St. Lawrence

Alright, so things won't be so bad in Canton, N.Y. this year. The Saints (27-8-1, 16-3-2, 1st) will still score a ton of goals, led by seniors Erik Anderson (14g, 25a) and Al Fyfe (17, 18). Coach Joe Marsh will have the team play an up-tempo, attack-oriented system, which will contrast sharply to the defensive style that most of the conference plays.

Though losing Dietrich's 41 points will hurt, the real unknown will be how St. Lawrence deals with Gustafson's defection. Senior Jeremy Symington will take over between the pipes. He was once a highly touted player, but got lost in the shadows of Gustafson and Eric Heffler, Jr. He'll need to raise his game.

Colgate

Another team dealing with the loss of a superstar forward, the Red Raiders (24-9-2, 14-4-2, 2nd) will be powered by seniors Darryl Campbell (20, 25), Sean Nolan (19, 18) and Kevin Johns (10, 18). Still, none of them come close to Hobey candidate Andy McDonald (24, 38), who graduated last year. The seniors will have to assume more of the offensive burden.

Colgate may find itself at times in a bit of a shootout as, aside from senior Cory Murphy (10, 18), it has a very inexperienced defense that could strain goalie Jason LeFevre. But it shouldn't pose too much of a problem in conference play.

Harvard

Please see preview, p. S-1.

No. 14 Rensselaer

RPI (22-13-2, 11-9-1, 3rd) turned some heads in its first game, knocking off Boston University, 5-4. It received a strong performances from the keys to its team, sophomore Mark Cavosie (12, 16) and junior Matt Murley (9, 29). Of the once mighty Engineer offense these two are the only stars left. RPI lost five of its seven leading scorers, including Brad Tapper (31, 20) who jumped to the NHL.