Since there are no games this weekend there will be no Full Access Schedule, Sunday Scoreboard, or Three Stars. So, I have to do something right?
I've been having a lot of fun doing Fantasy ECAC Hockey, and I think all the others in the league agree. Let's take a look how things have been going in the league. We'll take a look at each team in the order that they are in the standings.
For a refresher on the rules, points, etc., check out
FantasyCollegeHockey.com.
1. 1989StillWaiting (Me)
Points: 269 (238 - Skater, 31 - Goalie)
Top Forward: Jeremy Welsh (Union) - 41 points
Top Defenseman: Mat Bodie (Union) - 15 points
Top Goalie: Jeff Malcolm (Yale) - 24 points
Analysis: I have benefitted from scoring throughout my lineup. All of my forwards and defensemen have produced at a steady rate. My players haven't had huge games where they put up double-digit points (only Welsh did it once), but it seems like every player tallies a point when they are in my lineup. I have also benefited from a few rookies having good seasons (Patrick McNally, Matthew Peca, Joakim Ryan). While my offense has been pretty lethal, my goaltending hasn't been too great. Both Malcolm and SLU's Matt Weninger have had up-and-down seasons, so their production has been hit or miss. But, Union back-up goaltender Colin Stevens as given me a few points in some of the starts he has made.
2. SkatingSaints (John Thompson)
Points: 247 (208 - Skater, 39 - Goalie)
Top Forward: Jeremy Langlois (Quinnipiac) - 37 points
Top Defenseman: Danny Biega (Harvard) - 19 points
Top Goalie: Eric Mihalik (Colgate) - 24 points
Analysis: John's team has been thriving due to the amount of stars on the team. Besides Langlois, he also has Colgate's Chris Wagner (32), SLU's Kyle Flanagan (22), and Cornell's Brian Ferlin (19). John's also received help on defense from QU's Loren Barron (17) and Clarkson's Sam Labreque (14). It seems like the reason why he doesn't have more skater points is that his role players have not been producing at a high rate. John's goaltending has been fine, but could be a lot better. He used the first overall pick of the draft to select Dartmouth's James Mello, who was unanimous First Team All-League selection. Mello has been pretty disappointing so far, only posting 11 fantasy points. If Mello lived up to his expectations, John's team would be in first place.
3. Klump (Jason Klump)
Points: 229 (169 - Skater, 60 - Goalie)
Top Forward: Daniel Carr (Union) - 29 points
Top Defenseman: George Hughes (SLU) & Kevin Peel (Yale) - 6 points
Top Goalie: Troy Grosenick (Union) - 43 points
Analysis: Jason's team doesn't have much star power, but is still in the hunt for the top spot. He doesn't have skater with over 30 points, and his defensemen have only produced 26 points combined. Luckily, he has enough good role players to produce points, and Union's Troy Grosenick as his top goaltender, who has been one of the most surprising players so far this season. He's also received help in net from QU's Dan Clarke. Look out for Klump's team though, since he has guys like Yale's Andrew Miller, Brown's Jack Maclellan, and Harvard's Alex Killorn.
4. Gus (Howard Schuster)
Points: 202 (157 - Skater, 45 - Goalie)
Top Forward: Austin Smith (Colgate) - 51 points
Top Defenseman: Kevin Tansey (Clarkson) - 9 points
Top Goalie: Andy Iles (Cornell) - 43 points
Analysis: Howard is heavily relying on Clarkson players with 14 Golden Knights on his roster. Unfortunately, they haven't been too productive for him this season. But, Howard is extremely lucky to have the league's top player in Austin Smith and top goaltender in Andy Iles (in my opinion). The two of them have accounted for almost half of Howard's points. With guys like that on your roster, you have as much as a chance as anybody to make a run in the second half.
5. FromTheNIPToTheBank (Luke Devoe)
Points: 165 (79 - Skater, 86 - Goalie)
Top Forward: Kenny Agostino (Yale) - 15 points
Top Defenseman: Thomas Larkin (Colgate) - 12 points
Top Goalie: Paul Karpowich (Clarkson) - 68 points
Analysis: Luke's team has very little star power. His top skaters (Agostino, Greg Carey, Kurtis Bartliff, Connor Jones) have had good seasons, but not at the rate needed to be at the top of the standings. Luckily, Luke has Karpowich in net, who has been the best fantasy goalie in the ECAC. His pick of Karpowich could end up being the best pick of the entire draft. Luke has the only team where the goaltending has more points than the skaters.
6. lugnut92 (Zach Gannam)
Points: 161 (127 - Skater, 34 - Goalie)
Top Forward: Kelly Zajac (Union) - 21 points
Top Defenseman: Nick D'Agostino (Cornell) - 30 points
Top Goalie: Sean Bonar (Princeton) - 19 points
Analysis: It's been a tough year for Zach, who is a die-hard RPI fan. He picked a lot of RPI guys (11), which has not worked out for him, so this year is kind of like a double-whammy for him. But, he has a great D-Core with D'Agostino and Princeton's Michael Sdao (18 points). His defensemen have produced 73 points, which is more than how much his skaters produced.
