The start of ECAC Hockey play has been tough on the Clarkson University Hockey team. Through the first three league games the Golden Knights have picked up just one point after starting the 2015-16 campaign with a 5-1 overall record. In its only action last week, Clarkson suffered a 3-0 loss at archrival St. Lawrence on Friday.

Things won't get any easier for the Knights this weekend as they make their longest ECAC Hockey road trip of the season, beginning with 2/3-ranked and unbeaten Quinnipiac (11-0-0) on Friday in Hamden, CT. The Green and Gold play Princeton in New Jersey on Saturday. Both games are 7:00 p.m. faceoffs. Guided by fifth-year head coach Casey Jones and assistants Phil Roy '00 and Josh Hauge, Clarkson, ranked 20th in the latest USCHO.com poll, stands at 5-3-1 overall and 0-2-1 in the conference.

• In their all-time series, Quinnipiac leads Clarkson 12-9-2. The Bobcats have controlled the series recently going 6-2-2 over the last 10 games and 3-1-1 in the past five meetings. Last season, the teams split with Clarkson winning (2-1) at Cheel on November 21, and Quinnipiac winning 4-1 at High Points Solution Arena for its third straight victory over the Knights in Hamden, CT. Quinnipiac is 5-2-1 against Clarkson in its 3,286-seat arena.

• In one of Clarkson's oldest rivalries, the Knights lead Princeton 79-30-5. The series first started in 1928 with a Clarkson victory and the Knights have dominated the Tigers for much of the past 10 decades. The Knights are 8-2 in the last 10 games, but hold just a 3-2 advantage in the past five meetings. Each team won on its home ice last year with Clarkson posting a 4-0 shutout at Cheel on November 22 and the Tigers winning 2-1 at Hobey Baker Rink on February 13.

• After outscoring its opponents 20-5 through the first six games en route to a 5-1 record and its best start since 1991-92, Clarkson has been held in check in the early going of the ECAC Hockey play, combining for just three goals in three league games.

• The Knights' five-game unbeaten (4-0-1) streak at St. Lawrence's Appleton Arena came to a close on Friday with the loss to the Saints, the second shutout the Green and Gold have suffered against their arch-rival in the last four meetings.

• The Knights' power play, which was clicking as one of the best in the nation during the season-opening non-league portion of the schedule, has been shut down during ECAC Hockey action. Clarkson has gone scoreless on 10 man-advantage opportunities in league play. Overall, Clarkson is 9-36 (25%) on the power play, tied for 10th best in the country.

• While the power play has struggled, the Knights have shown improvement while shorthanded. Clarkson is a perfect 11-of-11 on the penalty kill in ECAC Hockey play, and is 32-of-37 overall (86.5%), tied for 19th in Division 1.

• Junior A.J. Fossen (Maple Grove, MN) still leads the nation in power-play goals with five, but has not recorded a point in the past three games. Fossen is the Knights' leading goal scored (5) and is tied for second in points with seven.

• Junior Jordon Boucher (St. Therese, QUE) has tallied a team-high nine points (3-6). He has at least one point in six of the first nine games.

• Sophomore Sam Vigneault (Baie-Comeau, QUE) is tied for fifth in the country in game-winning goals (2). He is one of three Knights with seven points (2-5) on the year.

• Junior James de Haas (Mississauga, ONT) powers the Clarkson offense from the blueline with seven points (1-6).

• Clarkson's is averaging 3.11 goals per game, 24th in the country. The Knights have scored four-or-more goals in each of their five wins and have had a pair of six-goal outings.

• Seventeen players have accounted for Clarkson's 28 goals. Twenty Knights have recorded at least one point.

• Sophomore Brett Gervais (Corona, CA) has taken the most draws for the Knights at the faceoff circle (80-75, 51.6%). He is fifth in scoring for the Green and Gold with six points. and is one of three Knights with a team-high +4 plus/minus rating.

• Senior defenseman Kevin Tansey (Hammond, ONT) leads Clarkson in blocked shots with 13 to go along with a +4 rating and one goal.

• Clarkson has outshot seven of its first nine opponents, 302-219 combined total.

• Junior Steve Perry (Ligonier, PA) ha started all nine games for the Knights and posts a .893 save precentage, a 2.55 goals against average and one shut out.

• Senior defenseman Paul Geiger (Stouffville, ONT) is in his second year as the Golden Knights' captain. Classmates Jeff DiNallo (Aurora, ONT) and Pat Megannety (Oakville, ONT), and James de Haas serve as assistant captains.

• Clarkson has one of the most experienced teams in the country with 25 lettermen, including eight seniors and eight juniors.

• Clarkson, which lost only two players from last year's team, returns 86.9% of its point production from 2014-15, the fourth highest returning percentage in Division I.

• Four current Golden Knights have been selected in the NHL Draft – James de Haas (2012 Detroit - 6th rd, 170), Terrence Amorosa (2013 Philadelphia - 5th rd, 189), Troy Josephs (2013 Pittsburgh - 7th rd, 209) and Kelly Summers (2014 Ottawa - 7th rd, 189).

• Two former Knights were on NHL opening-day rosters – Mark Borowiecki '11 (Ottawa), and Willie Mitchell '99 (Florida). Several former Clarkson standouts are on AHL/ECHL rosters.

Scouting Quinnipiac

Quinnipiac is perfect on the year with an 11-0-0 record. The Bobcats, guided by 22nd-year head coach Rand Pecknold, stand in third place in ECAC Hockey with a 4-0-0 league mark, but have played two fewer games than conference-leader Rensselaer. The Bobcats are 7-0-0 at High points Solution Arena this season, outscoring the opposition 32-8 on their home ice. In a showdown between top Top-10 ranked teams in Hamden this past Friday, the Bobcats skated past Harvard 4-1. They followed that up with a 6-2 win over Dartmouth on Saturday and a 6-2 victory at Connecticut on Tuesday. Ranked 2nd/3rd in the national polls, Quinnipiac has excelled offensively and defensively. The Bobcats are averaging a Division I-best 4.64 goals per game with the nation's most proficient power play (34.5%) playing a large role in the production. Defensively, Quinnipiac is allowing just 1.73 GPG (seventh in the nation).

Sam Anas (8-7) and Travis St. Denis (8-6) and pace a balanced offensive effort with 15 and 14 points, respectively. Michael Garteig has started 10 games in the Quinnipiac crease and boasts a .931 save percentage and a 1.59 goals against average along with a pair of shutouts.

Scouting Princeton

Princeton, guided by second-year head coach, and former Clarkson assistant (99-02), Ron Fogarty comes into the weekend at 1-5 overall and 0-4 in ECAC Hockey play. The Tigers defeated Maine 3-1 on October 31 in their second game of the season, but have lost their last four prior to Friday's home game vs. St. Lawrence. Princeton has played just two games at Hobey Baker Rink to start the season, losing last weekend to Dartmouth (3-2) and Harvard (3-0).

Princeton is tied for first in the country in having the nation's top penalty-kill (95.2%), allowing the opponents just one goal in 21 man-advantage opportunities.

David Hallisey has a team-high three points (0-3). Colton Phinney has started all six games with a .944 save percentage and a 2.21 goals against average.

The Series:

Quinnipiac leads the all-time series, which first started with a 4-0 Clarkson win in Northford, CT on February 8, 2000, 12-9-2. The teams split last season. Clarkson broke out of a seven-game winless skid against Quinnipiac with a 2-1 victory in Potsdam in the first meeting last year on November 21. The Bobcats, however, skated to their third straight win over the Knights in Hamden, CT with a 4-1 triumph on February 14. Quinnipiac owns a 6-2-2 edge in the last 10 meetings and is 3-1-1 in the last five encounters. Clarkson is 2-5-1 at High Points Solutions Arena with its last victory on the Bobcats' home ice coming on December 4, 2010 (5-3). Defensemen Paul Geiger and James de Haas each have a team-high three points (1-2) in the series. Pat Megannety, Jordan Boucher and Janick Asselin have also scored a goal against Quinnipiac.

Steve Perry boasts a .946 save percentage, a 0.96 goals against average and a 1-0-1 record against Quinnipiac. Greg Lewis is 0-3 in three games against the Bobcats and holds a .869 save percentage and a 4.05 GAA.

Clarkson holds a decisive 79-30-5 lead in the all-time series against Princeton, which began with an 8-5 Knight victory in New Jersey on January 17, 1928. Clarkson is 8-2 over the Tigers in their last 10 games, but is just 3-2 in the last five. The teams split last season with each winning on its home ice. The Knights shut out the Tigers 4-0 at Cheel Arena on November 22, and Princeton gained a 2-1 victory at Hobey baker Rink on February 13. Clarkson's last win in New Jersey was a 4-3 victory on February 8, 2014. Paul Geiger leads the way offensively with six points, including five assists against Princeton. Jeff DiNallo has five points on two goals and three assists. James de Haas is the only other Knights with multiple goals (2) in the series. Steve Perry is a perfect 4-0 against the Tigers with two shutouts on a .953 save percentage and a 1.25 goals against average. Through five games in the series, Greg Lewis holds a .912 save percentage and a 1.93 GAA en route to a 3-2 record.