January 15, 2008
Puck to Drop for ECRHA Second Half
Justin Brennan
After an exciting first half of collegiate roller hockey, the ECRHA will
start back up on January 26th with two events. Division I newcomer Stony Brook University
will join Rhode Island and UConn at Glastonbury, Connecticut’s Z-Rink. Stony Brook will look to continue their
undefeated roll through the regular season.
Meanwhile, Division I Army will take the rink in Mt. Pleasant, PA’s Hot
Shots Sports Arena fresh off of the 2008 NCRHA Winterfest. Army aims to keep up their winning ways,
having defeated the University of Missouri - Rolla 4 to 3 to capture the
Winterfest Championship. Of course, this
weekend isn’t limited to Division I competition. Over half of the ECRHA’s Division II and B
Division teams, as well as both Division III teams, are scheduled to lace up
their skates.
This weekend will prove pivotal in determining who does and doesn’t make
the playoffs. The first half of the
season provided some insight into who will definitely be skating the first
weekend of March. Aside from the 11-0 Stony
Brook Seawolves’ very strong showing, Division I has also seen excellent play
from the SUNY Buffalo Wings, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and Rhode Island Rams. Obviously, the Seawolves will remain the team
to beat, but the season is far from over.
The story looks similar in Division II.
Perennial Division II challenger Neumann is once again putting a very
solid squad on the floor. The Knights
remain undefeated at 11-0 while generating a remarkable 64 goal
differential. Not far behind the team from
Aston are the West Chester Rams and the SUNY Albany Great Danes, both only
having two losses in their 11 and 10 games, respectively. Count on seeing these teams challenging for a
Regional Championship in less than two months.
In the B Division, the Buffalo Wings have fought their way to an
undefeated record at 8-0-2, both ties coming against the Penn State Nittany
Lions. The 7-1 Lions’ only loss has come
at the hands of a resurgent West Chester team during the December event at the
Marple Sports Arena. The Drexel Dragons and
Suffolk Community College Lighthouses round out the top four B Division teams,
with everyone else not far behind.
The Division III Nassau County Lions have fared well against their ECRHA
Division I competition, losing only to Stony Brook, Towson, and Rutgers. Their Division III compatriots, the Suffolk
Community College Lighthouses have had a slightly rougher run as they’ve faced
some of Division I’s better teams, but still have a lot of games left to play.
Come out to any ECRHA event and see the action first-hand! Check www.ecrha .com for updated schedules
and information.
The second half of ECRHA hockey is going to have some exciting upsets and
down-to-the-wire contests. As the
playoff pictures start to clear up, the competition will continue to get more
and more intense. The season will
continue with events all the way up to the Regional Championships at the
Sportsplex in Feasterville, PA.