After sweeping Brown at home last weekend, the men are headed to Hamilton to take on Colgate in the ECAC quarterfinals. Both of these teams play fast uptempo offensive games, so the series should be very entertaining. Unfortunately, unless you want to spend $9 a game or live near Colgate, you won't be able to watch.
The Saints are led offensively by the Carey brothers. Greg is tops in the ECAC with 54 points, and Matt comes in second on the team with 36 points. The Raiders attack is spearheaded by their own brother tandem: Tyson Spink leads 'Gate with 28 points, and twin brother Tylor has 26, which ties him for second on the team with fellow sophomore Mike Borkowski.
In pure talent, the Saints have the edge on offense. Tyson's 28 points ranks first on Colgate, but would put him at sixth on St. Lawrence. After the Carey's, freshman defenseman Gavin Bayreuther ranks third with 35 points, followed by Jeremy Wick with 33, and finally Justin Baker with 32.
Both teams can bring the offensive from the back end as well. Spiro Goulakos has 18 points from the blueline, and Ryan Johnston has 16. Those are impressive numbers, but Bayreuther and Baker for St. Lawrence have close to double the points.
Clearly, St. Lawrence holds the edge in offense. Its an interesting fact then, that the Saints were swept by Colgate in the regular season, losing 5-3 at home and 7-3 at Starr Rink. Three goals per game is a respectable number to put up, but allowing 6 on average just won't get it done.
Its tough to say that an offense first team needs to focus on defense, but St. Lawrence really needs to be on top of their game in their own zone. They have to win the battles down low, force the puck to the outside and limit Colgate's chances in the middle of the ice. Getting sticks in the passing lanes is crucial, and they have to block shots.
They also need to limit second chance opportunities in front of the net. I've seen a lot of goals scored on the Saints because they couldn't control rebounds and loose pucks in the crease. They need to win the physical battle for the puck, or give Weninger the chance to cover the puck.
Obviously, puck possession is huge, so they need to win face-offs and make smart passes, especially in the neutral zone, where they've had some trouble this year.
If they can play solid on defense, the transition game and the offense will come to them as a result. Colgate is a good team, but the Saints certainly have the talent to win. Smart defense and good puck possession will go a long way in helping them do so.
Game one puck drop is tonight at 7:00 PM at Starr Rink.
The Saints are led offensively by the Carey brothers. Greg is tops in the ECAC with 54 points, and Matt comes in second on the team with 36 points. The Raiders attack is spearheaded by their own brother tandem: Tyson Spink leads 'Gate with 28 points, and twin brother Tylor has 26, which ties him for second on the team with fellow sophomore Mike Borkowski.
In pure talent, the Saints have the edge on offense. Tyson's 28 points ranks first on Colgate, but would put him at sixth on St. Lawrence. After the Carey's, freshman defenseman Gavin Bayreuther ranks third with 35 points, followed by Jeremy Wick with 33, and finally Justin Baker with 32.
Both teams can bring the offensive from the back end as well. Spiro Goulakos has 18 points from the blueline, and Ryan Johnston has 16. Those are impressive numbers, but Bayreuther and Baker for St. Lawrence have close to double the points.
Clearly, St. Lawrence holds the edge in offense. Its an interesting fact then, that the Saints were swept by Colgate in the regular season, losing 5-3 at home and 7-3 at Starr Rink. Three goals per game is a respectable number to put up, but allowing 6 on average just won't get it done.
Its tough to say that an offense first team needs to focus on defense, but St. Lawrence really needs to be on top of their game in their own zone. They have to win the battles down low, force the puck to the outside and limit Colgate's chances in the middle of the ice. Getting sticks in the passing lanes is crucial, and they have to block shots.
They also need to limit second chance opportunities in front of the net. I've seen a lot of goals scored on the Saints because they couldn't control rebounds and loose pucks in the crease. They need to win the physical battle for the puck, or give Weninger the chance to cover the puck.
Obviously, puck possession is huge, so they need to win face-offs and make smart passes, especially in the neutral zone, where they've had some trouble this year.
If they can play solid on defense, the transition game and the offense will come to them as a result. Colgate is a good team, but the Saints certainly have the talent to win. Smart defense and good puck possession will go a long way in helping them do so.
Game one puck drop is tonight at 7:00 PM at Starr Rink.
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