From College Hockey News...
Colgate
Head Coach: Don Vaughan (29th year)
2020-21 Record: 6-11-5 (5-9-4)
Changes: Like Clarkson, the changes to Colgate are minimal because of players opting to stay a fifth year. The only major losses are to its top two defensmen, Nick Austin and Trevor Cosgrove. Other than that, the Raiders return their top eight scorers, their sophomore goalie Carter Gylander and a good mix of experience.
"Like everyone, the fifth-year and transfer rules have made it a different landscape," Vaughan said. "We were fortunate we were able to bring back our two captains and to have those two guys back is great. It is hard to know exactly what each team was going to bring to the table."
Strength: Offense has been a big issue for Don Vaughan over the past half decade or so, but this year the Raiders should be able to score a ton of goals. With talents such as Josh McKechney, the Young brothers and Matt Verboon all returning there is a nucleus of guys that have proven themselves in the past as scorers. Whether or not this comes to fruition is always a question mark, but the talent is certainly there, and the team looked good in the opening weekend against Vermont.
Weakness: With the loss of its top two defensemen, the Raiders will have to prove that it can keep pucks out of the net and produce from the backend. Both Austin and Cosgrove were good at moving the puck over the years, but now a new crop will have to step up. Pierson Brandon will probably be asked to be the puck-moving guy from the blueline, as his 10 assists last season was best on the team. Nick Anderson also played a ton last year, but other than that Vaughan will have an almost new D-corps, which is not always a recipe for success.
Outlook: Colgate probably should have more expectations than normal. It has a good blend of experience and guys that have skill. With the guys returning, there is no reason that Colgate couldn't challenge for an ECAC bye this year.
Carter Gylander was probably underrated in net last season. He had a few bad games in a short season that skewed the numbers a tad. He proved to be a capable goalie that could certainly win games. Of course, the defense still holds some question marks but that could all play out well, as it should have the forwards to play a five-man game to help
"Last year was a great year for us, just from a development standpoint," Vaughan said. "We were really young last year and we were forced to put some guys into situations, where in other years they might not have been. From a development standpoint, it was incredible because we played Clarkson and Quinnipiac a combined 14 times. Every night was a battle for us, but we certainly grew a lot."
Prediction: 4th