAC Hockey) is looking to snap a three-game losing streak and five-game road losing streak as it faces the Tigers (1-2, 0-1) at 4 p.m. this afternoon in Princeton, N.J.

Yesterday's Games

Quinnipiac 4, Clarkson 2

The Golden Knights did many things right, but two mistakes on special teams proved costly as Quinnipiac's Mike Atkinson scored two straight shorthanded goals, then added an empty-net goal late for a natural hat trick. Clarkson outshot the Bobcats 36-31 and limited Quinnipiac to only seven shots in the third period, although two of those were goals. The Golden Knights also played a disciplined game, taking only three penalties. Scott Freeman and Adam Pawlick each scored their third goals of the season for the Golden Knights.

St. Lawrence 5, Princeton 2

The Tigers took an early lead with a goal from Michael Sdao just 2 minutes, 45 seconds into the game. But SLU scored three goals in the second period and eventually built a 4-1 lead. Princeton cut into to lead with a power-play goal from Tyler Beachell at 16:03 of the third, which came during a two-man advantage. Because they were down by two goals late, Tigers coach Guy Gadowsky had to pull goalie Zane Kalemba early for an extra attacker. But SLU ended any chance of a comeback with an empty-net goal from Alex Curran at 17:31.

Stat of the Night

The Tigers, who are ranked 14th nationally, have struggled to start the season, dropping two of their first three games. But Princeton has excelled on special teams this season. Princeton has converted on 22 percent of its power-play chances (4-of-18 and has killed 14 of 15 penalties (93.3 percent).

Who to Watch

Clarkson

Senior Matt Beca has the best career numbers against the Tigers with two goals and four assists in six games. Junior captain Scott Freeman has two goals and three assists in four career games against Princeton and junior forward Lauri Tuohimaa has four assists in four games. Paul Karpowich, who has started every Saturday game in goal, is 0-1 with a 3.03 goals-against average and .935 save percentage against Princeton. Richie LaVeau, who faced Quinnipiac on Friday, is 0-1 with a 4.11 GAA and .897 save percentage against the Tigers.

Princeton

Senior forward Mark Magnowski hasn't scored yet this season, but in six career games against Clarkson he has two goals and three assists. Senior defenseman Jody Pederson has four assists in five games against Clarkson. Three other Tigers have three career points against the Golden Knights: junior forward Matt Arhontas (1 goal-2 assists), senior forward Dan Bartlett (0-3) and senior forward Kevin Kaiser (1-2). Goalie Zane Kalemba is 4-1 lifetime against the Golden Knights with a 2.21 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. Junior goalie Alan Reynolds, who has not played yet this season, has played in one career game against Clarkson for 40 minutes and stopped 16-of-19 shots (.842 save percentage).

Last Meeting

Princeton used a four-goal third period to take a 5-3 victory against the Golden Knights in Hobey Baker Rink on Feb. 13. Clarkson scored first on a goal from defenseman Tom Pizzo at 2:11 of the first period. Lee Jubinville tied the game for the Tigers with a second period goal and Princeton took a 2-1 lead with a goal from Brandon Kushniruk just 41 seconds into the third. Clarkson answered with a goal from Brandon DeFazio three minutes later. The Tigers built a 4-2 lead on goals from Brett Wilson and Tyler Beachell, then Scott Freeman cut the deficit back to one with a goal at 18:00. Kushniruk ended Clarkson's chance of a comeback with an empty-net goal at 18:55.

Stats and Notes

Princeton was picked to finish third in ECAC Hockey by both the coaches and media. The Tigers were second in 2007-08 and won the conference tournament and finished third last year, making the NCAA Tournament in both seasons. ... Princeton, which has increased its win total in each of the last six seasons under coach Guy Gadowsky, was ranked as high as No. 9 earlier this season. ...Princeton led the nation in shots last year, averaging just over 37. The Tigers have 108 shots in three games so far this season. ... This will be the 100th game between Clarkson and the Tigers, with the Golden Knights holding a commanding 69-25-5 lead. Princeton, however, has taken four of the last six and swept the series last year. ... Princeton was the least penalized team in the nation last year (10.6 minutes-per game) and has just 32 minutes in three games this season. ... Clarkson has lost eight straight road games, dating back to last season, when the Golden Knights ended the year with three straight losses at Union. The last time Clarkson has a streak that long was 12 straight in the 2005-06 season.

Clarkson played its best road game of the season Friday, but still came up short, dropping its ECAC Hockey opener to Quinnipiac at the TD Banknorth Center in Hamden, Conn.

The Golden Knights (3-5 overall) outshot Quinnipiac 36-31 and took only two penalties Friday.

But two mistakes on Clarkson power plays led to shorthanded goals for Quinnipiac's Mike Atkinson, and he wound up recording a natural hat trick with an empty net goal with 14 seconds remaining.

Scott Freeman and Adam Pawlick scored Clarkson's goals and Richie LaVeau stopped 27 of 30 shots.

Three Stars

No. 3: Louke Oakley, Clarkson: assisted on both Golden Knight goals.

No. 2: Dan Clarke, Quinnipiac: had a .944 save percentage (34 saves-36 shots)

No. 1: Mike Atkinson, Quinnipiac: two shorthanded goals, natural hat trick

With an 0-4 record on the road this season, the Golden Knights will hope to pick up their first away victory in the ECAC Hockey opening game for both teams.

Clarkson (3-4) has played national powers Michigan State and Minnesota-Duluth in its first four road games. Quinnipiac (4-1) has also played four road games, sweeping Ohio State 4-2 and 3-1 and splitting a series last weekend at Robert Morris (5-0 and 5-8).

Clarkson Coach George Roll on the Weekend

"Both Quinnipiac and Princeton will be looking to begin league play with wins on their home ice. It will be two battles. We want to play better on the road and get the momentum back we lost this past weekend. In both road series, we spent a lot of time in the penalty box. We were shorthanded a lot at Michigan State and again this past weekend at UMD. We have to play with more discipline on the road."

Stat of the Night

This is another game where having the lead after two periods will be important. Clarkson has a 58-game unbeaten streak when it leads after two (54-0-4). Quinnipiac is 33-0-3 in its last 36 games with a lead after two periods. Clarkson fans may remember the last time the Bobcats blew a second-period lead, it came in the 2007 ECAC Hockey championship game when Clarkson rallied from a 2-0 deficit to claim the championship with a 4-2 win.

Who to Watch

Clarkson

Junior forward Lauri Tuohimaa has had the most success against the Bobcats, with two goals and four assists in four career games. Senior forward Matt Beca has one goal with five assists in seven games and junior captain Scott Freeman, another forward, has five assists in four career games. The only Clarkson goalie who has faced Quinnipiac is sophomore Paul Karpowich, who is 0-2 with a 4.10 goals-against average and an .886 save percentage. Sophomore Richie LaVeau has had most of the Friday starts this season, however.

Quinnipiac

Senior forwards Brandon Wong and Jean-Marc Beaudoin each have two goals and two assists against the Golden Knights. Another senior forward, Eric Lame, has one goal and one assist. Junior defenseman Zach Hansen has two assists. Sophomore goalie Dan Clarke started one game against Clarkson last year and picked up the win, stopping 18 of 21 shots.

Last Meeting

The Bobcats used a three-goal second period to earn a 5-3 win over Clarkson in the TD Banknorth Center on Feb. 14. Clarkson took an early lead with a goal from defenseman Bryan Rufenach in the first period. Quinnipiac outshot the Golden Knights 28-14 in the final two periods, however.

Stats and Notes

Clarkson was picked to finish 11th out of 12 teams by the league's coaches in the preseason poll. ... Clarkson has not trailed after the first period yet this season, but has been outscored 12-3 in the second period. ... Rufenach will miss tonight's game after picking up a game disqualification penalty last Saturday at Minnesota-Duluth. His offensive presence will be missed. He leads the team with 28 shots on goal and 15 of his shots have come during power plays. ... Like Clarkson, Quinnipiac has struggled in the second period this year, being outscored 4-1. But the Bobcats have outscored the opposition 10-3 in the third period.

Conference play began last weekend with Harvard's 5-3 road win at Dartmouth. For the other 10 teams in the league it starts this weekend with a full state of games.

Here's a report on some teams heading into the start of conference play:

Yale Looks to Repeat

The Bulldogs start conference play ranked sixth in the nation and return most of the players who played key roles in winning both the regular-season and conference tournaments last season.

"I think we expect more from ourselves and hold ourselves to a higher standard this year," forward Denny Kearney told the Yale Daily News. "We had a great year last year, and hopefully we can do at least as well, if not better, this year."

Said Bulldogs coach Keith Allain to the school paper, "We're excited about the hockey season. I think that we have something to prove - we just have to get it going."

RPI Dealing With Injuries

The Engineers start conference play with a 4-3-1 overall record, but will be missing leading scorer Tyler Helfrich for a second straight weekend as well as sophomore Josh Rabbani.

Rabbani has a shoulder injury and Helfrich is recovering from an ankle injury.

"I don't anticipate (Helfrich) playing," Engineers coach Seth Appert told the Troy Record. "I think if this were the national tournament, I think he could play, I think we could probably gut him through a weekend. But an ankle is one of those things that, if we're too aggressive with this, it could be affecting him all season and we can't have that."

Leaman Benches Players

Union coach Nate Leaman announced after Wednesday's practice that Stephane Boileau and Brian Yanovitch were not going to play Friday in the Dutchmen's contest at home against Brown.

The duo is being punished for penalties taken in RPI's offensive zone during Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss. Yanovitch was given a boarding penalty 1 minute, 9 seconds into the second period and Boileau was given a hooking penalty with 4:37 left in the third period. Both penalties led to power-play goals by RPI.

"(The penalties) were unnecessary," Leaman told the Schenectady Daily Gazette. "We're hurting ourselves. We did it against Maine in game one. Unfortunately, we're still learning that aspect. The bottom line is I'm sitting Yanovitch, and I'm sitting Boileau. They both took penalties that hurt our team. Unfortunately, it's gotten to that point. We just have to make sure that the message gets sent that we can't take penalties like that and expect to win."

Big Red Win Squeaker

Once again Niagara put a scare into an ECAC Hockey team last weekend, but the Purple Eagles came up short again, losing 3-2 to Cornell in overtime.

"It was frustrating, no question, when you generate that many good quality scoring chances," Cornell coach Mike Schafer told the Cornell Daily Sun. "The power play moved it around, we took our shots, but some nights you just have to keep persevering."

Weekly Awards

Player of the Week: Alex Killorn, Harvard: Scored Harvard's first two goals and assisted on the third to help the Crimson recover from a 3-1 deficit and pick up a 5-3 win over Dartmouth.

Rookie of the Week: Peter Child, SLU: Not only did he score his first career goal, he picked up a hat trick in the same contest as SLU beat Sacred Heart 6-3 on Friday.

Goalie of the Week: Ryan Rondeau, Yale: Stopped 40 of 42 shots in a 5-2 nonconference win over Princeton. Both Princeton goals came on power plays.

In the Polls

The conference has three teams in this week's U.S. College Hockey Online national poll. Cornell is No. 5, Yale is No. 6 and Princeton is No. 14.

Last Week's Scores

Friday

Princeton 1, Brown 0 (OT) (NC)

Harvard 5, Dartmouth 3

RPI 4, Union 3 (OT) (NC)

Cornell 3, Niagara 2 (OT)

Quinnipiac 5, Robert Morris 0

Minnesota-Duluth 4, Clarkson 1

St. Lawrence 6, Sacred Heart 3

Colgate 4, Army 4 (OT)

Yale 8, Ontario IT 0 (ex)

Saturday

St. Lawrence 3, Sacred Heart 3 (OT)

Army 2, RPI 1

Yale 5, Princeton 2 (NC)

Robert Morris 8, Quinnipiac 5

Minnesota-Duluth 4, Clarkson 2

Colgate 4, Niagara 2

Brown 6, Ontario IT 1 (ex)

This Weekend's Schedule

Friday

St. Lawrence at Princeton, 7 p.m.

Clarkson at Quinnipiac, 7 p.m.

Harvard at Colgate, 7 p.m.

Dartmouth at Cornell, 7 p.m.

Yale at RPI, 7 p.m.

Brown at Union, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday

St. Lawrence at Quinnipiac, 4 p.m.

Clarkson at Princeton, 4 p.m.

Dartmouth at Colgate, 4 p.m.

Harvard at Cornell, 7 p.m.

Brown at RPI, 7 p.m.

Yale at Union, 7 p.m.

Now that ECAC Hockey play has arrived the Watertown Daily Times will be running a weekly Clarkson Notes column every Friday. The Wednesday blog entry will now consist of secondary items, or video reports on selected weeks.

This week's edition is slightly different because a handful of players on the team have the flu, so the coaching staff has suggested it might be healthier for non-sick people to avoid the locker room area this week.

Today I thought I'd rank the six non-Ivy teams that have played a handful of nonconference games by strength-of-schedule.

I looked at two basic stats to come up with this study: record of opponents and number of road games.

The record of opponents does not include games played against that team. For example, Clarkson beat Niagara. Niagara is 0-5-1. When I counted Niagara's record into Clarkson's overall opponent record I gave them an 0-4-1 record (as if the Clarkson loss did not count).

NOTE: The Ivy League teams all start late so they are not included in this survey due to lack of games.

So here are my rankings for pre-ECAC Hockey strength of schedule (remember this is not a ranking of which teams I think are best so far this season):

1. Clarkson (3-4 overall): Clarkson's nonconference opponents to date (including the SLU game) are 13-13-1. Clarkson is tied with Quinnipiac for playing the most road games so far this season, with four. Clarkson gets the nod over the Bobcats because they've played the stronger road competition in Michigan State and

Minnesota-Duluth.

2. Rensselaer (4-3-1): The Engineers have played three road games (although one was a short drive over to Schenectady to play Union College). RPI's

opponents are 18-18-6.

3. Quinnipiac (4-1): Quinnipiac has played four road games, but their opponents have a combined record of 5-8-1 so far this season.

4. Union (3-3-1): Union has played only two road games this season and their opponents have a combined record of 11-11-4.

5. Colgate (2-2-3): The Raiders have also played only two road games and their opponents are only 9-19-2.

6. St. Lawrence (4-2-1): The Saints have the second-best nonconference record after Quinnipiac, but their weak schedule so far means it's hard to get a real gauge on this team. SLU has played only one road game, and that was just

10 miles away in Potsdam. (The Saints played two games in Omaha, Neb. to start the year, but played two other teams who also traveled so neither team had a home-ice advantage). SLU's schedule has been weak as well. The only winning

team the Saints have faced all year was UMass.-Lowell, who defeated them. SLU's opponents' overall record so far is 9-19-3.

Randy Jones Revisited

Yesterday was Pro Hockey Notes day, but the NHL decided to post video today of a Randy Jones interview, so here is a bonus item:

Randy Jones found his way back to the National Hockey League last week when the Los Angeles Kings claimed him on waivers after the Philadelphia Flyers tried to recall him from their American Hockey League franchise in Glens Falls.

Salary cap concerns had caused the Flyers to send Jones to the AHL prior to the start of the season.

The Kings claiming Jones means that the Flyers have to pay half of his $2.75-million salary this season.

"He certainly would have helped us," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "That's the risk you take, and what are you going to do?"

Jones, a 28-year-old defenseman, played for current Kings coach Terry Murray when Murray was an assistant with the Flyers and in charge of defense.

"He's a pretty good player," Murray told the Los Angeles Times. "He's a player who plays in all situations. He can play on your power play, penalty kill, be a defending player.

He's a pretty good all-around player, so when he does get into the lineup there won't be any hesitation in any one of those situations."

Murray is not rushing Jones into the lineup. He has not played yet for the Kings.

"It's been nothing but fantastic so far," Jones told the L.A. Times. "I'm having a blast here getting to know the guys. I've got to get situated a little bit and meet the guys and get into practicing. It's tough to come into an organization and new team with new systems. They play a different style of game."

Jones has played in 217 career NHL games, all with the Flyers, and has 69 career points.

You Think You Know Craig Conroy?

Before you watch this video clip on Potsdam native Craig Conroy, see if you can guess the answers he gives to all these questions:

1. Favorite band?

2. Favorite movie?

3. Favorite cartoon?

4. Hidden talent?

5. Favorite vacation spot?

6. Favorite board game?

7. Favorite fast food place?

Now, watch the clip and see how well you did. If you got all seven right you just may be Craig Conroy!

Last Week's Goals

Todd White Thursday vs. Washington

Kent Huskins Sunday vs. Carolina

Stats

Player (team) GP G A Pts

Willie Mitchell (Van) 15 2 4 6

Craig Conroy (Cal) 12 0 5 5

Kent Huskins (SJ) 15 1 4 5

Todd White (Atl) 10 3 1 4

Chris Clark (Wash) 14 1 2 3

Todd Marchant (Ana) 12 0 0 0

Randy Jones (LA) 0 0 0 0

*Erik Cole (Car) 3 0 0 0

*Injured

Another rough night for a shorthanded Clarkson team as Minnesota-Duluth completes a weekend, nonconference sweep with a 4-2 win.

Clarkson was missing Scott Freeman, who had both an ankle injury and the flu, as well as Jeremiah Crowe, who had the flue. The Golden Knights played with one less forward than usual and also had one less defenseman.

To make matters worse, defenseman Bryan Rufenach was given a game disqualification for a major penalty on a check from behind at the end of the first period and will miss Clarkson's ECAC Hockey opener at Quinnipiac on Friday.

Clarkson was outshot 44-22 and had 16 penalties for 54 minutes. Mark Borowiecki was also give a major penalty in the third period, but his was just a game misconduct.

Clarkson's goals were scored by Brandon DeFazio and Borowiecki

Three Stars

No. 3: Brady Lamb, UMD: one goal, one assist

No. 2: Jack Connolly, UMD: two assists and five shots on goal.

No. 1: Rob Dorson, UMD: played a part in every goal with one goal and three assists. In one of hockey's oddities, he was a minus-one.

Rating WCHA Officials

In case any fans were wondering if WCHA officials give their own league teams a break in non-conference games the statistics don't really show any bias.

There have been 22 games this season where a non-WCHA team faced a WCHA team on its home ice.

The non-WCHA teams have 151 penalties and the WCHA teams 137. That average comes to 6.8-6.2 per game, not really anything noticable.

The only thing I noticed is there have been six major penalties called on non-WCHA teams (though three came for Clarkson this weekend) and just two on WCHA teams.

It was a rough night for the Golden Knights as Minnesota-Duluth put up 50 shots in a 4-1 nonconference win Friday.

Clarkson (3-3) was hampered by illness and injury and had another bad second period in a road game.

Senior Matt Beca, who leads the team with five goals, had the flu and played sparingly, taking just one shot.

Clarkson then lost forward Brandon DeFazio, Beca's linemate, at 4 minutes, 46 seconds of the first period after he was given a game misconduct for a check from behind.

And later in the game forwards Corey Tamblyn and Scott Freeman were both hit in the ankle by pucks while blocking shots and could miss today's game.

The game was scoreless after one and the shots were relatively even, with the Bulldogs holding an 8-5 edge.

But UMD (4-2-1) scored three goals in the second period, including two just 42 seconds apart, and outshot Clarkson 20-3 to build a 3-0 lead. UMD outshot the Golden Knights 22-9 in the third period.

Clarkson's only goal came from Jake Morley at 16:20 of the third period during a power play, with Nik Pokulok and Mark Borowiecki assisting.

Three Stars

No. 3: Richie LaVeau, Clarkson: LaVeau finished with 46 saves and despite giving up three goals had a .939 save percentage.

No. 2: Justin Fontaine, UMD: the Bulldogs leading scorer had two assists and finished with a plus-four rating.

No. 1: Jack Connolly, UMD: scored two goals in the second period to lead the Bulldogs.

Clarkson plays its second set of road games this season and once again finds itself in the midwest, this time facing WCHA foe Minnesota-Duluth.

Clarkson (3-2 overall) had a bad time on its first road trip of the season, dropping a pair of games 6-1 and 4-3 to Michigan State. The Golden Knights rebounded by winning three nonconference games at home.

Minnesota-Duluth (3-2-1) has spent the last two weekends in conference play, sweeping Minnesota State at home and then tying St. Cloud State 3-3 and losing to the Huskies 4-2 on the road last week. Here are highlights of UMD's game from last Saturday:

The Bulldogs won the WCHA Tournament last year and then knocked off Princeton 5-4 in overtime in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before finally being eliminated by Miami (Ohio) in the quarterfinals.

Clarkson coach George Roll on UMD

"Watching them on tape, they have some very dynamic forwards and they are solid on the blueline and in net. It is going to be a tough series for us. We have to go in there and play the way we have over the last three games."

Stat of the Weekend

If either team has a lead after two periods this weekend you can probably leave the arena or turn off the radio broadcast. Clarkson is 58-0-4 in its last 62 games with a two-period lead and the Bulldogs are 27-0-3 in their last 30 games with a two-period lead.

Who to Watch

Clarkson Goalie Paul Karpowich said after Saturday's 4-1 win over St. Lawrence University that he was looking to redeem himself for how he played at Michigan State. In those two games Karpowich gave up 10 goals and had an .830 save percentage. In his last two starts, however, he's given up four goals and has a .947 save percentage. ... Scott Freeman and Louke Oakley enter the weekend with four-game scoring streaks. Matt Beca saw a four-game, goal-scoring streak end against SLU.

Minnesota-Duluth The Bulldogs top performer so far this season has been junior forward Justin Fontaine, who has seven of the Bulldogs' 18 goals. Fontaine also has three assists and is tied with Jack Connolly (four goals-six assists) for the team lead in scoring. Fontaine is especially dangerous on the power play, with six goals already. The Bulldogs have used two goaltenders this season. Brady Hjelle has played in five games with a 3-2-1 record and a 2.95 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. Kenny Reiter has played in two games and is 0-1 with a 2.30 GAA and a .923 save percentage.

Last Meeting

The last time these teams met was on Dec. 27, 1997 in a first-round game of the Syracuse Invitational Tournament. UMD gained a 5-2 win after scoring four unanswered goals in the third period. Clarkson fell behind 1-0 but took a 2-1 lead with goals from Nick Windsor and Dana Mulvihill. The Bulldogs scored three goals in a span of 1 minute, 42 seconds of the third period to blow the game open.

Stats and Notes

These teams have played four career games, with each side winning twice. The last time Clarkson played at UMD's Duluth Entertainment Convention Center was in an NCAA Tournament series in 1984. Clarkson lost the first game 6-2 and won game two 6-3, but was eliminated because the Bulldogs had the edge in total goals (9-8). ... Clarkson is 3-6-3 against WCHA teams during Roll's first six years as coach. ... Minnesota-Duluth has never faced Clarkson in Potsdam. ... Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin is 11-2-3 lifetime against ECAC Hockey teams, but he's never faced the Golden Knights.

We'll finally have every ECAC Hockey team starting its season this weekend as the six Ivy League schools begin playing, although Yale and Brown are only playing exhibition games.

The Ivy League schools prefer to play fewer games which leads me to a suggestion to help the other six ECAC Hockey teams find more competition.

It's getting harder for the other six teams to schedule nonconference games, because most of the other conferences play a longer schedule and do not have free weekends.

I'd suggest that ECAC Hockey split into two divisions (much like college football conferences). One would be the six non-Ivy schools (Clarkson, St. Lawrence, RPI, Union, Colgate and Quinnipiac) and the other would the the Ivies (Harvard, Yale, Brown, Princeton, Dartmouth and Cornell).

The current 22-game system of playing every other league foe home-and-home would remain, but the six non-Ivy schools would play one additional game a year against the other five teams, giving them 27 conference games. You'd rotate the site, so if Clarkson played at Colgate one year, the next year the extra game would be at Cheel Arena.

The playoffs could either be mixed or remain in divisions. The top two teams in each division would get first-round byes. You could either have 3 vs 6 and 4 vs 5 in each division or cross over and have 3 Ivy play 6 non-Ivy.

As for names of the divisions, perhaps the Ivy League could just call itself that, or each division could be named after someone prominent from one of the six schools in the division, Ned Harkness type people come to mind.

Anyway, my two cents on a possible future idea, feel free to comment in our comments section.

Ivy Team Notes

Goaltending will be a big focus among Ivy League schools this year, with Princeton's Zane Kalemba, Cornell's Ben Scrivens and the return of Harvard goalie Kyle Richter, who took a leave of absence last season.

Kalemba is the defending Ken Dryden Award winner in ECAC Hockey, but Cornell coach Mike Schafer feels Scrivens is the top netminder in the league.

"To me, I think Ben is the best goaltender in college hockey," Schafer told the Ithaca Journal. "You really couldn't convince me otherwise that someone is more valuable or better than him as a goalie. He hasn't had the preseason accolades, but it's no different than the polls. No one wants to just have preseason accolades. You want the honors at the end of th eyear. Same with Ben and our team."

Richter, now a junior, had a .935 save percentage and 2.19 goals-against average as a sophomore.

He will now compete with junior Ryan Carroll and senior John Riley to regain his position as starting goalie.

"We're having a real positive feeling, and have a lot of reason to have optimism," Harvard coach Ted Donato told the Harvard Crimson. "Last season we came to a spot where we didn't have a goalie to start the season that had played in a college game. This year we'll have three. And although he's been off for a little bit, when Kyle Richter left us, he was the goalie of the year in our league. Ryan Carroll played very well last year, and I think John Riley has developed a lot since he arrived. We feel a lot stronger in that position than we have been in a long time."

RPI's Helfrich Injured

Rensselaer had two big nonconference wins last weekend to improve to 3-2-1, defeating Sacred Heart and American International.

But the Engineers lost leading scorer Tyler Helfrich to a lower-leg injury.

"It's not a knee and it's not broken," RPI coach Seth Appert told the Troy Record. "Both are good things to hear."

Helfrich's status for this weekend's games is unsure.

"With an ankle, you just don't know," Appert told the Schenectady Daily Gazette on Monday. "I don't have any expectations that he will play this weekend. We have no idea if it will be one week, or four weeks."

Weekly Award Winners

Player of the WeekJason Walters, Union: Walters scored two goals with two assists last weekend.

Rookie of the WeekBrandon Pirri, RPI: scored two goals, including the game-winner in overtime, against Sacred Heart. Had two assists against AIC.

Goaltender of the WeekPaul Karpowich, Clarkson: Made 30 saves, including 11 on power-play chances, to lead Clarkson to a 4-1 win over SLU.

ECAC and the Polls

The conference has two teams in the U.S. College Hockey Online top 10 this week. Cornell is No. 6 and Yale is No. 7. The Bulldogs received one first-place vote.

Princeton is No. 11 and Quinnipiac is No. 18. Harvard, St. Lawrence and Union also receieved votes.

Last Week's Scores

Friday

UMass.-Lowell 5, Colgate 3

RPI 4, Sacred Heart 3 (OT)

Union 4, American International 2

(exhibitions)

Harvard 3, McGill 3 (OT)

Cornell 7, Windsor 0

Princeton 7, SUNY Morrisville 0

Saturday

Clarkson 4, St. Lawrence 1

RPI 3, American International 2

Sacred Heart 6, Union 5 (OT)

(exhibitions)

McGill 7, Dartmouth 4

U.S. Under-18 3, Cornell 2

Sunday

(exhibitions)

U.S. Under-18 4, Colgate 1

Windsor 5, Princeton 3

This Weekend's Schedule

Friday

Brown at Princeton, 4 p.m.

Harvard at Dartmouth, 7 p.m.

RPI at Union, 7 p.m.

Niagara at Cornell, 7 p.m.

Quinnipiac at Robert Morris, 7:05 p.m.

Sacred Heart at St. Larwence, 7:30 p.m.

Army at Colgate, 7:30 p.m.

Clarkson at Minnesota-Duluth, 8:07 p.m.

(exhibition)

Ontario IT at Yale, 7 p.m.

Saturday

Sacred Heart at St. Lawrence, 7 p.m.

Army at RPI, 7 p.m.

Yale at Princeton, 7 p.m.

Quinnipiac at Robert Morris, 7:05 p.m.

Niagara at Colgate, 7:30 p.m.

Clarkson at Minnesota-Duluth, 8:07 p.m.

(exhibition)

Ontario IT at Brown, 7 p.m.

The Golden Knights are leaving early tomorrow morning to make the trip to face Minnesota-Duluth in a pair of nonconference games this weekend.

There will be plenty of bus time ahead for Clarkson, which has to take the two-hour drive down to Syracuse to catch their flight. Clarkson will make a stop in Detroit and land in Minneapolis and will catch another two-hour bus ride to Duluth.

Today's notes will be abbreviated because I was not able to make my usual weekly visit to practice. I had to go to SUNY Potsdam and talk with former Clarkson goalie Chris Bernard, the new head coach of the Bears' men's program. That season preview will run Friday in our paper.

Saturday Recap

Because video was posted Saturday night the usual post-game recap was not done. I did not forget, I just wanted to have the video be the only post for a few days.

Here are Saturday's three stars:

No. 3: Bryan Rufenach: Rufenach had one goal and one assist and took seven shots. He also was even in the plus/minus department on defense.

No. 2: Nick Tremblay. The sophomore's quick wrist shot over the glove of Saints goalie Alex Petizian gave Clarkson a 3-1 lead and seemed to zap some of the energy from the Saints.

No. 1: Paul Karpowich. Clarkson's goalie stopped 30 of 31 shots, including 11 during power-play chances, to lead the Golden Knights to the win.

Quotes from Saturday

George Roll

"We had some timely goals on the power play and Paul was big in the net on the penalty kill. He made some big saves. When your goaltender is on like that, it makes your penalty kill look better. He was the difference tonight. He looked in control all night. He covered pucks up and he steered pucks to areas we couldn't get hurt in. It was clearly his best game."

Brandon DeFazio

"It's really exciting. It was a great game out there against SLU. I thought we came out prepared and ready to go. We knew they were going to come hard at us. We just crashed the net. It was old-time hockey."

Paul Karpowich on this weekend's road trip

"It's a chance to redeem myself. We didn't play our best hockey at Michigan State. Hopefully this weekend we can turn it around."

Final Note

There's a new ex-Golden Knight in the coaching profession. Madrid native Matt Curley, an assistant captain on Clarkson's 2007 ECAC Hockey championship team, is now working as an assistant coach at the National Sports Academy in Lake Placid.