Grades. At this time of year, they’re simply terrifying to Harvard students. Many are panicking. Some are mad.

Well, I’m getting even.

While Harvard’s academic calendar winds down to the end of the semester, it’s only midterm season for the 12 schools—er, students—enrolled in ECAC Men’s Hockey 101.

This time of year begs an evaluation of some sort, so—as head teaching fellow in the course—I’ve decided to grab a red pen and rate the mid-year performance of each pupil.

Here are their grades, with the team order following the current conference point standings.

I tried my best to curve the marks around a B-plus.

1. Harvard (8-5-3, 7-2-2 ECAC)

The Crimson has been a good hockey team this year, and it seems to be getting better with time. The key for Harvard going into the season was to find a replacement for Oliver Jonas ’01 between the pipes, and there is no question that Coach Mark Mazzoleni has done just that—times two—with Will Crothers and Dov Grumet-Morris. Their stability in goal has given the Crimson’s offensive talent the chance to find its niche. The result? Three bona-fide scoring lines and the league’s top three scorers in conference play in Brett Nowak, Dominic Moore and Tylker Kolarik. The Crimson’s young defensive corps is also ahead of where it was last year at this time. GRADE: A.

2. Yale (4-9-2, 4-4-2 ECAC)

Following the graduation of all-time leading scorer Jeff Hamilton, no one gave the Elis a snowball’s chance of being in second place right now. However, Yale Coach Tim Taylor ’63 has done an excellent job this season, and his team has been competitive throughout. The Bulldogs’ overall record isn’t dazzling, but—considering that six of their nine losses have been by a single goal—they are a respected commodity around the league and won’t be able to sneak up on anyone in the second half. GRADE: B.

3. Cornell (8-4-1, 4-1-1 ECAC)

The only ECAC team currently ranked in the national polls (No. 13), Cornell has been a very consistent team this season. The main question surrounding the Big Red going into the season was whether or not it would be able to improve upon its anemic offensive production a year ago. Well, that was answered with authority in the early going, as Cornell scored three more or goals in every game until Thanksgiving. The Big Red also has two very solid goaltenders—Matt Underhill and David LeNeveu—and a rugged defensive corps in front of them. Cornell will be a tough team to beat in the second half—especially at home, where it is 5-0-0 this season. GRADE: A.

3. (tie) Dartmouth (7-6-1, 4-2-1 ECAC)

While it hasn’t quite lived up to its early billing in the national polls, look for the Big Green to be a strong team during the stretch run. With all 15 of its remaining games within the ECAC, the Dartmouth should be able to zero in and focus on working its way up the standings. It certainly has the capacity to do so, with Mike Maturo—the ECAC’s fourth leading scorer in league games behind the aforementioned Harvard trio—leading a very potent offense and Trevor Byrne heading up a stingy blue line. GRADE: B+