MEN'S HOCKEY GAME CENTRAL

HAMILTON, N.Y. (2/8/12) – The Colgate men's hockey team will be back home this weekend with visits from Ivy League foes Yale and Brown as the Raiders make a final push towards the ECAC Hockey playoffs.

The game against Yale is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Time Warner Cable Sports in Central New York. Live video will still be available through Colgate All-Access for those fans outside the viewing area. The next night, the Raiders will take on Brown for a 7 p.m. faceoff. All necessary game day links for this weekend will be available on the Men's Hockey Game Central web page.

THIS WEEK: YALE AND BROWN INVADE STARR RINK
Colgate will be back at Starr Rink this weekend to take on Yale and Brown. The Raiders will be taking on two different teams than what they saw in early November. The Bulldogs have struggled recently with just two wins in their last eight games, which came against Dartmouth and Clarkson. Yale was down 4-1 at the Big Green and fired back with four goals in the final two periods. The Bears are skidding as well with four-straight losses and one win in their last six games. Last weekend, they were swept by Clarkson and St. Lawrence at home. Both teams are in the bottom five spots in the conference standings.

LAST WEEK: SPLITTING A PAIR ON THE ROAD
Colgate took the ice against No. 11/12 Union and Rensselaer for the first time this season after knocking them out of last year's playoffs. The Dutchmen got some revenge with a 3-1 win at Messa Rink on Friday night. The Raiders went up 1-0 after Mark Nasca scored his first of the season, but Union answered with three goals, including an empty netter, to earn the 3-1 win. On Saturday night, Colgate silenced a sold out Houston Field House with eight goals in an 8-3 win. Austin Smith tallied four goals to become only the fourth skater in Colgate history to reach 30 goals in a season and the first since Rejean Boivin '88 did it in 1988. The Raiders also got two goals and an assist from Robbie Bourdon, while Jeremy Price and Joe Wilson tallied three assists apiece.

NEXT WEEK: A TRIP TO THE NORTH COUNTRY
The Raiders will be on the road for the final time in the 2011-12 regular season with a visit to St. Lawrence and Clarkson. Colgate has not visited the north country since early in the 2010-11 season. The Raiders swept the two teams in December, outscoring them 10-4 in the two games. The two wins came during their seven-game unbeaten streak. The Saints halted their six-game unbeaten streak this past week by sweeping Yale and Brown. They beat the Bulldogs in overtime and then took care of the Bears in a 5-3 win. The Golden Knights have enjoyed success this season and have won four of their last six games, including a win over Brown last weekend.

COLGATE BY THE NUMBERS
   310 - Career wins for Raiders head coach Don Vaughan.
   100 - Points by seniors.
     48 - Goals by seniors (52% of scoring).
     39 - Career multi-point games by A. Smith.
     30 - Goals by A. Smith, most in a season since 1988.
     29 - Scores in the first period (+10 margin).
     24 - Goals scored by Colgate in the first or last two minutes of periods.
     21 - Players on the Raiders with at least one point.
     17 - Players on the team with at least one goal.
     17 - Career multi-goal games by A. Smith (9 in 2011-12).
     15 - Games allowing two or less goals (10-2-3).
     13 - Raiders that have multi-point games this year.
     12 - Wins when leading after two periods.
     12 - Games with four or more goals (11-1-0).
     10 - Shorthanded goals this season (6 by A. Smith).
       9 - Players with power play goals.
       9 - Skaters with at least 100 games played in career.
       6 - Overtime games this season (2-1-3).
       5 - Wins over nationally-ranked teams.
       5 - Wins over the Ivy League in 2011-12.
       4 - Number of players in the top-25 on the all-time scoring list that have worn or are wearing the #9.
       4 - Goals by A. Smith at RPI, most since J. Smyth in 2003.
       1 - Games left against current nationally-ranked teams.
       1 - Shutouts this season.

TOP DUOS IN THE COUNTRY
With Austin Smith and Chris Wagner having 30 or more points each, Smith and Wagner are one four teammates that are in the top-10 in points per game nationally. Colgate is joined by Denver, Maine and Wisconsin. Maine's Spencer Abbott and Brian Flynn lead the way with 86 combined points, while Smith and Wagner have 81 points together. Denver's duo of Drew Shore and Jason Zucker are second with 83 combined points.

SMITH NETS FOUR, HITS 30 GOAL MILESTONE
Smith became the fourth Colgate player in its history to reach 30 goals in a season after four against Rensselaer on Saturday night. He was the first ECAC Hockey player since RPI's Brad Trapper netted 31 in 1999-2000. His four goals was the most by a Colgate player since Jon Smyth '06 in 2003. With 73 career goals, he is tied with Craig Woodcroft '91 for ninth all-time and with two more points he can become the 21st player to reach 150 points in a career and the first since Tyler Burton '08, who finished with 155 points. Smith has hit 41 points for the second time in his career and Colgate has had a 40-point scorer six of the last seven seasons.

VOTE SMITH FOR HOBEY
Fan voting for the Hobey Baker Award, which is given to the nation's top player, has begun and Colgate's Smith is among the names you fans can vote for. Your vote accounts for a full one percent for the total ballot. Award criteria include candidates emulating the exceptional character traits exhibited by the award's namesake, Hobey Baker, a World War I flying star better known as America's greatest amateur athlete in his day.  Award candidates must demonstrate strength of character both on and off the ice, contribute to the integrity of his team and display outstanding skills in all phases of the game.  Consideration should be given to scholastic achievement and sportsmanship. VOTE HERE!

WILSON EMERGING
Joe Wilson has been on the first line all season and the last five weeks, he has really made an impact. He has tallied 10 points in his last 10 games, including six in his last three. He had a goal and two helpers against Cornell on Jan. 28 and then posted three assists in the 8-3 win over RPI. He is now tied for eighth in the conference among rookies in scoring with 16 points.

SCORING FIRST
In 15 of the 28 games played this season, Colgate has scored first, including both games last weekend and eight of the last nine games. The Raiders are 9-5-1 when scoring first. The opening period has been a successful one for the Raiders in 2011-12 as they have 29 goals in the frame, but its their defense that makes it the best as they have allowed 19 scores for a plus-10 scoring margin. They have 32 goals in the third, but have given up 27 goals in the final frame. Colgate is 7-1-0 when scoring two or more goals in the first and the Raiders have only given up two goals in the opening 20 minutes and have won all three.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME
Chris Wagner has been just as consistent as Smith with 10 goals and 26 assists for 36 points, which is second in the league behind his linemate. He has already eclipsed his scoring from a season ago as he had 19 points. Wagner had his seven-game point streak snapped in the loss at Union, but rebounded with two helpers at RPI. He jumped to fifth in the nation with 26 helpers and fifth in assists per game. Wagner is 10th in the country in points per game and is second in ECAC in assists. He has 14 points since the turn over the new year.

UNDER THE RADAR
Robbie Bourdon doesn't play on the top line, but has made his impact as the top forward on the second line. He has 11 goals and six assists for 17 points. He is tied with Smith with five power play goals this season and posted his third career two-goal game and second this year at RPI. His 11 goals are second on the team and he is the highest career scorer after Smith on the squad with 68 career points.

AN EXPERIENCED GROUP
The Raiders have one of the most experienced teams in the conference with nine players with 100 or more games played. Kevin McNamara, Nick Prockow, Corbin McPherson and Austin Smith have all appeared in 140 games, with each becoming one of 18 to reach 140 games in Colgate history.  Matt Firman will be the next to hit 140 as he is at 138. Thomas Larkin became the ninth player on the team to play in his 100th game and first junior.  There is also experience in net as Alex Evin has appeared in 59 career games and Mihalik has seen action in 45 games in his first two years.

SHORTHANDED KILLERS
After just one shorthanded goal all of last season and becoming the last team in D-I to score shorthanded, the Raiders have caught fire during penalty killing this year with 10 shorthanded goals after two against Cornell. Austin Smith has been a one-man wrecking crew with six of the 10 to lead the nation in shorties. Chris Wagner added his second  to start the scoring in the 2-1 win at Cornell. When scoring a shortie, Colgate is 8-1-0 this season with the lone loss coming against Dartmouth at home. Colgate has three shorties in the last five games.

HOLDING A LEAD
The Raiders have gone into the third period with a lead in 14 games this season. After starting the year undefeated in the first 10 games, they hit a two-game skid, but have rebounded to take its last two when lead after two. In eight of the 14 games, the lead has only been one-goal. That lead is important for the Raiders as they are 3-8-3 when tied or losing after two. Colgate came back from a third period deficit for the first time this year and it was two goals against Cornell on Jan. 28. Scoring three or more goals has been huge for Colgate as the Raiders are 14-3-0 when that happens and 6-0-0 when scoring five or more.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP
The seniors have really stepped up as leaders this season and the scoresheet shows how. All eight skaters have earned points this year with Smith leading the way. The class has combined for 100 of Colgate's 239 total points. The seniors have scored 48 goals and have tallied 52 assists. They have netted more than half of the Raiders' goals this year. Six of the nine goals scored last weekend at Union and RPI came from seniors. 

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Yale comes to Hamilton after splitting last weekend with a win over Clarkson and a loss to St. Lawrence. The Bulldogs are currently 10-11-2 and 7-8-1 in ECAC Hockey, which gives them 15 points for a tie with Dartmouth for seventh in the league. The Elis have struggled recently with just two wins in their last eight games, including a five-game winless streak. They have recently been a high-scoring team and that hasn't changed as they are second in the league in scoring with 3.39 goals per game. Defense has been steady at times, but the Bulldogs are seventh at 2.91 goals allowed per game.

The Bulldogs have four players with over 20 points, led by Brian O'Neill with 28 on 15 goals and 13 assists. He has nine goals on the power play and three have been gamewinners. Andrew Miller leads the squad with 21 helpers and is second with 26 points. Kenny Agostino has chipped in with 10 goals and 12 assists, while Antoine Laganiere has recorded eight scores and 12 helpers for 20 points.

In net, Jeff Malcolm has earned 20 starts and is 9-9-2 with three shutouts, including one against the Raiders earlier this season. He has allowed 51 goals on 593 shots for a .914 save percentage. He has recorded a 2.59 goals against average in over 1,100 minutes played.

SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 94th meeting between these two schools, dating back to Colgate's second season as a varsity program back in 1916-17. Yale has recorded a 4-0-2 record over the last six games and the teams have played a very entertaining series in the last seven matchups with four overtime games and the series is tied in those games with 1-1-2 records. The Bulldogs came away with a 2-0 win at Ingalls Rink back on Nov. 5.

SCOUTING THE BEARS
Brown has enjoyed some success this season, but has not been very consistent. The Bears have had big wins over Cornell, UNH, Providence and Union, but losses to AIC and Holy Cross. They are currently on a four-game losing streak and two wins in their last 10. Brown sits at 8-12-3 overall and a 5-9-2 record, which is 11th in the league. The Bears have only scored 54 goals as a team this season and only Rensselaer has scored less at 49 goals.

Jack Maclellan is the lone 20-point scorer on the team with 23 points on 12 goals and 10 assists. Seven of his goals have come on the power play and four have been gamewinners. He has 11 goals in league play this year and 17 points. Ryan Jacobson is second on the team in points with 17 and is tied with Bobby Farnham, who has six goals and 11 assists. His 11 helpers are tied with Matt Wahl for tops on the team. Matt Lorito has enjoyed a good rookie season with six goals and 11 assists for 17 points.

In net, Mike Clemente has earned 18 starts this year and is 7-10-1 with a .908 save percentage. He has allowed 48 goals on 522 shots. He has recorded a 2.59 goals against average. Marco DeFilippo has seen action in five games and is 1-2-2 with a 2.47 GAA and a .930 save percentage.

SERIES HISTORY
Colgate leads the series 50-20-3 in the previous 73 meetings, including the 5-3 win on Nov. 4. The first game between these two schools came back in 1934-35. The Raiders have dominated at home with a 28-5-2 record, while Colgate has a smaller advantage in Providence with a 20-12-1 record. Colgate earned its 50th win over the Bears with the win earlier this season. Brown became the fourth school Colgate had earned its 50th win over, joining  Cornell (56), Rensselaer (56) and St. Lawrence (63).