Division 4 Fall Recap

Division Four this year in the ECRHA could possibly be the closest and most unfinished division heading into the Spring Semester. With anywhere from six to eight games remaining for the teams, 10 points is the difference between RIT who currently sits atop the division, and 10th place Vermont. So needless to say, the race to Regionals is far from over for all of these teams.

At the top of the division right now, we see RIT still undefeated at 6-0. All eyes are on the Tigers as they seem to be controlling every game on their schedule. Their closest matchup so far was a 7-4 victory over Millersville in New Cumberland, PA. RIT is a dangerous team, as they can score a bucket load of goals at will, and they can also shut teams down defensively. The Tigers are averaging 9.5 goals per game, which is an incredible stat on its own. A game to keep an eye on in the Spring is their matchup against Farmingdale during All Star weekend, this could end up being a very influential matchup, as RIT looks to remain undefeated throughout, and Farmingdale looks to make a statement in yet another division within the ECRHA.

Right behind the Tigers in the standings are the Millersville Marauders. Millersville has been battling all season long, and has come out on top in each their games, except their first of the year against RIT. Early on in the season, the Marauders were looking to find their scoring touch, playing close games against St. Joseph’s (NY), Cornell, and Niagara. However, a few weekends ago at ISCA, Cameron Trump and company started finding the back of the net more frequently, showing they are a force to be reckoned with down the stretch. It will be interesting to see how their matchup against Syracuse to start of the Spring semester plays out, as with a win, they could solidify themselves near the top of the division, and with a loss, they will remain in the logjam of standings and the battle for the top 8.

Syracuse sits in 3rd currently, with scoring leader Anthony Bellman leading the charge. The Orange started the season strong, with convincing wins to start the year. Then, after almost a month break, they found themselves losing in overtime to Cornell, as well as to Millersville at ISCA. Syracuse closed out the fall with a convincing 12-6 victory over Niagara that same weekend. Currently sitting at 4-1-1, the Orange have a big matchup against Millersville to kick off the Spring at Hot Shots in Mt. Pleasant, PA where they will look to avenge their recent loss and gain ground on RIT at the top of the standings.

Farmingdale, right now in 4th, is a team that hasn’t been spoken of a lot in D4. Having only played 4 regular season games, the Rams are 3-1 with their only loss at the hands of Syracuse early on in the season. Every game Farmingdale has played has come down to three or less goals. The Rams have potential to creep up in the standings with games against Millersville and RIT, essentially at home in Old Bethpage All Star Weekend. A few things to think about going forward: Will the Rams continue winning their close games going forward? Will they find their scoring touch to kick off the Spring? All remains to be seen, and will have a big impact on the outlook of Division 4.

The Niagara Purple Eagles, another team that controls their own destiny going forward. Niagara, currently 5th in the D4 standings are a team that can score goals, which makes them a viable threat going forward. The only game which this team has scored less than 5 goals was their first game of the year against St. Joseph’s (NY), which resulted in a 3-7 loss. Throughout the Fall, the Purple Eagles have wins against St. Joseph’s (NY), as well as against Cornell and Lock Haven. Their losses, a 5-11 loss to 1st place RIT, a 7-8 defeat to 2nd place Millersville, and a 6-12 loss to the Orange of Syracuse, which was a game a lot closer than the score indicates. Looking ahead for Niagara, they have rematches against RIT and Millersville to start the Spring semester, a chance to open eyes in D4, as well as a match against Farmingdale in Old Bethpage, which could prove to be a crucial matchup for seeding heading into the Regional Championships in March.

If you want to look at a team that has been heartbroken by close games this year, look no further than the 6th place St. Joseph’s (NY) Golden Eagles. St. Joseph’s losses so far this season were a 2 goal loss to Lock Haven, an overtime loss to Niagara, a 2 goal loss to Millersville, and a 4 goal loss to 1st place RIT. With a few more bounces going their way, St. Joseph’s could be a top 3 team in the division. They additionally have won their two games against Niagara and Cornell by a score of 7-3 and 6-5 respectively. The Golden Eagle’s schedule doesn’t get any easier in the Spring, as they have matchups against Farmingdale, Syracuse, and RIT, however don’t look past them to turn some of those close games around in their favor going forward.

Baruch is a team very similar to Farmingdale in D4, with a very Spring-heavy schedule, the Bearcats currently are at 1-2-1. Their sole win coming against Vermont to kick off the season 9-5. Followed by a 10-13 loss to Syracuse, a 4-6 loss to Farmingdale, and an overtime loss (6-7) against Vermont. Baruch has also shown they can light up the scoresheet. With their scoring leader Kevin Spillane with 9 goals and 5 assists, the Bearcats are looking ahead to a lot of games in the Spring, and a chance to climb the D4 standings.

As of the end of the Fall, Cornell is the team on the bubble. They are at the 8th and final spot in the D4 standings, at 1-4-1, their record may indicate an underperforming year. However, as with the case with many teams, their losing record does not indicate a lack of success for the Big Red. Cornell’s lone win, is against the Orange of Syracuse in overtime. A 7-6 overtime victory. Although they have losses against St. Joseph’s, RIT, Millersville, and Niagara, the Big Red should remain positive going into the Spring, as they have a chance to gain some wins going forward, as well as possibly upset some of the current top teams in D4 along the way.

Lock Haven is a team with veteran leadership, and a team that knows what it’s like to win. Now, at 1-4, that hasn’t shown in their record, however, two of those games were forfeited at ISCA, two were losses to first place RIT in Grove City, and their win came in thrilling fashion as they scored two goals in the final two minutes to top St. Joseph’s in Grove City. If the Bald Eagles can come out in the Spring, and get a few statement victories against teams like Millersville and Syracuse, the season outlook for their team could drastically change heading into All Star Weekend.

Wrapping up our discussion on division 4 is the Vermont Catamounts. Vermont is sitting at 1-4 similar to Lock Haven, and things have not been easy. They started the season with a forfeit against Farmingdale, followed by two tough losses to Syracuse and Baruch in Rhode Island. They then went to Old Bethpage to lose to Farmingdale 3-6. However, they found revenge against Baruch in overtime, on a penalty shot by Cameron Giroux nonetheless. What’s ahead for the Catamounts? Well, the road certainly does not get any easier, as they have matches against Farmingdale, RIT and Millersville. However, if Vermont can build on the confidence of getting the first win under their belt, their situation could change drastically in the standings.

As mentioned before, the season in Division 4 is FAR from over. With the lack of a national tournament for these teams, all 10 teams in division 4 still have a regional championship set as their goal, and it is a viable goal for each team. There is a lot of hockey left to be played, and if anything can be taken away from the Fall Semester, every minute of the division four games will be worth watching going ahead.