Ivies Earn Recognition on the Ice

The Ivy League may have earned a double-digit seed in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, but the Ancient Eight did better than that in the men’s hockey equivalent.

Yale (27-6-1, 17-4-1 ECAC) earned the No. 1 overall seed after capturing the ECAC title on Saturday, beating Colgate by a resounding 6-0 score.

The Bulldogs had little difficulty closing out the ECAC playoffs, rolling through Colgate twice, St. Lawrence, and the Big Red by a combined score of 19-2.

Despite all of Yale’s postseason successes, the Bulldogs had a tougher time against Harvard (12-21-1, 7-14-1), a team that struggled throughout the early part of the season.

Yale beat the Crimson, 4-2, in their first meeting on Jan. 8, but the second matchup was more competitive. Harvard, which came into the Feb. 4 meeting near the bottom of the ECAC, kept pace with Yale for the first two periods. But a Bulldogs’ goal early in the second frame was enough for Yale to take the 1-0 win.

Harvard was knocked out of the ECAC tournament in the third round, losing to Dartmouth in a decisive third game. The Crimson has not appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 2006 when the team last won the ECAC.

Yale, which takes on Air Force in the tournament’s first round this Friday, is looking to earn a spot in the Frozen Four, being held in St. Paul, Minn. Harvard has not made it to the NCAA semifinals since 1994, but the team appeared four times in the ’80s, winning the national title in 1989.