March 2, 2005
ECRHA Championship Tournament This Weekend
Four Divisions of Action, NCT Bids up for grabs
The seeds are set and the brackets are ready for four divisions of
exciting playoff action this weekend as the Eastern Collegiate Roller
Hockey Association (ECRHA) hosts its annual Championship Weekend at
the Sportsplex in Feasterville, PA.
View the complete Championship Brackets and Round-Robin schedule here
Spectators will be treated to twenty-six hours of twin rink excitement during the fifty-nine scheduled games. The action begins late Friday night and continues through the championship games Sunday afternoon.
All four divisions will crown champions this weekend. In Divisions I and II, twelve teams will battle during preliminary round-robin action to determine the top eight seeds who will advance into a single-elimination tournament concluding in the championship games Sunday afternoon. The Division III title will be determined in a best-of-three playoff series and the B division championship will be determined in a double-elimination tournament featuring the top ten teams from the regular season.
In Division I, 7th ranked Towson University looks to defend their 2003-2004 ECRHA Championship as they enter the tournament as the top seed after a 15-2-1 regular season. However, they will face stiff challenges throughout the tournament as the action intensifies and the Tigers face one of the five other Division I teams ranked in the top 25 in the nation.
The top-seeded Tigers are joined in Pool A by 7th seeded Drexel University and the 12th seeded University of Pittsburgh for the round-robin portion of the event. Drexel University comes into this season on a high note having won seven of their last eight games including victories against Suffolk Community College, the top ranked Division III team in the nation, and 20th ranked Rutgers University last weekend. Pittsburgh secured the final position in the ECRHA postseason by winning their final three games of the regular season and come into the tournament looking to continue their winning ways.
The 9th ranked and 2nd seeded University of Rhode Island Rams is joined by the 8th seeded University of Maryland and 10th seeded Penn State University in Pool B for round-robin play. Rhode Island finished the regular season with a 14-3-1 record and come into the tournament after compiling a 9-1-1 record in the second semester. The University of Maryland enters the postseason after completing the regular season with an 8-7-3 record and looks to avenge a 7-4 loss to Rhode Island during the preseason event this past fall. Penn State University completed the regular season with a record of 6-9-3 including a 4-4 tie against the Terrapins during the November event in Fredericksburg, VA.
Pool C is lead by the 19th ranked and 3rd seeded SUNY-Buffalo Wings. Joining the Wings will be the 23rd ranked and 5th ranked University of Delaware and the 11th seeded SUNY-Binghamton Bearcats. SUNY-Buffalo quietly amassed a 14-3-1 regular season record along the way defeating Suffolk Community College and Towson University during the second semester and enters the tournament on a six game winning streak. Delaware enters the tournament having won four of their last five games en route to an 11-6-1 regular season record. SUNY-Binghamton, the 2003 Division II National Champions, completed their regular season with a record of 6-11-1 as they look to duplicate there past success on a Division I stage.
The 18th ranked and 4th seeded Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers is the top seed in Pool D after a 13-4-1 record during the regular season. The Tigers enter the tournament having won six of their last seven games including a 4-3 victory over the University of Rhode Island in their last event. The 20th ranked and 6th seeded Rutgers University and 9th seeded Northeastern University round out Pool D. The Scarlet Knights finished the regular season with a record of 11-7-0 including a 6-5 victory over SUNY-Buffalo in December. The Huskies finished the regular season 7-7-4 and enter the tournament riding an eight game unbeaten streak including a 5-3 victory over Rochester Institute of Technology in their last event.
If the regular season has shown anything about Division I, it is that any team can win any game. No one can be considered a clear-cut favorite and all of the action should be close and intense.
In Division II, nationally top-ranked Neumann College looks to defend their 2003-04 ECRHA Division II title after finishing the regular season undefeated with a record of 17-0-1. The Knights enter the playoffs as the top seed, but it will be far from smooth sailing as ten of the top twelve seeds in the tournament are ranked in the top 25 nationally.
The Knights are joined in Pool A by 24th ranked and 7th seeded SUNY-Albany and 12th seeded Temple University. SUNY-Albany finished the regular season with a record of 10-6-2 including a 7-3-2 record in the second semester. Temple University finished its? inaugural season in the ECRHA with a record of 7-10-1 after having played the past four years in the Philadelphia Collegiate Roller Hockey League and finishing last season with the league championship in the PCRHL.
The 3rd ranked and 2nd seeded University of Maine Black Bears lead Pool B action. The Black Bears finished the regular season with a record of 14-3-1 and enter the postseason on a five game unbeaten streak. Joining Maine are 20th ranked and 8th seeded University of Vermont and 15th ranked and 10th seeded Millersville University. Vermont finished the regular season with a record of 10-6-2, but has been hot in the second semester compiling a 9-4-2 record after a slow start. Millersville finished the regular season with a 10-7-1 record and has also been playing better in the second semester with a record of 8-2-1. With all three teams in this pool peaking at the right time of the season, it promises to provide great playoff action.
13th ranked and 3rd seeded SUNY-Brockport is joined in Pool C by 14th ranked and 5th seeded Hofstra University and 11th seeded Duquesne University. SUNY-Brockport finished the regular season with a record of 15-4-0 en route to the Division II Central Conference title. Hofstra completed the regular season with a record of 13-5-0 and has won six of their last eight games. Duquesne finished the regular season with a record of 7-9-2 with key wins against the University of Vermont and Millersville University during the season.
Pool D is lead by 9th ranked and 4th seeded Shippensburg University. Shippensburg finished the season second in the Southern Conference with a record of 15-3-0 and enter the postseason with a 10-1-0 record in the second semester. 16th ranked and 6th seeded Wentworth Institute of Technology and 18th ranked and 9th seeded West Chester University round out Pool D. Wentworth finished the regular season with a record of 12-6-0 and enters the postseason having won their last four regular season games. West Chester University propelled themselves to a 10-7-1 regular season record by winning five of their last six games heading into the playoffs. This bracket will provide fans with three teams ranked in the top 20 nationally and are sure to provide exciting round-robin play.
The Division II playoffs should prove to be a hotly contested race as the ten nationally ranked teams and two challengers look to earn the one guaranteed invitation to the NCRHA National Championship Tournament while also jockeying for position for the selection process for the at-large bids.
Top-ranked and top-seeded Suffolk County Community College heads into the playoffs looking for their third consecutive ECRHA DIII Championship as they face Northern Virginia Community College in a best-of-three playoff series. Suffolk CCC finished the regular season with a record of 15-2-1 playing against Division I competition. Northern Virginia CC completed the regular season with a record of 2-14-2. The teams will begin their best-of-three series at 6:00 AM Sunday morning and one team will have the ability to win the championship in Game 2 at 12:15 PM and if necessary the championship will be decided at 4:15 PM.
The B Division Championship will be determined in a double-elimination tournament. The top ten teams from the regular season standings qualified for the playoffs a group that includes six teams ranked in the top 25 nationally.
Top seeded and 13th ranked Penn State University and 2nd seeded and 6th ranked Suffolk County Community College will both receive byes in the first round of the tournament. Penn State B finished the regular season with a record of 12-5-1, while Suffolk CCC B finished their regular season with a record of 11-6-0.
Opening round games in the B Division include 4th seeded and 17th ranked University of Pittsburgh B against 5th seeded and 22nd ranked SUNY-Buffalo B, 3rd seeded and 23rd ranked University of Delaware B versus 6th seeded Towson University B, 7th seeded and 20th ranked Rochester Institute of Technology B facing off against 10th seeded University of Maryland B team, and 8th seeded Drexel University B against 9th seeded Rutgers University B.
This weekend?s action begins Friday night at 10:30 PM with three hours of twin rink action. Saturday morning the action starts right back up at 7:00 AM and the action continues all throughout the day with the final game of the day scheduled to begin at 12:45 AM Sunday morning. Championship Sunday begins bright and early at 6:00 AM with game one of the Division III Championship Series before the twin rink action resumes at 7:00 AM as the final match ups are set for the championship games that begin at 12:15 PM Sunday afternoon.
Division III will have the first opportunity to have a champion crowned when Suffolk CCC and Northern Virginia CC play game two of their best-of-three series at 12:15 PM. The B Division Championship game takes place at 1:15 PM followed by the Division I Championship game at 2:15 PM and the championship action concludes at 3:15 PM with the Division II Championship game. If necessary, game three of the Division III Championship will be played at 4:15 PM.
All 36 teams at the event this weekend will be competing for the sole guaranteed bid to the NCRHA National Championship Tournament in their respective division. This season?s National Championship Tournament will be held at OD?s Sports Crossing in Fort Collins, CO the week of April 13th-17th. The remaining bids to the National Championship Tournament will be announced on Friday, March 10th.
For more information and a complete schedule of events, please log on to the official website of the Eastern Collegiate Roller Hockey Association at http://www.ecrha.net. To follow the rest of the Collegiate Roller Hockey playoff action or for more information about the NCRHA National Championship Tournament, please visit http://www.ncrha.org.
Spectators will be treated to twenty-six hours of twin rink excitement during the fifty-nine scheduled games. The action begins late Friday night and continues through the championship games Sunday afternoon.
All four divisions will crown champions this weekend. In Divisions I and II, twelve teams will battle during preliminary round-robin action to determine the top eight seeds who will advance into a single-elimination tournament concluding in the championship games Sunday afternoon. The Division III title will be determined in a best-of-three playoff series and the B division championship will be determined in a double-elimination tournament featuring the top ten teams from the regular season.
In Division I, 7th ranked Towson University looks to defend their 2003-2004 ECRHA Championship as they enter the tournament as the top seed after a 15-2-1 regular season. However, they will face stiff challenges throughout the tournament as the action intensifies and the Tigers face one of the five other Division I teams ranked in the top 25 in the nation.
The top-seeded Tigers are joined in Pool A by 7th seeded Drexel University and the 12th seeded University of Pittsburgh for the round-robin portion of the event. Drexel University comes into this season on a high note having won seven of their last eight games including victories against Suffolk Community College, the top ranked Division III team in the nation, and 20th ranked Rutgers University last weekend. Pittsburgh secured the final position in the ECRHA postseason by winning their final three games of the regular season and come into the tournament looking to continue their winning ways.
The 9th ranked and 2nd seeded University of Rhode Island Rams is joined by the 8th seeded University of Maryland and 10th seeded Penn State University in Pool B for round-robin play. Rhode Island finished the regular season with a 14-3-1 record and come into the tournament after compiling a 9-1-1 record in the second semester. The University of Maryland enters the postseason after completing the regular season with an 8-7-3 record and looks to avenge a 7-4 loss to Rhode Island during the preseason event this past fall. Penn State University completed the regular season with a record of 6-9-3 including a 4-4 tie against the Terrapins during the November event in Fredericksburg, VA.
Pool C is lead by the 19th ranked and 3rd seeded SUNY-Buffalo Wings. Joining the Wings will be the 23rd ranked and 5th ranked University of Delaware and the 11th seeded SUNY-Binghamton Bearcats. SUNY-Buffalo quietly amassed a 14-3-1 regular season record along the way defeating Suffolk Community College and Towson University during the second semester and enters the tournament on a six game winning streak. Delaware enters the tournament having won four of their last five games en route to an 11-6-1 regular season record. SUNY-Binghamton, the 2003 Division II National Champions, completed their regular season with a record of 6-11-1 as they look to duplicate there past success on a Division I stage.
The 18th ranked and 4th seeded Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers is the top seed in Pool D after a 13-4-1 record during the regular season. The Tigers enter the tournament having won six of their last seven games including a 4-3 victory over the University of Rhode Island in their last event. The 20th ranked and 6th seeded Rutgers University and 9th seeded Northeastern University round out Pool D. The Scarlet Knights finished the regular season with a record of 11-7-0 including a 6-5 victory over SUNY-Buffalo in December. The Huskies finished the regular season 7-7-4 and enter the tournament riding an eight game unbeaten streak including a 5-3 victory over Rochester Institute of Technology in their last event.
If the regular season has shown anything about Division I, it is that any team can win any game. No one can be considered a clear-cut favorite and all of the action should be close and intense.
In Division II, nationally top-ranked Neumann College looks to defend their 2003-04 ECRHA Division II title after finishing the regular season undefeated with a record of 17-0-1. The Knights enter the playoffs as the top seed, but it will be far from smooth sailing as ten of the top twelve seeds in the tournament are ranked in the top 25 nationally.
The Knights are joined in Pool A by 24th ranked and 7th seeded SUNY-Albany and 12th seeded Temple University. SUNY-Albany finished the regular season with a record of 10-6-2 including a 7-3-2 record in the second semester. Temple University finished its? inaugural season in the ECRHA with a record of 7-10-1 after having played the past four years in the Philadelphia Collegiate Roller Hockey League and finishing last season with the league championship in the PCRHL.
The 3rd ranked and 2nd seeded University of Maine Black Bears lead Pool B action. The Black Bears finished the regular season with a record of 14-3-1 and enter the postseason on a five game unbeaten streak. Joining Maine are 20th ranked and 8th seeded University of Vermont and 15th ranked and 10th seeded Millersville University. Vermont finished the regular season with a record of 10-6-2, but has been hot in the second semester compiling a 9-4-2 record after a slow start. Millersville finished the regular season with a 10-7-1 record and has also been playing better in the second semester with a record of 8-2-1. With all three teams in this pool peaking at the right time of the season, it promises to provide great playoff action.
13th ranked and 3rd seeded SUNY-Brockport is joined in Pool C by 14th ranked and 5th seeded Hofstra University and 11th seeded Duquesne University. SUNY-Brockport finished the regular season with a record of 15-4-0 en route to the Division II Central Conference title. Hofstra completed the regular season with a record of 13-5-0 and has won six of their last eight games. Duquesne finished the regular season with a record of 7-9-2 with key wins against the University of Vermont and Millersville University during the season.
Pool D is lead by 9th ranked and 4th seeded Shippensburg University. Shippensburg finished the season second in the Southern Conference with a record of 15-3-0 and enter the postseason with a 10-1-0 record in the second semester. 16th ranked and 6th seeded Wentworth Institute of Technology and 18th ranked and 9th seeded West Chester University round out Pool D. Wentworth finished the regular season with a record of 12-6-0 and enters the postseason having won their last four regular season games. West Chester University propelled themselves to a 10-7-1 regular season record by winning five of their last six games heading into the playoffs. This bracket will provide fans with three teams ranked in the top 20 nationally and are sure to provide exciting round-robin play.
The Division II playoffs should prove to be a hotly contested race as the ten nationally ranked teams and two challengers look to earn the one guaranteed invitation to the NCRHA National Championship Tournament while also jockeying for position for the selection process for the at-large bids.
Top-ranked and top-seeded Suffolk County Community College heads into the playoffs looking for their third consecutive ECRHA DIII Championship as they face Northern Virginia Community College in a best-of-three playoff series. Suffolk CCC finished the regular season with a record of 15-2-1 playing against Division I competition. Northern Virginia CC completed the regular season with a record of 2-14-2. The teams will begin their best-of-three series at 6:00 AM Sunday morning and one team will have the ability to win the championship in Game 2 at 12:15 PM and if necessary the championship will be decided at 4:15 PM.
The B Division Championship will be determined in a double-elimination tournament. The top ten teams from the regular season standings qualified for the playoffs a group that includes six teams ranked in the top 25 nationally.
Top seeded and 13th ranked Penn State University and 2nd seeded and 6th ranked Suffolk County Community College will both receive byes in the first round of the tournament. Penn State B finished the regular season with a record of 12-5-1, while Suffolk CCC B finished their regular season with a record of 11-6-0.
Opening round games in the B Division include 4th seeded and 17th ranked University of Pittsburgh B against 5th seeded and 22nd ranked SUNY-Buffalo B, 3rd seeded and 23rd ranked University of Delaware B versus 6th seeded Towson University B, 7th seeded and 20th ranked Rochester Institute of Technology B facing off against 10th seeded University of Maryland B team, and 8th seeded Drexel University B against 9th seeded Rutgers University B.
This weekend?s action begins Friday night at 10:30 PM with three hours of twin rink action. Saturday morning the action starts right back up at 7:00 AM and the action continues all throughout the day with the final game of the day scheduled to begin at 12:45 AM Sunday morning. Championship Sunday begins bright and early at 6:00 AM with game one of the Division III Championship Series before the twin rink action resumes at 7:00 AM as the final match ups are set for the championship games that begin at 12:15 PM Sunday afternoon.
Division III will have the first opportunity to have a champion crowned when Suffolk CCC and Northern Virginia CC play game two of their best-of-three series at 12:15 PM. The B Division Championship game takes place at 1:15 PM followed by the Division I Championship game at 2:15 PM and the championship action concludes at 3:15 PM with the Division II Championship game. If necessary, game three of the Division III Championship will be played at 4:15 PM.
All 36 teams at the event this weekend will be competing for the sole guaranteed bid to the NCRHA National Championship Tournament in their respective division. This season?s National Championship Tournament will be held at OD?s Sports Crossing in Fort Collins, CO the week of April 13th-17th. The remaining bids to the National Championship Tournament will be announced on Friday, March 10th.
For more information and a complete schedule of events, please log on to the official website of the Eastern Collegiate Roller Hockey Association at http://www.ecrha.net. To follow the rest of the Collegiate Roller Hockey playoff action or for more information about the NCRHA National Championship Tournament, please visit http://www.ncrha.org.