The North Country

Finally, ECAC conference play has returned for Brown! And the Bears appear to be getting healthier as they head north to face Clarkson and St. Lawrence. 

Joey De Concylis and Marco DeFilippo are expected to be available to play this weekend, which should serve as a huge relief to Brown fans who find themselves unable to trust the patchwork defense and previously untested Anthony Borelli in net. Though Borelli will start, it's nice to have a backup we can count on the step in and play solid in net in case he has a stinker of a game. 

But there's no reason to expect any sort of letdown this weekend. Clarkson and St. Lawrence are two teams who have not been playing well of late. The Bears have already tied both opponents at home this year. 

Clarkson has lost three in a row to Mercyhurst and UMass-Lowell, scoring just four goals in the process. Their only two wins in their past eight have come against St. Lawrence. 

Though three of Clarkson's four wins have come in league play and they find themselves in sixth place with a 3-3-1 record, they are more likely than not to begin to reflect their overall record, which is a paltry 4-10-5. 

St. Lawrence made it into early editions of the USCHO.com top 20, but have floundered since, beginning with a tie at Meehan. They have gone 3-8-2 since that Nov. 9 meeting, including a five-game losing streak that finally came to an end on Jan. 5. 

Brown has a history of frustrating the hell out of St. Lawrence, a fact that has been well-documented by bewildered Saints fans even during some of SLU's better seasons (does a 6-0 romp at Meehan during the 1999-00 season, in which St. Lawrence made that excellent NCAA Tournament run, ring a bell?). 

This weekend is a big one for all three teams. It's an opportunity to get some points and move up in the standings. Clarkson would like to maintain their decent ECAC play, while St. Lawrence will look to return to their early season success and make a drive up the standings. Brown, on the other hand, still has yet to win an ECAC league matchup (0-3-4), and this weekend is an excellent opportunity with two struggling opponents at hand. 

The North Country is never an easy place to play, even when its inhabitants are in down cycles. But Brown is coming off a couple of nice wins and good performances. The Bears should expect to get at least two points this weekend.