Vermont

With their first-round upset of top-seeded Clarkson in last year’s playoffs, the Catamounts showed that they can play with anyone in the ECAC.

UVM has a lot of young talent on its roster and returns six of its top eight scorers from last season. Sophomores Jeff Miles and Patrick Sharp were two of the ECAC’s top newcomers in 2000-01, and the emergence of junior Shawn Conschafter between the pipes during last year’s playoffs bodes well for Coach Mike Gilligan’s team.

However, the Cats have had a rough go of things early on this season. They were outscored 18-5 in three early losses to Boston College, New Hampshire, and Boston University, and Conschafter’s GAA has ballooned to 6.12 goals per game.

One bright spot for Vermont (0-3-0) thus far has been freshman Brady Leisenring. The Vermont Native leads the team in scoring with one goal and two assists.

UVM’s next action will be in its ECAC opener against Harvard on Friday.

Because of the Ivy League-imposed 29-game limit, its member schools have yet to start their respective slates. Here is a glance at the Ancient Eight programs:

Brown

What can you say about a last-place team that loses three of its top four scorers?

It could be another long winter for Coach Roger Grillo.

After all, it’s never a good sign when your leading scorer among returning forwards notched ten points the year before.

And while they did show promise at times last season—wins over Hockey East powers Providence and UMass-Lowell, back-to-back ties against Clarkson and St. Lawrence—the Bears lack the firepower to be a serious scare in the ECAC.

That said, Brown does have experienced goaltending in senior Brian Eklund (.901 save percentage, 3.43 GAA last season) and sophomore Yann Danis (3.21 GAA in ECAC play). A solid performance from Eklund or Danis coupled with some well-timed offense could make the Bears a formidable opponent on any given night.

The Bears opened at Harvard on Saturday.

Cornell