By: MJ Baird and Kyle Levasseur
MJ’s No. 1 player:
1. Jimmy Vesey F Harvard (16 games played, 13 goals, 14 assists)
Natural. Hat. Trick. Vesey netted all three of Harvard’s goals in the win on Friday against St. Lawrence. On Saturday, it lost to Clarkson but Vesey tallied a point on an assist. No reason for Vesey to be dethroned this week.
Kyle’s No. 1 player:
1. Jimmy Vesey F Harvard
MJ, I completely agree. Vesey is the fourth player in the conference to have a hat trick this season, as he shredded the No. 18 St. Lawrence defense in a 3-2 win. He is tied for the lead in points with Quinnipiac forward, Travis St. Denis, yet Vesey has played in seven less games. He’s definitely in contention to win the Hobey Baker this year, as his numbers show.
Kyle’s No. 2 player:
2. Michael Garteig G Quinnipiac (23 games played, .940 SV%, 1.41 GAA)
The Bobcats didn’t have any games this past week, which means Garteig remains second in my rankings. He has made some of the best plays I’ve seen by a goalie, showing up on Sportscenter’s Top 10 Plays, most notably. His next big test will come against Cornell at home, on Feb. 5.
MJ’s No. 2 player:
2. Michael Garteig
Agreed. No games this weekend for Quinnipiac means no movement.
MJ’s No. 3 player:
3. Riley Bourbonnais F Rensselaer (23 games played, 13 goals, 8 assists)
RPI played twice this weekend. Friday against Cornell and Saturday against Colgate. Friday the Engineer’s picked up a big win over a hot Big Red team, shutting them out. However, Bourbonnais did not dress on Saturday (reports of a possible knee injury), but I do not want to speculate. That being said the Engineer’s went on to tie a Clarkson team whom they probably should have beaten. Bourbonnais not being out there was definitely a factor in the decision. The reason Bourbonnais moved up this week? His absence showed how much RPI needs him. A valuable player for the Engineers for sure.
Kyle’s No. 3 player:
3. Sam Anas F Quinnipiac (23 games played, 13 goals, 13 assists)
You bring up a good point, that Bourbonnais is valuable to RPI, but I wouldn’t rank him ahead of Sam Anas. Both players are in their junior year, and Bourbonnais has 40 career points compared to Anas’ 108 career points. Yes, they are tied for the ECAC lead in goals, but Anas has more assists and a better plus-minus rating to go with it. He is also arguably the deadliest goal scorer on the best team in the conference.
Kyle’s No. 4 player:
4. Travis St. Denis F Quinnipiac (23 games played, 12 goals, 15 assists)
Definitely one of the premiere play makers in the conference, and a top five ECAC player for sure. St. Denis is tied for the lead in points with Jimmy Vesey. What’s most impressive is his ability to perform against elite opponents (four goals in two games against No. 5 St. Cloud State, one goal and two assists against No. 7 Harvard, and one goal against No. 8 Cornell). When St. Denis plays well, Quinnipiac tends to win.
MJ’s No. 4 player:
4. Travis St. Denis F Quinnipiac
Kyle, great observation about St. Denis coming up big in big games. The Bobcats don’t play until Tuesday night when they travel north to Orono, Maine to take on the Black Bears in a non-conference matchup. I would not call this a “big” game for the Bobcats, as the Black Bears are struggling to contend in Hockey East this year. St. Denis falls one spot this week, despite leading the league in points. Still a top five player.
MJ’s No. 5 player:
5. Sam Anas F Quinnipiac
Anas is a gifted goal scorer and team player. His stats back it up. He is a top five player in the league, as emphasized once again.
Kyle’s No. 5 player:
5. Kyle Criscuolo F Harvard (16 games played, 12 goals, 6 assists)
Criscuolo jumps up one spot from last week. He netted a goal against Clarkson, and had an assist against St. Lawrence. If Harvard had played in as many games as other ECAC teams, there’s a good chance Criscuolo could be leading the conference in goals. His twelve goals so far, is good for second in the league.
Kyle’s No. 6 player:
6. Riley Bourbonnais F Rensselaer
I can’t deny that he’s one of the best players in the league, as his 13 goals show. However, no goals against Cornell, and not playing against Colgate drops the RPI forward down one spot on my list. His biggest game yet will come next, against No. 1 Quinnipiac.
MJ’s No. 6 player:
6. Tim Clifton F Quinnipiac (19 games played, 13 goals, 10 assists)
His plus-minus rating of plus-17 leads the conference, and his goal scoring and point getting has not diminished since his hot start.
MJ’s No. 7 player:
7. Nick Lappin F Brown (17 games played, 11 goals, 13 assists)
Lappin and the Brown University Bears suffered two losses to Yale this weekend. Yale clearly got the upper hand in the matchup of the two Ivy League teams, but Lappin tallied one goal this weekend. Lappin is the cornerstone of the offense with 11 goals in 17 games, and 24 points (ranked fifth in the conference).
Kyle’s No. 7 player:
7. Alex Lyon G Yale (17 games played, .939 SV%, 1.54 GAA)
The goalie with the second best save percentage and goals against average in the ECAC, moves up one spot this week. Lyon had a good weekend, allowing three goals in two games to Brown, winning both games (one in overtime). He played well, so he gets rewarded.
Kyle’s No. 8 player:
8. Tim Clifton F Quinnipiac
Tim Clifton is tied with Vesey, Anas, and Bourbonnais for the lead in goals, with 13. His plus-17 rating is tied with teammate Alex Miner-Barron for best in the conference. The only time Clifton has had a negative rating this year, was against Boston University, the team’s only loss. Truly shows his value to Quinnipiac.
MJ’s No. 8 player:
8. Tyson Spink F Colgate (23 games played, 10 goals, 15 assists)
Spink scored once this weekend as Colgate went 1-1 on the road. His one point bumped him up one spot this week, but I would expect big moves from both Spink brothers down the homestretch of the season.
MJ’s No. 9 player:
9. Gavin Bayruether D St. Lawrence (21 games played, 6 goals, 8 assists)
It was a tough weekend for both Bayruether and the St. Lawrence Saints. The Saints fell to both Harvard and Dartmouth. Bayruether was not able to find the score sheet in either game, thus falling a couple spots this week.
Kyle’s No. 9 player:
9. Nick Lappin F Brown
The stats show that Lappin is a quality college hockey player. He lead Brown in goals last year with 14, and he already has 11 this season. Lappin had a hat trick against Colgate earlier this year, and had his team’s only goal against reigning national champion, Providence.
Kyle’s No. 10 player:
10. Spencer Foo F Union (23 games played, 11 assists, 12 goals)
Unfortunately for Tyson Spink and Kyle Hayton, who just missed my list, you need to constantly perform to be on my list. Enter Spencer Foo. Other than possibly having the coolest name in the league, he is averaging a point-per-game and is only four points behind Vesey and St. Denis for the league lead. This is definitely someone to keep an eye on MJ.
MJ’s No. 10 player:
10. Spencer Foo F Union
Very interesting Kyle, that we both added Foo this week. We both missed this Union sophomore in the past, but Foo may be the bright spot Union is looking for. Union is struggling both offensively and defensively, but Foo may be the beginning of the answer for the offensive side. 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in 23 games played is impressive for a team at the bottom of the conference standings. I could not agree more, keep an eye on Foo moving forward.
