Yeah he said at one of the recent press conferences, that they were picked to finish 11th in the ECAC and while he didn't expect them to be first, he knew they were certainly not 11th.
The difference is that they're not just relying on one line, as they have in past years. Players like Atkinson and Holt are thriving. The first line of Lampe, Zurevinski and Beaudoin has been dominant in almost every game. Lampe in particular has been stellar. Rand has said that he's been their best player in all 3 zones of the ice and he was dominant in that Harvard game. Wong has had a good comeback year after missing most of last year with an injury. The freshmen defensemen have been more than advertised. That Robert Morris game aside, they are giving the team a chance to win and no one expected Clarke to bee as good as he has in net.
Now if they can avoid their usual new year slide, they'll be in great shape heading into the ECAC playoffs.
Oh and they were up 5-0 against Princeton after 2. Simply amazing.