Rob:
1. Melissa Samoskevich (Forward, Quinnipiac)
This past weekend, Samoskevich had the game-winning goal in both games for Quinnipiac, leading it to a 1-0 win over Harvard and a 2-1 win at Dartmouth. Both goals came on the powerplay, showing how well she can play on the special teams units for the Bobcats. She is a huge part of why the Bobcats are currently unbeaten in their last 22 games.
Sierra:
1. Melissa Samoskevich (Forward, Quinnipiac)
You said it Rob, two game-winning goals against tough conference opponents lands ‘Samo’ the No. 1 spot this week. Quinnipiac’s 1-0 finish against Harvard was the first time it ever defeated the Crimson at their home rink.
Sierra:
2. Cayley Mercer (Forward, Clarkson)
Rob, how is Mercer not in your rankings? She is second in the ECAC in points with 38 and is one of the most consistent players in the league. Mercer isn’t shifting in my rankings this week after tallying two points in a weekend series with St. Lawrence.
Rob:
2. T.T. Cianfarano (Forward, Quinnipiac)
Though she was kept off the score sheet this weekend, Cianfarano made her presence known. She was a key player for the Bobcats in establishing their offensive zone presence. She still holds the ECAC lead in points, goals, and plus-minus rating (39, 22, and plus-39 respectively). She is another key player for the Bobcats in their final six regular season games, especially if they want win the ECAC regular season which not only clinches home ice for the first round of the postseason tournament, but also makes the High Point Solutions Arena the host site for the ECAC Semifinals and Championship game.
Rob:
3. Katie Rooney (Forward, RPI)
The reigning ECAC Player of the Week had two goals to lead RPI to a 2-1 win over Cornell. She also had an assist in the loss to Colgate. With RPI dropping to eighth in the ECAC this week, Rooney is going to be called on to keep the Engineers’ playoff hopes alive as the ECAC regular season comes down to its final three weeks of action.
Sierra:
3. T.T. Cianfarano (Forward, Quinnipiac)
I agree Cianfarano needs to stay at the top of the rankings regardless of a pointless weekend where Quinnipiac defeated Harvard and Dartmouth. She has improved by leaps and bounds even from her impressive 30 point freshman year and will keep this team rolling come tournament time.
Sierra:
4. Olivia Howe (Forward, Clarkson)
Her three point performance against St. Lawrence on Thursday gave her 32 points on the season. She is third in the league in both points and plus-minus rating with plus-35. Howe is an essential piece to this Clarkson offense and will help propel her team through the ECAC tournament. Clarkson sits at No. 5 in the country in the USCHO.com poll.
Rob:
4. Janelle Ferrara (Forward, Yale)
Ferrara had a big weekend for the Bulldogs, leading them to a home-and-home sweep of Brown. She had two goals and an assist in the game at Brown on Saturday. She also had a goal the night before. The sweep brought the Bulldogs to a sixth place tie in the ECAC Standings. The senior is third in scoring for her team but plays a pivotal role on the ice and is going to be called upon to help the Bulldogs hang in the top eight in the ECAC to secure a playoff spot, alongside her team’s scoring leader Mallory Souliotis.
Rob:
5. Cayley Mercer (Forward, Clarkson)
I didn’t leave her out completely, Sierra! Just not in my top four. Still a very impressive player and continues to thrive for the Golden Knights, keeping them in ECAC and NCAA Tournament contention. And she did play a key role in the home-and-home with Chris Wells’ squad of St. Lawrence.
Sierra:
5. Katie Rooney (Forward, RPI)
While I didn’t agree with her placement at No. 3 in your rankings, Rooney does make my list this week. She will need to continue to have three point weekends, or similar to that, in order for RPI to be able to compete in playoffs.
Sierra:
6. Miye D’Oench (Forward, Harvard)
As you pointed out, D’Oench rebounded from a home loss against Quinnipiac on Friday to fill the stat sheet in Harvard’s 4-1 victory over Princeton Saturday. She has had no lull in her game throughout the entire season with 25 points in 21 games, even when her team has struggled at times.
Rob:
6. Olivia Howe (Forward, Clarkson)
Howe had a goal and three assists in a 6-1 win over St. Lawrence. We’ve seen no shortage of her name when there have been talks of the ECAC and the better players in the league. She is a big threat against any team and is going to be a player to watch for during the rest of the season and in the playoffs.
Rob:
7. Sydney Rossman (Goaltender, Quinnipiac)
Rossman had a strong showing in net making 20 saves against Harvard for her 12th shutout of the season (tied for the nation lead for less the 24 hours as Wisconsin’s Ann-Renee Desbiens picked up two shutouts on Saturday and Sunday to take the lead back). She also stopped 13-of-14 on Saturday to help the Bobcats to their 22nd overall win of the season (12th ECAC win).
Sierra:
7. Sydney Rossman (Goaltender, Quinnipiac)
She remains at No. 1 in the conference in goals-against-average at 0.88 and win percentage at .889. Rossman has contributed tremendously to Quinnipiac’s longest unbeaten streak in program history at 20 games.
Sierra:
8. Karlie Lund (Forward, Princeton)
Lund continued her impressive season with a two-point weekend against Dartmouth and Harvard. She scored in the Tigers 4-1 win against the Big Green and recorded an assist in their 4-1 loss at Harvard. Princeton is rolling at the right time.
Rob:
8. Mallory Souliotis (Defense, Yale)
Souliotis had four assists over the weekend sweep of Brown and leads the Bulldogs with 21 points. She is quite the threat having so many points as a blue-liner and her 18 assists on the season shows she can find ways to make plays happen and get her team on the scoreboard. As I mentioned above, along with Janelle Ferrara, she will be a key player in keeping the Bulldogs in ECAC playoff contention.
Rob:
9. Karlie Lund (Forward, Princeton)
Lund is having a stellar freshman year for the Tigers and is a big reason why they are nationally ranked and looking to be a threat in the ECAC tournament. Quinnipiac handled Princeton in the first round last year, but if that matchup happens again, we could see a close game that takes three games to decide a winner.
Sierra:
9. Janelle Ferrara (Forward, Yale)
Ferrara showed up big for her team this past weekend in its sweep against Brown. Her senior leadership and experience will definitely be called upon with playoffs right around the corner.
Sierra:
10. Shea Tiley (Goaltender, Clarkson)
Often the buzz around this Clarkson team revolves around the powerhouse offense. However, Tiley has consistently been a top goalie in the league. This past weekend she held St. Lawrence to just three goals in two games to extend Clarkson’s unbeaten streak to nine games.
Rob:
10. Miye D’Oench (Forward, Harvard)
D’Oench had a goal and two assists to lead Harvard to big win over conference opponent No. 9 Princeton a day after getting shut out by Quinnipiac. With Harvard dropping out of top 10 in the USCHO Poll, the Crimson’s bid to return to the NCAA Tournament isn’t looking good. They’re going to need D’Oench to continue to lead the team as well as some other players to step up and get them back on track going to secure an automatic bid from capturing the ECAC Championship if they can’t sneak back into the top eight teams in the nation for an at-large bid.
