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ECAC 2025-26

Upcoming games:
  • Harvard plays (edit: not host) BC for the Beanpot 1st round this afternoon at 4:30pm
This weekend:
  • Cornell & Colgate at Brown & Yale
  • RPI & Union at Clarkson & SLU
  • Harvard & Dartmouth at Princeton & Quinnipiac
Princeton has been strong this season and has won their past 10 regular-season games. Colgate is coming off a weekend sweep at home of the two North Country teams. The standings remain close.

Will Harvard continue their upswing this season with the Beanpot games? They have a winning record overall and are ranked just above BC in NPI.
 
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Upcoming:
  • Clarkson at SLU (conference game) 6pm
  • Penn State at Cornell, 6pm
  • BU vs Harvard in the Beanpot final, 7:30pm today
This weekend:
  • Clarkson & SLU at Dartmouth & Harvard
  • Cornell & Colgate at Princeton & Quinnipiac
  • RIT at Brown (one game, Sat 1pm)
  • RPI at Union (one game, Sat 3pm - edit to add: Mayor's Cup game, non-conference)
Princeton is at the top of the standings, but it's pretty close at most points from top to bottom. The biggest standings gap is from #9 Harvard (16.5 points) to #10 Dartmouth (11.5 points).
 
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Timothy A said:
The EZAC is using half points? 😵‍💫

I guess Crowell just isn't going to get anything going at Dartmouth. Bummer.
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Yes you get 1.5 points for a tie -- even though a shootout result eventually counts as one of the tiebreakers for the standings. Though confusing, it does largely mirror the way the NPI is done nationally, it sounds like.

Dartmouth seems to still rely on their goaltending a lot. They have been low-scoring this year. The Crowell rebuild seems not to have changed much yet. But Bellamy's rebuild at the Beanpot champs has started to show through; so maybe we need to give it another season or so at Dartmouth.
 
BowWowWow said:
Yes you get 1.5 points for a tie -- even though a shootout result eventually counts as one of the tiebreakers for the standings. Though confusing, it does largely mirror the way the NPI is done nationally, it sounds like.

Dartmouth seems to still rely on their goaltending a lot. They have been low-scoring this year. The Crowell rebuild seems not to have changed much yet. But Bellamy's rebuild at the Beanpot champs has started to show through; so maybe we need to give it another season or so at Dartmouth.
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To amplify this - Dartmouth has lost 6 1-goal games this season, including a couple in OT, and is 4-0 when they score more than 2 goals. If they could get some decent scoring they could scratch back to .500-ish, but the players I'm familiar with in their next two recruiting classes are more grinder types than scorers. IDK, maybe that's what Crowell wants, but it's gotta be tough to know that if you give up one goal your chances to win are nearly zero.

That said, they do have a couple wins over Clarkson and Colgate. While those two are admittedly several steps behind what they were in previous years, I'd still call those quality wins, so I think you could say there's been a half-step forward this year. To me you gotta give it another two years to see how her own recruits develop, gel and perform, before calling the Crowell era a bust.

Maybe they could land some sisters from the mens squad? Last I checked they were top 10 in the country!
 
Moosefan1 said:
To amplify this - Dartmouth has lost 6 1-goal games this season, including a couple in OT, and is 4-0 when they score more than 2 goals. If they could get some decent scoring they could scratch back to .500-ish, but the players I'm familiar with in their next two recruiting classes are more grinder types than scorers. IDK, maybe that's what Crowell wants, but it's gotta be tough to know that if you give up one goal your chances to win are nearly zero.

That said, they do have a couple wins over Clarkson and Colgate. While those two are admittedly several steps behind what they were in previous years, I'd still call those quality wins, so I think you could say there's been a half-step forward this year. To me you gotta give it another two years to see how her own recruits develop, gel and perform, before calling the Crowell era a bust.

Maybe they could land some sisters from the mens squad? Last I checked they were top 10 in the country!
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Harvard had nine 1-goal losses last year in its incipient turnaround. Crowell is one year behind Bellamy. Yes, give her time.
 
thirdtime's . . . said:
Harvard had nine 1-goal losses last year in its incipient turnaround. Crowell is one year behind Bellamy. Yes, give her time.
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Patience in this day and age? Winning NFL coaches dropping like flies, people being convicted by the public with 2% of the facts. Airfryers cooking 60% faster than regulars ovens. Instant hot water heaters! What's next, a machine that cooks without a heating element and it spins your food around and around? MADNESS I tell you, MADNESS!
 
This weekend:
  • Quinnipiac & Princeton at Clarkson & St. Lawrence
  • Harvard & Dartmouth at Colgate & Cornell
  • Yale & Brown at RPI & Union
Quinnipiac is in the lead in the standings, with Princeton and Clarkson close behind, tied for second! Interesting slate of games.
 
The final weeekend of ECAC games coming up!
  • Harvard & Dartmouth at RPI & Union
  • Yale & Brown at Princeton & Quinnipiac
  • Colgate & Cornell at Clarkson & St. Lawrence
Standings are close:
1. Princeton, 44 pts
2. Yale, 42
3. Quinnipiac, 40
4-t. Brown, 38
4-t. Clarkson, 38
6. Cornell, 37.5
7. Colgate, 35.5
8. St. Lawrence, 26.5
9. Harvard, 25.5
10. Dartmouth, 13.5
11. RPI, 11
12. Union, 8.5
The top 4 teams will have a first-round bye in the playoffs, and 5-8 will start the playoffs with a one-game playoff round on home ice vs 9-12.
Princeton, Yale, and Quinnipiac are all still in the running for 1st place. Because if Princeton doesn't pick up points, Yale will, and vice versa, Brown and Clarkson are just out of the running to finish first, but they could finish top 4, as could Cornell. SLU and Harvard are still in contention for finishing 8th for home ice in the playoffs.

In the Ivy title race, either Cornell or Princeton could win. Only two Ivy games remain: Yale at Princeton and Brown at Princeton. Cornell is at the top of the Ivy standings with 21 points; Princeton (16 Ivy pts) needs 2 regulation wins to finish first or one regulation win and one OT win for a share of the Ivy season title.
 
BowWowWow said:
The final weeekend of ECAC games coming up!
  • Harvard & Dartmouth at RPI & Union
  • Yale & Brown at Princeton & Quinnipiac
  • Colgate & Cornell at Clarkson & St. Lawrence
Standings are close:
1. Princeton, 44 pts
2. Yale, 42
3. Quinnipiac, 40
4-t. Brown, 38
4-t. Clarkson, 38
6. Cornell, 37.5
7. Colgate, 35.5
8. St. Lawrence, 26.5
9. Harvard, 25.5
10. Dartmouth, 13.5
11. RPI, 11
12. Union, 8.5
The top 4 teams will have a first-round bye in the playoffs, and 5-8 will start the playoffs with a one-game playoff round on home ice vs 9-12.
Princeton, Yale, and Quinnipiac are all still in the running for 1st place. Because if Princeton doesn't pick up points, Yale will, and vice versa, Brown and Clarkson are just out of the running to finish first, but they could finish top 4, as could Cornell. SLU and Harvard are still in contention for finishing 8th for home ice in the playoffs.

In the Ivy title race, either Cornell or Princeton could win. Only two Ivy games remain: Yale at Princeton and Brown at Princeton. Cornell is at the top of the Ivy standings with 21 points; Princeton (16 Ivy pts) needs 2 regulation wins to finish first or one regulation win and one OT win for a share of the Ivy season title.
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I can't believe I'm actually rooting for a Cornell win this weekend but Harvard needs help. We should be able to take care of business (fingers crossed) against Union and RPI. Would be great if Cornell and Colgate swept SLU making it easier for Harvard to only need one win.
 
There is a title share at 1st place after this concluding ECAC weekend (but no ties in points for the rest of the standings)!

1-t. Yale (46 pts)
1-t. Princeton (46)
3. Quinnipiac (45)
4. Cornell (42.5) (top 4 teams taking a bye in the first round of playoffs)

5. Clarkson (40)
6. Colgate (39.5)
7. Brown (39)
8. Harvard (28.5) (teams hosting 1st round)

9. St. Lawrence (27.5)
10. Dartmouth (16.5)
11. RPI (14)
12. Union (11.5) (teams traveling for 1st round)
(So next weekend the playoffs will have 5 Clarkson host Union, 6 Colgate host RPI, 7 Brown host Dartmouth, and 8 Harvard host St. Lawrence. Yale holds the seeding tiebreaker from head-to-head ECAC games with Princeton and so will be the 1 seed for the playoffs.)

It was a close weekend of games, not least in the games at Princeton and Quinnipiac. Quinnipiac beat Brown 5-2 on Friday. Yale defeated Princeton 2-0, capping Yale's 14-game winning streak, before losing in OT to Quinnipiac 4-3 at Quinnipiac. At the same time, Princeton beat Brown 3-2 in OT.

Cornell pulled through with making up ground for 4th place with an OT win at St. Lawrence, 4-3, and then a 2-1 regulation win at Clarkson. Harvard passed St. Lawrence in the standings, with a regulation loss to RPI but then a regulation win at Union. Cornell took the Ivy League title, as of Friday, with Princeton's loss.
 
GO HERE and be amazed:


https://ecachockey.com/news/2026/2/21/womens-ice-hockey-womens-weekend-wraparound-2-20-2-21.aspx

Below Women’s Weekend Wraparound, find the HIGHLIGHTS of the Union 2 – Clarkson 1 game for a one of a kind save by Union’s goalie Emma Rheaume.

Clarkson shot hits Rheaume on her helmet, then hits crossbar, then hits the back of her neck, then she reaches around and retrieves the puck from the right side of her back with her left hand glove.
NO GOAL!

Extraordinary
 
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thirdtime's . . . said:
GO HERE and be amazed:


https://ecachockey.com/news/2026/2/21/womens-ice-hockey-womens-weekend-wraparound-2-20-2-21.aspx

Below Women’s Weekend Wraparound, find the HIGHLIGHTS of the Union 2 – Clarkson 1 game for a one of a kind save by Union’s goalie Emma Rheaume.

Clarkson shot hits Rheaume on her helmet, then hits crossbar, then hits the back of her neck, then she reaches around and retrieves the puck from the right side of her back with her left hand glove.
NO GOAL!

Extraordinary
Click to expand...
I think it actually hit one of the players in front of Rheaume, then hits off her helmet, the crossbar and then she reaches around her back - the save of the year, men or women. Unbelievable.
 
Heading into the Frozen Four, there now are no ECAC teams left in the national tournament. (Among the four remaining, Northeastern is fittingly the only really "northeastern" team!)

So it seemed like a good time to do a bit of a recap of the 2025-26 standings and movement from the 2024-25 standings.

As noted on the great thread for Pick-the-Standings, somehow Last Year ended up being the best possible predictor of this season's standings. But I've also noted a share of differences to see in which direction teams are heading, in color in the middle column.

2025-26 standingsdifference for each team (to the left) from last year2024-25 standings
1-t. Yale
Princeton		up 5 places
up 6 places		1. Cornell
2. Colgate
3. Quinnipiacup 2 places3. St. Lawrence
4. Cornelldown 3 places4. Clarkson
5. Clarksondown 1 place5. Quinnipiac
6. Colgatedown 4 places6. Yale
7. Brownup 1 place7. Princeton
8. Harvardup 4 places8. Brown
9. St. Lawrencedown 6 places9-t. Union
10. Dartmouthup 1 placeRPI
11. RPIdown 2 places11. Dartmouth
12. Uniondown 3 places12. RPI

  • In 2025, St. Lawrence graduated some impactful forward seniors, with both Abby Hustler and Anna Segedi being drafted in the PWHL, and so their dip in scoring seems fairly understandable on paper. I didn't get to see them much this season and would be curious to hear other thoughts in any case!
  • Harvard and Dartmouth improved, while RPI and Union seemed to remain in rebuilds.
  • Union still has a pretty new head coach (Maci) and, for the second time in about 3 years, pulled off a first-round playoff upset. They also had a better non-conference performance than ECAC performance.
  • Clarkson was a bit inconsistent, and ultimately their season ended surprisingly early with the ECAC first round upset to Union. Clarkson did bring in Manness twins Sara and Kate, to immediate impact and star power. I think I wouldn't be too worried, though disappointed, if I were a Clarkson fan - but again welcome thoughts....
  • Brown finished a spot higher than last season and was close to upsetting Quinnipiac in their 3-game series of the ECAC quarterfinals. They are among the very least penalized teams in the country; have several especially skilled forwards; and solid, though not league-leading, goaltending currently.
  • Colgate dropped a few places in the standings compared to last year. A couple of their fans seem to questioningly compare the coaching to that under Greg Fargo, though equally the loss of Kaltounkova and goaltender Murphy to the PWHL draft may have made a difference. From some viewing this year they didn't seem to have as much offensive spark or fight to them.
  • Yale and Princeton each went on winning runs partway through the season and climbed the standings in part by that way, both improving on the previous season.
  • Quinnipiac has as usual been a defensive and disciplined team. They had a great season; defeated Yale in OT on the last day of the regular season; and then, when they both reached the championship, beat Yale in the ECAC championship game in regulation.
  • Cornell continues to be strong but was just shy of making the NCAA tournament. They would have needed the auto-bid to pull into the 10th place in NPI. They won the (intra-) Ivy League title playing pretty consistently against their fellow Ivies. Bergmann has been good in net for them.
 
I enjoyed your perspective, BWW. I said at the beginning of the season on this thread that the top 4 or 5 teams in the polls, with enrollments in the tens of thousands, will be the same teams in the NCAA FF. That consistency rarely changes. The teams that advance also often have the best defense. It was only a matter of time before Penn State joined this hierarchy. I am curious if they will remain in their lopsided league, which is a guaranteed autobid for them.

A few comments:

Union - I am waiting for the day when they are a winning program. Not sure what the delay is. Perhaps their new arena will yield the spark that they need. They had some nice wins this season and I loved the playoff series vs. Clarkson! Good for them.

Cornell - Bergmann was a rock star last season, but couldn't do it all by herself this year. The Big Red will be even stronger next year in her senior season.

Clarkson - Not used to seeing them outside the bubble. I'm always impressed how a small, tech/engineering school like theirs can attract such amazing talent every year.

Quinnipiac - They have been in the shadows, so it was only a matter of time before they earned the ECAC Crown. Their goalie Frank was lights-out all season. They had many close calls that made me question their legitimacy, but they always seemed to have just enough to outbattle their opponents. I thought they would take RS Title based on Frank alone. My mentality changes during the NCAAs, when teams show their true, do-or-die character against the nation's elite. Qpac underwhelmed me more than any other team, and Frank definitely did not have her A game. Makes me wonder how she and the team would have performed against the WCHA on a daily schedule. I think we know.

Yale - Like Qpac, their goaltender Frey stood tall, but when put to the NCAA test, fell short. This has become a cliche for the ECAC.

Colgate - I am one you rightfully referred to about Decosse. Most of it is just frustration, but after a decade as Asst Coach under Fargo's outstanding tutelage and success, the program has declined slightly each season toward middle-of-the-pack mediocrity. It is a fair, concerning assessment after being part of such monumental accomplishments for the last 14 years. Playoff series at Cornell was a huge letdown. I hear nothing about the 'We Play Free' mantra anymore. The bread and butter of any program is defense/goaltending imo. Compared to ECAC counterparts, his recruiting efforts there and on special teams fell short.

I'm curious if UConn's Serdachny is related to Danielle.
Any post-tourney thoughts on the inaugural year in Lake Placid? I never checked the attendance. I wonder what the players themselves thought.
 
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