ALBANY, N.Y. --- The regular season is over and the intensity picks up another notch as the ECAC Hockey Conference’s playoffs begin Friday, March 7. The 12 school conference’s top four teams, third ranked Union (24-6-4, 18-3-1), number -18 Colgate (17-12-5, 13-6-3), sixth ranked Quinnipiac (22-8-6, 12-6-4) and 13^th ranked Cornell (15-8-5, 11-7-4), all have first round byes, but eight other schools will square off in their best-of-three, first round series.

Twelfth seed Princeton (5-24-0, 4-18-0) will travel to fifth seed Clarkson. The Golden Knights (18-14-4, 11-9-2) are 2-5-2 since Feb. 1. During that time, the offense has averaged just 1.8 goals per game. The Tigers have also struggled during the second half of the season, riding a four-game losing streak en route to a 2-12 second half mark.

Sixth seed Yale (15-9-5, 10-8-4) will play host to number-11 Harvard (10-15-4, 6-12-4). The 16^th ranked Bulldogs, the defending national champions, won the season series, posting a 1-0-1 mark. They also topped the Crimson 5-1, in their non-conference game, played at Madison Square Garden.

Tenth seed Dartmouth will travel to seventh seed RPI. The Big Green (8-17-4, 7-13-2) come into the playoffs with just one loss in their last six games, posting a 4-1-1 record during that time.  The Engineers (14-14-6, 8-9-5) are 2-2-2 in their last six games.

Finally, eighth seed St. Lawrence (13-16-4, 7-11-4) will entertain ninth seed Brown (11-15-3, 8-13-1). The Bears were shutout by both RPI and Union, on Friday and Saturday, losing both games by identical 3-0 scores and are just 2-7 since the beginning of February.  The Saints march into the playoffs following their 5-0 win over Princeton, Saturday, earning them home ice for the first round. Prior to the shutout win, St. Lawrence was riding a two-game losing streak.

Union, Colgate, Quinnipiac and Cornell await the winners of these four first round match ups. The conference’s quarterfinals are slated to begin on Friday, March 14.

On March 21-22, the conference’s top four post season teams will face off in Lake Placid when the Olympic Center plays host to the 2014 ECAC Hockey men’s championships.  The winner of this tournament will receive an automatic bid to the 67^th annual NCAA Division I men’s hockey tournament.

Lake Placid last played host to the tournament from 1993-2002 and the event marks the 53^rd overall conference championship.  The two semifinal games will take place Friday, March 21, at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and the championship game will be played Saturday, March 22, at 7:30 p.m.

All-session tickets can be purchased by calling the Lake Placid Olympic Center box office at 518-523-3330, or by visiting www.tickets.com. Tickets are priced at $50 for adults (ages 13-64), and $40 for juniors (12 & under) and seniors (65 & older), along with a special student ticket of $20 available, student identification card required, at the campuses of the four participating teams and a special designated ticket window at the 1980 Rink - Herb Brooks Arena box office.

Media Advisory—Attached to this press release is the 2014 ECAC Men’s Hockey Championship credential request form. Media interested in obtaining credentials for the event must complete the form and return it via fax (518) 487-2290, or scan to email, ekrajewski@ecachockey.com, to the League office not later than 4 p.m., Monday, March 17.

-- ORDA --

Established in 1982, the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) was created by the State of New York to manage the facilities used during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games at Lake Placid. ORDA operates Whiteface, Belleayre and Gore Mountain ski areas; the Olympic Sports Complex at Mt. Van Hoevenberg; the Olympic speed skating oval, Olympic jumping complex and Olympic arena. As host to international and national championships, the Authority has brought millions of athletes, spectator and participants to the region, resulting in significant economic development.