The countdown races onward on Sunday, a day that many believe should be reserved for rest, with a player whose energy on the ice lead the Big Red to be anything but restive. There are 26 days remaining until Cornell faces off against Colorado College at Lynah Rink which means that at this time it is appropriate to highlight the many contributions of senior forward John Esposito. Esposito is a player whose contributions stood out upon his first appearances in carnelian and white.

Esposito's last goal of the 2011-12 season bookends well with the first goal he scored in his collegiate career. Both were scored against ECAC and Ivy-League foe, Dartmouth. He scored his first goal at Lynah Rink against the Big Green and pushed the score to 4-0 after goals from Colin Greening, Riley Nash, and Brendon Nash. It was Esposito's first ECAC game and his first regular-season game at Lynah Rink. He was only a freshman at that time and he has not slowed down since then.

His freshman campaign was notable. Watching him play at the Times Union Center and assist Cornell to its twelfth Whitelaw Cup was impressive. His speed and opportunism took center stage. They had no small part in guaranteeing that Cornell left Albany victorious.

Cornell confronted Brown in the 2010 ECAC Championships Semifinals. The Bears proved not to be a match for a very hot and reliable Scivens between the Big Red's pipes, but it was Esposito who dazzled on offense in that game. He contributed two points during that game. He fed Locke Jillson with a great assist that opened the scoring and then just over ten minutes later converted an opportunity for a goal that put Cornell over Brown 2-0. The final score would be 3-0, but the importance of Espo's role in the game can scarcely be overstated.

Esposito did not appear again on the score sheet during the two remaining games of the 2009-10 season. However, his role in penalty killing during the 2010 ECAC Championships Final against Union was crucial because it was he who tired the Leaman-led Dutchmen with his impressive speed. His opportunism and swiftness allowed the Red to change lines while he advanced the puck into Union's zone on several occasions. His tenacity to chase down the puck, especially aggressively into the corners, was of such a nature that it would make Ned Harkness smile (For those who do not know, Harkness remarked famously that "[i]f a player won't go in the corners, he might as well take up checkers"). His freshman-year contributions allowed Cornell to bring home its twelfth Whitelaw Cup. Let's hope that it is not the last time he helps the Red do that.

Esposito has developed an almost Jillson-like ability to deliver in big games. In addition to his 2010 ECAC Championships contributions noted above, Esposito tallied an assist against the Wildcats of the University of New Hampshire in the hostile environment of the Whittemore Center. His scoring penchants against the 'Cats continued into his sophomore year when he produced a goal and an assist against UNH when they braved Lynah Rink. The next night he performed an encore against an RIT team that had just a season before went to the Frozen Four with a crucial assist. His sophomore campaign continued with a goal against St. Cloud State at the Florida College Hockey Classic. All of these games had high stakes for national pairwise and in all of these games, Esposito delivered.

Last season did not mark a downturn in such a trend. However, misfortune deprived Esposito of what would have been the most crucial out-of-conference goal for Cornell in the 2011-12 regular season. Cornell's seeding would have been much higher heading into the 2012 NCAA Tournament had the Hockey East officials at Madison Square Garden made a different call at 2011 Red Hot Hockey.

The video below shows the sequence of events. Esposito takes a hard shot at the blue line. The puck takes an odd deflection, goes into the air, strikes neither the netting nor ceiling, falls back onto Millan's back, and banks into BU's net. The puck crosses the plane of the goal line before the whistle is blown, but the referees on the ice overruled the decision of those in the video reviewing booth to conclude that the on-ice officials had intent to blow the whistle before the puck crossed the plane of the goal line. It was the regular-season game with the anticipated highest stakes while being played on the biggest stage. Esposito's goal would have been the game-winning goal for Cornell at 2011 Red Hot Hockey.

Esposito will have another chance to score and have it count at The Garden on November 24, 2012 when the Big Red meet the Michigan Wolverines. I hope that he seizes upon this opportunity as lingering late-season injuries hampered largely his ability to compete at his fullest in the 2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal against the Wolverines. Why should such an explosive player be left out of the fun?

Injuries have plagued periods of Esposito's career. He missed six games that encompassed almost the entire length of January for the 2010-11 season. His junior year, he missed 11 games that spanned from mid-January 2012 through the end of February 2012. The exception within that timeframe was Esposito's return to play the weekend series against Brown and Yale in February.

The role of Esposito with respect to the team is undeniable. Cornell went 3-3-5 while Esposito was out for injury during the 2011-12 season. In Espo's absence, Cornell had a winning percentage of 0.500. This record is significantly below the season-long average of 0.643. It is apparent statistically that even when Esposito does not appear on the box score, that he motivates and generates for the Big Red. The 2011-12 playoff run-up and playoff season demonstrated this fact clearly.

Esposito missed seven games due to injury, but with an Ivy-League title on the line, he chose to play the weekend against Brown and Yale on February 10 and 11. Cornell had beaten only Dartmouth in the span before that weekend while he was injured. Esposito's return immediately changed the pace and demeanor of the game.

Cornell seemed energized to win its first Ivy-League title in seven years. One cannot help but think that Espo had a large part to do with re-energizing the team. He totaled a point and an assist over that weekend, both against Brown, but his play and the opportunities that he generated in the Yale game ensured that Cornell would claim an Ivy-League title for the 2011-12 season. For playing with a significant injury, he seemed to jump into play quickly, tenaciously, and effortlessly.

Injury kept Eposito out for the remaining portion of the regular season. An end-of-the-regular-season loss to RPI cost Cornell the chance to win a ninth regular-season title, but Cornell had won the only regular-season title that is given some weight among the Faithful. Espo used Cornell's earned bye as the second seed in the 2012 ECAC Tournament to nurse his injury.

Dartmouth arrived on East Hill for the 2012 ECAC Quarterfinals and after almost two weeks of rest, Esposito contributed immediately. The first game on Friday evening saw him score two goals and work feverishly to get a hat trick. Esposito and Miller generated many of the best opportunities in what would become the longest men's ice hockey game in the history of Lynah Rink, but Sean Whitney would be the player to end the game after almost two overtimes. The following night, even though Dartmouth was particularly physical toward the injured Esposito, he found the chance to provide an assist on the first goal of the game that began a cascade that would lead to a convincing Cornell win of 3-1 over Dartmouth to advance to the 2012 ECAC Championships.

Esposito's crucial role did not disappear when Cornell traveled out west to the NCAA Midwest Regionals in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Even though Ferris State ultimately would eliminate Cornell and prevent the Big Red from earning a 2012 Frozen Four berth, Esposito fought tirelessly into the last seconds of that game to prevent such a result. He played still injured, but with an impressive passion and tenacity. He seized upon many opportunities generated from backchecking to outrace Ferris State players down the ice, took several shots, and generated many opportunities, but the Bulldogs's Nelson did not allow any chances to slip by him in the waning minutes after Ferris State went up 2-1. Esposito never tired. He never quit. We know that he will not do either when Cornell seeks to return to the pinnacle of the sport in Pittsburgh in 2013.

Esposito's play is one of the most crucial and most potent components of Cornell's offense heading into what many of the Lynah Faithful think will be a historic season for the Big Red. His offensive production has grown substantially from his successful freshman season though the 2011-12 season. He generated 0.29 points per game as a freshman. His production ticked upward to 0.39 his sophomore year. His production markedly leapt to 0.63 points per game during his junior campaign.

One must keep in mind that Esposito played eight games of the 2011-12 season injured. Furthermore, both his sophomore and junior years were hampered with fewer games due to injury. Injuries likely reduced his production during both seasons. Both seasons witnessed significant improvements over their respective preceding season. Relative to the team, Esposito, even injured, was among the top ten producers of points on Cornell's roster. He ranked ninth despite serious injury. He is among the top eight of those players who return for the 2012-13 season. In terms of offensive production as a factor of points per game, Esposito is tied for fourth on the current roster.

Espo's contributions, both quantifiable and qualifiable, are enormously important to Cornell. His ability to force turnovers, handle the puck, and outmaneuver all opponents makes him crucial to a Schaferian system that emphasizes puck possession. We hope that Esposito can remain healthy during the entirety of the 2012-13 season. He will be crucial to the team in achieving its lofty goal for this coming season. His skill and high energy will be essential to the team as it has been for all seasons previous.

Perhaps to ensure that he can keep his energy as high as is needed to drive the Big Red juggernaut forward as he has in the past, we need to make sure that he gets his requisite rest. He jokes often about his habit of taking naps before games. We embrace his gameday rituals. They certainly pay off. We cannot wait to see Esposito scorch the ice in just 26 days for the beginning of the 2012-13 regular season against Colorado College.

The first member of Cornell's phenomenal recruiting class from last season to be included on this countdown is Joel Lowry. Lowry arrived on East Hill highly touted as a top recruit. His presence on the ice and contributions last season lived up to the much-deserved hype.

Much has been made about Lowry's pedigree. His father is a veteran of the NHL who played for the Canucks, Blues, Panthers, Sharks, and Flames. His younger brother, Adam, took the alternate path of Joel. He currently plays for the Swift Current Broncos in the WHL, a Canadian major junior league. We think that Joel made the right choice.

Even though your program may say that Lowry is from Calgary, AB, he was born in the United States. He was born in St. Louis, MO while his father played for the Blues. His family then moved to Calgary in 2000 where he has stayed generally with Lowry's father serving as both players for the Flames and coach of the WHL's Calgary Hitmen. It was Joel's desire to play college hockey that kept him in Canada.

Joel Lowry joined the Victoria Grizzlies of the very respected and very competitive BCHL. He represented the Grizzlies for two seasons. His consistency and grittiness began to show even then. He accumulated 133 points with appearances in only 117 games. His 2010-11 season was abbreviated because he suffered an injury that kept him off the ice for nearly two complete months. Notwithstanding this injury, Lowry accumulated almost twice as many point as he had in his first season with the Grizzlies. This tear led him to become the highest scorer in terms of points per game in the BCHL. Even with this hiatus, Lowry remained the second-highest scorer in terms of points for the Grizzlies.

Lowry returned to hockey next to don the carnelian and white at Lynah Rink. His trek to East Hill from Victoria, BC began just six months after he was still reeling from a severe ankle injury. However, his statistics from his freshman season showed little cause for concern. It is likely nonetheless that some lingering effects of the injury might have hampered his off-season development. That possibility alone should make the Lynah Faithful very excited to see what additional skills and vibrancy he will bring to Cornell's barn in just 28 days.

Just off a stellar season that was plagued with injury, Lowry skated for the Big Red after a short off-season in all 35 games for Cornell. He continued to contribute more with strategically planned passes and helpers than goals, but, as the video shows above, Lowry knows when to take the initiative when the opportunity arises. Plus, the video shows how Lowry knows when to capitalize on bountiful opportunities when playing against our archrival in the wrong shade of red. The goal shown is not only Lowry's first goal against the Crimson, but Lowry's first goal at Lynah against an NCAA Division I team (he scored a goal previously in an exhibition tilt against Carleton University). He accumulated 22 points with 16 assists and 6 goals last season.

Many of Lowry's greatest contributions do not appear on the score sheet. He sets up many of the plays that lead to the generation of great scoring opportunities. This impressive hockey intelligence in Lowry will be much appreciated on a roster that loses two very smart hockey players in Sean Collins and Locke Jillson. He has the poise to know to whom to pass the puck or whether to make the play alone. This skill will only increase as his career at Cornell develops.

It is axiomatic that the maturation arc between player's freshman and sophomore years is the steepest. When one combines that with the fact that Lowry came off an incomplete season before and possibly a less rigorous off-season before his freshman season at Cornell, the improvement arc for him likely will be very steep. Lowry will become one of the most reliable and key players on a regular basis for the Big Red.

Lowry's hockey intelligence led him to significant achievements in just his first season. He scored 0.63 points per game. Lowry was ranked 37th among rookies in the nation for points per game. Lowry's pace of point-earning placed him sixth among ECAC players who played the minimum number of games to be considered for national ranking. The exception who would rank higher if he were added? His teammate, Brian Ferlin. Harvard was the only other program that played in the 2012 ECAC Championships to have a player ranked as highly while Cornell would have two.

Lowry's poise around the net is seen in the above video as well as in the setup of the goal that he scored against Colorado College in the second of a two-game series that began Cornell's rally to take three-points out of the Tigers. The superb scoring chances that he generated during Red Hot Hockey 2011 are an example of things to come. His hockey sense was also very apparent in the Red's clash against the Quinnipiac Bobcats in January. Cornell managed to rally with two short-handed goals to beat the Bobcats at TD Bank Sports Center. Lowry scored the second of those short-handed goals. He positioned himself spectacularly to receive the pass and slip the puck past Hartzell during an odd-man rush to win the game. It was Lowry's first game-winning goal for the Big Red. We can expect many more.

The misfortune that placed Cornell down one goal during the 2012 NCAA Regional Final did not deter Lowry and his linemates. They dug in and battled passionately. They generated several great opportunities, but with a solid Taylor Nelson in net for the remainder of the game, the Big Red would be denied despite the impressive offense that freshman forward Joel Lowry generated.

Lowry was among the nine current players for the Big Red who attended an NHL Development Camp over the summer. The Los Angeles Kings selected him in the fifth round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Lowry is one of eight members of the 2012-13 Cornell team that an NHL team drafted.

His presence within the Kings franchise is already appreciated. His popularity among fans of that SoCal NHL franchise is undeniable. He is one of the few prospects that is referenced commonly by name on Los Angeles Kings fan fora. The Kings fans to their credit, at least in the opinion of WAFT, do a great job to follow and celebrate the accomplishments of their recruits. Lowry's progress in the NCAA post-season was chronicled fairly regularly on Kings News Daily. It is quite refreshing and flattering to Cornell's Los Angeles Kings prospect, Joel Lowry.

Perhaps, you might have heard that the Los Angeles Kings did some winning of note after the 2011-12 NCAA season ended. We hope that there is enough winning left in the franchise that it rubbed off on one of its premier draftees while he visited its development camp over the summer. Cornell has two championships in mind for this season (if a regular-season ECAC title or Ivy-League title is earned in the process of winning the other two, we can accept that). Joel Lowry's penchants for assists makes us think that he'll be plenty of help in getting the Big Red there.

North Carolina native Erin Barley-Maloney is a forward that the Big Red was lucky enough to gain from the University of Vermont.  In her first season with the Big Red last year, she more than proved that the transfer was beneficial for the Lady Rouge.  She had multiple-point games with regularity last season, proving to be a strong forward on the second line.  Barley-Maloney seems to have a strong presence on the ice with her 5' 5".  Looking back on Barley-Maloney's career, she is poised for a big year in her final season of NCAA eligibility.

Before she even got to college, Barley-Maloney had an impressive pre-college career.  She skated with the U-17 and U-18 USA Hockey National Development camps in 2006 and 2007.  That did not stop when she got to college.  As a freshman for the Catamounts, Barley-Maloney started off with a bang.  She was the first Catamount to get the spot on the Hockey East All-Rookie Team.  She had 21 points in her first year, which was the most for a rookie forward.  She was strong on the power play, getting 12 points, the second most in all of Hockey East.  Multi-point games were something that she started early in her career, having six in her first season.  Other honors accrued her first year included being named Hockey East Rookie of the Week and twice being runner-up for rookie of the month.  She was also named to the Hockey East Weekly Honor Roll four times.

In her second year at Vermont, Barley-Maloney skated in 19 games, and recorded 8 points in that span.  She helped the Catamounts tie and beat Boston College, defeat current ECAC foes Princeton and Clarkson and notched an assist on a game-winner in their 7-17-9 season.

After taking a year off from NCAA hockey, as required for a transfer, Barley-Maloney came to the Big Red and had a stellar year as a forward.  She topped the number of points in her freshman campaign and ended the year with 22 points, equally split between goals and assists.  Four of her 11 goals were on the power play.  Three times she notched the game-winner including the overtime game-winner at Dartmouth on January 21.  Her play improved as the season went on and she looks to improve upon that this season as one of the key returning forwards.  Of the seven seniors who graduated last year, four of them were forwards.  The forwards last year had a combined 156 points and 64 goals. The two defensemen who left added another 18 points and one goal.  Those are some pretty big shoes to fill, but Barley-Maloney is more than up to the challenge.  We at WAFT are excited to see her dominate her senior year!

The countdown continues with senior goaltender, Omar Kanji.  While Omar might not have the ice time that Iles has, he has been no less integral to the team since his arrival in the Fall of 2009.  Ever the team player, Kanji has served as the third goalie for his first three years for the Big Red.  Kanji was a big get for the Red, hailing from Thornhill, Ontario, posting impressive numbers for his previous team, the Upper Canada College varsity team.  This year, Kanji will be the second goalie for the Big Red.

Amongst other awards, he was a three-time member of the ECAC All-Academic Team.  This honor requires a minimum of a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale.  This award came on the heels of the award Kanji won at the 51st Annual Hockey Awards Banquet.  The Earle Award of Outstanding Academic Achievement, which is awarded to the member of each class with the highest cumulative GPA.  For the junior class, Omar Kanji was awarded this accolade that was named in honor of Wendell Earle, former Cornell professor and team adviser.

What cannot be overstated is the intangible: Kanji's integral presence on the team.  It is apparent that Kanji plays a much more important role than is evident from ice time, points, shutouts, or minutes played.  In baseball, one talks about how much "clubhouse presence" one has that contributes to the team's emotional and mental states as well as the overall feel of a team.  Kanji has this in spades.  His presence behind the bench, in the locker room, and in team-bonding interactions is one which makes Omar Kanji an incredibly important part of the team.  With fewer goalies than normal, Kanji has a real possibility of seeing playing time this year. The team knows that they can rely on Kanji when he is needed. The Faithful should rest easy knowing the same. 31 Days!

Countdowns typically build to a crescendo of excellence. The nature of this countdown is not conducive to such a build-up, especially when in the modern era the goaltenders at GoalieU wear numbers in the 30s. Anyone who has watched any game in which Iles has played since his freshman year has seen his poise and composure. Observers can attest that this countdown begins on an extremely high note.

Andy Iles is from Ithaca, New York and a product of a great Upstate New York hockey culture. A fact that shows in his work ethic and tenacity. He first took the ice at Lynah Rink not in carnelian and white, but in the stars and stripes of Team USA U18 in October 2009. The clash was between goaltenders Ben Scrivens, who was then a senior and on the verge of becoming a Cornell goaltending legend in his own right, and Andy Iles, who had committed to Cornell and would be an incoming freshman the next Fall. What resulted was a spectacular game for Iles wherein he outdueled Scrivens with 39 saves and defeated Cornell in an exhibition game. Cornell has lost only one exhibition game since 2000. It was to its current goaltender. This began a trend.

Iles has manifested a noticeable ability to elevate his play when the emotional or consequential weight of a game requires him to do so. His freshman year this was most pronounced in Cornell's game at Lynah East. Harvard outplayed Cornell most of that game. Iles elevated his game, delivered 33 saves against an aggressive Harvard onslaught, and protected a tenuous 2-1 lead for Cornell to claim an emotional victory at Bright. He delivered an equally amazing performance in the 2011 ECAC Quarterfinals clash with Quinnipiac where he made 30 spectacular saves. The team would lose 1-0 largely because of the failures of the officiating staff to set up goal review equipment despite Iles's valiant efforts.

This trend continued last season. It was most recognizable in the series at Colorado College, the game against Union at Lynah, and the 2012 NCAA Tournament when Iles was on many occasions the difference maker. Colorado College head coach Owens remarked after Cornell's 1-0-1 2012 trip to World Arena that Iles "was outstanding and as good of a goaltender that they would see all season." Iles ensured that Cornell took three points from Colorado Springs with protecting a lead the second night and delivering a performance the first night that could have been improved only if it were a shutout.

Union came to East Hill in February 2012 with nationally ranked goaltender Troy Grosenick and seeking to clinch its second regular-season title. Cornell with a win would ensure that it would win the regular-season title if the following night Cornell equaled or surpassed Union's result at Starr. Lynah was the loudest that I had experienced during that game. Union fans were bragging proudly about how Grosenick was the best goaltender in the nation. Many of the Lynah Faithful, including me, informed them that no, Iles was in fact the most talented goaltender in the nation. The product on the ice spoke for itself. Iles outperformed Grosenick fairly markedly.  As soon as Cornell tied the game at 2-2, the result never seemed in question because few, if any of the Faithful, thought that Union would get another goal. Iles delivered a clutch performance and put Cornell in control of its destiny to win a ninth regular-season title in that game.

Cornell suffered a disappointing defeat to archrival Harvard in the 2012 ECAC Championships Semifinal game. The poor ice surface that would melt and mar at a rate that should be unacceptable for a prestigious collegiate tournament led to pucks bouncing and following paths of odd deflections. Cornell knew when it took the ice to face a Colgate team that had swept them fairly convincingly during the regular season that they had a win-and-you're-in ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Iles controlled the game with a shutout and the Big Red forwards dazzled the Atlantic City group with quite a display of skill and prowess. Iles's shutout earned him the right to go tête-à-tête against another Hobey Baker Finalist: Shawn Hunwick.

This is a post about Andy Iles, so I will not digress for long, but the class and character of Hunwick deserves to be noted and celebrated in the annals of Cornell hockey history, as well as those of Michigan hockey where he is already a legend. He manifested the greatest of sports in his last act as a Michigan Wolverine.

Despite letting an early goal past him, Iles was steadfast in the crease during the clash of, what I believe to be, the two greatest college hockey programs. Iles ensured the victory with 31 saves against a potent Michigan attack. Cornell had to kill off 8:24 of penalties during the second period alone. Cornell's defense and Iles killed off over one minute of Michigan's 5-on-3 play during the second period. Cornell had not killed off a single 5-on-3 opportunity all season. The defensive core and Iles delivered when it was needed most and upset the one team that many thought was the sole legitimate challenger of Boston College in winning a national championship.

The most crucial saves in the win over Michigan that Iles made were in the last 29 seconds of regulation. He battled in the crease against several opportunities after an anomalous collapse in Cornell's defensive zone turned over the puck to Michigan's Treais right on Iles's doorstep. Iles forced the game to go into overtime and gave Cornell the opportunity that it needed to win in overtime. This game and Iles's performance in it will not be forgotten among the Lynah Faithful.

Iles was one of nine current Cornell players to have been invited to an NHL development camp. Iles attended the Carolina Hurricanes Conditioning Camp in Raleigh, North Carolina. He was instructed by goaltender coach Greg Stefan who serves as the Carolina Hurricanes goaltending coach while there. Stefan is the current coach for NHL goaltender Cam Ward. Stefan has since remarked that he was especially impressed with Iles's worth ethic and willingness to learn. The Hurricanes goaltending coach seemed to wave aside considerations of size. He emphasized that Iles displays the athleticism that makes him a great goaltender, and the mental and emotional toughness that are fundamental to success as an elite goaltender. Even though Iles might not need a career in the NHL has a career path, it is apparent that NHL programs have interest in Cornell's unrestricted free agent goalie.

Any post about a goaltender would be amiss not to include statistical analysis. Iles was the third-highest ranked goaltender in the nation last season with six shutouts. He registered a goals against average of 2.08 and a save percentage of 0.920. Iles was second in the ECAC in terms of win percentage with a record of 0.682. He was the first goaltender since famous Cornell netminder Darren Eliot in 1982-83 to have played every minute for his team. An even more impressive fact is that Iles was the first sophomore since Laing Kennedy in 1961-62 to have played every minute for the Big Red. The season was 16 games shorter in Kennedy's era.

Andy Iles' sophomore performances ranks 19th all-time in terms of save percentage (tied with Brian Cropper's save percentage during his junior performance in Cornell's undefeated and untied season), 17th all-time in terms of goals against average (just 0.06 behind Scrivens' sophomore performance), and sixth all-time in terms of shutouts (tied with Ken Dryden's junior performance) in the history of Cornell hockey.

Statistically, what improvement can the Faithful expect between a sophomore and junior season for an already impressive goaltender such as Iles? Seven of the legendary goaltenders to have played for Cornell have stayed for all four years. They include Kennedy, Dryden, Cropper, Hayward, Eliot, Underhill, and Scrivens. Only two of those goaltenders experienced declines in either their goals against average or save percentage between their sophomore and junior seasons. Those two goaltenders experienced decreases in both. They were Eliot and Dryden (admittedly, it would have been hard to improve upon Dryden's sophomore performance of 0.945 and 1.46).

Kennedy, Cropper, Hayward, Underhill, and Scrivens all witnessed improvements between their sophomore and junior seasons. The average improvement across all of those goaltenders who improved is a boost of 0.026 to their save percentage and 0.93 to their goals against average. If Iles experienced the average improvement, his numbers for the 2012-13 season would include a save percentage of 0.946 and goals against average of 1.15.

Such numbers would give Iles the second-best all-time save percentage and best all-time goal against average in a season in the history of Cornell hockey. Even though this model might not be entirely accurate the fact remains that Iles has shown that improvement is all but guaranteed and the Big Red can depend upon him, especially when they need him most.

Statistical accolades were not the only recognition that Iles won last season. His contributions were recognized most passionately by those closest to the Cornell hockey program. Iles was recognized at Cornell's 51st annual awards banquet with four awards. Iles won the Joe DeLibero-Stan Tsapis Award, Nicky Bawlf Award, Shutout Award, and Wendell and Francelia Earle Award of Outstanding Academic Achievement. Iles was a finalist for the ECAC's prestigious Ken Dryden Award.

The DeLibero-Tsapis Award is the award given "to the player who most nearly exemplifies the skilled efficiency, unselfish dedication, and hard-nosed competitive applications that distinguishes him as representative of Joe DiLibero's and Stan Tsapis' uniqueness." Iles was clearly deserving with his indefatigable presence in the net all season and his tireless dedication to making plays when they need to be made exemplified most during the last seconds of the Michigan game. The Nicky Bawlf Award is given to the player who was most valuable to the team throughout the season. The team chooses to whom to give this award. Words can scarcely capture the significance of such team recognition. Iles convincingly won the Shutout Award with accumulating six shutouts with five at Lynah Rink in consecutive home games. The only losses earned against Iles at Lynah last season were the first home game against Mercyhurst and the last home game against RPI.

The last award that Iles won deserves particular emphasis. Collegiate athletics, most pronouncedly in the Ivy League, emphasizes at its best the academic achievements of student-athletes. Andy Iles is immensely successful in the classrooms on the Hill and has earned a very impressive grade point average. His academic achievements are only augmented when one considers the rigors of training required for preparation at the highest level of the sport of college hockey, social pressures to succeed and continue the winning traditions of Cornell hockey, and particular emphasis upon continuing the history of excellence in goaltending for a University that is nicknamed often GoalieU. That is why the Earle Award of Outstanding Academic Achievement should be highlighted among the many accolades that Iles has earned and will earn. The Award is named in honor of Wendell Earle who was a Cornell professor and team adviser who hosted visiting families of Cornell hockey players. The recipients of the award are "the team members from each class who have achieved the highest cumulative grade point average."

Andy Iles will continue to impress the Lynah Faithful. Someday his play will be the stuff of legends. He will be integral to the many successes of the team during the 2012-13 season. That is why we conclude with a lighthearted fan video that celebrates the many appreciations of the Lynah Faithful for their goaltender, Andy Iles. The Faithful chant "ugly" typically when opposing golatenders remove their helmets. When Iles does the same, as he often does during games, the Faithful let their goaltender know what they think of his appearance...

While we are trying to do a look at the players of Cornell hockey with the number of days until Cornell Hockey season, we would be remiss not to include senior defenseman Laura Fortino.  So, even though we are much less than 77 days 'til the ladies in red take the ice for the first time this season, we need to recognize one of their most prominent players with an unusually high number.

Fortino has had a stellar career at Cornell for the past three seasons with the Red as well as on other teams.  Before Cornell, she played for two years for the Canadian U18 team.  She had the honor of serving as assistant captain and also brought home 2 silver medals for the Canadians.  She played for Team Ontario Red serving in the same position, winning 2 gold medals for her province.

Freshman Season (2009-10)
As a freshman, Fortino had a standout first season.  She played in 33 games and totaled 34 points with a career high 13 goals.  On top of her incredible scoring (including a shorthanded goal in the NCAA semifinals against Mercyhurst), she was only called out on one penalty the entire year.  As the only member of the Big Red to notch a point in every post-season game, it is not surprising that she also picked up back-to-back ECAC Rookie of the Week honors in January.  In addition, she pulled double duty playing for Canada's U22 team in the MLP Cup winning a gold medal during the winter.

Awards were numerous for Fortino her freshman year.  Most notably, she was the first player on the Cornell women's hockey team to win first-team All-America honors, ever.  That alone is a record that will stand.  She ranked fourth amongst rookies in the nation in scoring, and second overall for defensemen.  Closing out her season, she added two more awards to her shelves: first team All-Ivy and All-ECAC honors.

Sophomore Season (2010-11)
If Fortino's first season left a lot to be lived up to, she did not disappoint in her second season at all.  Fortino's reputation as a defenseman who scores was only reinforced with a career-high 41 points, nine of which were goals.  With 32 assists, she was the Big Red team member with the highest number of assists.  She also pulled double-duty again playing for Canada in the MLP Cup earning the honor of "Most Outstanding Player" in the championship game.

And the awards just kept on coming.  Fortino won her second-straight first-team All-America honors.  In addition, she notched first-team All-ECAC Hockey and All-Ivy honors once more.  New accolades this year included being named to the all-tournament team of the ECAC Hockey Tournament and being named the Ivy League Player of the Year.  As if that were not enough, Fortino was not only a nominee for the prestigious Patty Kazmaier Award, the highest award in all of women's hockey, but she was a top 10 finalist, and the only defenseman in the list.

Junior Season (2011-12)
Fortino just kept rolling in her junior year.  She was once again a stellar player for the Red.  While her point total dropped off ever-so-slightly (37 total points), Fortino once again pulled double duty for the Red and Team Canada.  In November, she played for Team Canada in Sweden in the 4 Nations Cup.  She also had a standout game in the beginning of November with a career-high four points against Syracuse.

Award-wise, her junior season was once again impressive.  Fortino garnered a third-straight first-team All-American, third-straight first-team ECAC Hockey and All-Ivy honors, as well as being a second-straight Patty Kazmaier top ten finalist.

Laura Fortino has been a stellar player for the Big Red in her three seasons.  With a staggering 112 points in three seasons, Fortino is poised to break 150 points with a great season and 100 assists.  She is currently the Big Red player with the most points, which is astounding for a defenseman.  (Though junior forward Brianne Jenner is right on her tail with 108 points in her two years).  As a multiple nominee for the Kazmaier Award, perhaps Fortino could be the player to first bring it to Cornell.  Her awards and play speak volumes about her, and her leadership on the ice will be something that will be a void hard to fill after this season.

But for now, we have one spectacular year left with this spectacular player.  Keep your eye on 77, Laura Fortino.

Lady Rouge Learn Their Poll

The season is almost upon us and you all know what that means, right?  POLLS.  Before the season starts, the USCHO began their weekly polls for Division I women's hockey.  This poll places our very own Lady Rouge at number three in the nation, following reigning champs Minnesota and runner-up Wisconsin.  Minnesota got 15 first place votes.  It isn't terribly surprising, given how the top of the poll mimics the national championship.  However, what is of interest is the number of teams that the Lady Rouge are scheduled to play this year.  Cornell has Boston College (4), Boston University (6), ECAC foe St Lawrence (7), Northeastern (9), and Mercyhurst (10) on its schedule.  That is half of the top ten teams in the country!  On top of that, Ivy rival Harvard just barely missed the list, getting 28 votes.  ECAC teams Clarkson and Quinnipiac also received votes.  While polls don't mean everything, it is nice for the Red to be recognized nationally before the season begins.

Women's Preseason All-ECAC Team Is Half Red

The beginning of the season brings a lot of preseason polls, and this one recognizes individuals on the women's team.  The six-member squad named includes 3 Big Red players.  Both defensemen slots went to our ladies in red with seniors Laura Fortino and Lauriane Rougeau earning those honors.  Junior Brianne Jenner snatched up one of the three forward spots.  The remainder of the team consisted of Harvard forward Jillian Dempsey, Quinnpiac forward Kelly Babstock, and Clarkson goalie Erica Howe.  It is wonderful to see three upperclassmen recognized for their outstanding efforts.


The Great White North Calls For A Lot Of Red

Six current players and Lady Rouge alumna Rebecca Johnston were invited Hockey Canada's National Women's Team September Camp. The Camp invites 40 elite Canadian female hockey players to compete for spots on Team Canada's 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship. Participation and competition in the Camp is but one important criterion that Hockey Canada uses to determine who will represent the Great White North in the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games. Johnston is familiar to this process as she succeeded in earning a spot on Team Canada's roster for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. She will be joined by current Big Red players Laura Fortino, Lauriane Rougeau, Jessica Campbell, Brianne Jenner, Jillian Saulnier, and Cassandra Poudrier.

Michael McCarron Making A Lot Of Noise Before He Gets To East Hill

This week's newscycle certainly has been dominated by articles related to the dominating prescence that is Michael McCarron. Most impressively are the glowing reviews that he has received from the United States of Hockey. The post mentions his impressive skill as well as his tenacity. I am sure that many among the Faithful will be happy to see his intensity welcome on a griding, grueling Big Red roster in just one year.

The second major announcement is a quasi-victory for WAFT. For those who do not know, Michael McCarron was committed originally to the land-grant institution of his homestate. The McCarron family of John and Michael seem to have little love lost between it and the Wolverines if one recalls John McCarron's comments during the press conference before the 2012 Midwest Regional Semifinal between Cornell and Michigan. So, Michael planned to suit up for Sparty. However, just as the off-season was upon Cornell, Michael had a change of mind and decommitted from Michigan State. Then, he committed to Cornell. Partially to play with his brother, but I am sure that he will find many more reasons to love what Cornell, Cornell hockey, and the Lynah Faithful have to offer. I know that WAFT is excited to watch his development (up close on October 19 when Team USA U18 ventures to Lynah Rink) and we look forward to welcoming him to East Hill.

Michael McCarron was announced as a participant in the inaugural All-American Prospects Game that will be held in Buffalo, NY on September 29. He is one of three representatives of the ECAC. His selection is a great testament to his talents. However, USA Hockey, the entity that organizes the game, persisted to list Michael McCarron as committed to Michigan State through the end of last week. This led to a few twitter exchanges with USA Hockey and the Buffalo Sabres organizations. The Sabres organization has seized upon its sponsorship to gain exposure for local hockey talent in Western and Upstate New York. WAFT thought it important that the most historic and successful college hockey program of New York State, and the only one of ten New York State universities that sponsor to have a representative at the All-American Prospects Game had that representative and program recognized so that he and Cornell received proper exposure. Especially, when people in Western and Upstate New York will be looking for a nearby fix for high-level, competitive hockey now that the start to the Sabres' season is delayed.

Now, the situation is resolved. The Lynah Faithful are proud to claim Michael McCarron as a future player for the Big Red and we wish him well at the All-American Prospects Game and as he competes with Team USA U18. WAFT will keep you appraised of his many successes to come in the near future.

Lynah Rink Slated To Appear On The Big Stage Twice

The NHL lockout cometh. As many feared in the hockey world, the NHL lockout commenced over the weekend when management and players unions could not come to agreement on terms. NBC has doubled down on hockey as its strategic vehicle to crack into the 24-hour sports broadcasting establishment. So, when NHL hockey is on-hold, NBC Sports takes the step of increasing coverage of collegiate hockey games to fill airtime that might remain dead for a matter of a few weeks when the college hockey season begins.

NBC Sports will broadcast both of the Cornell games that the network will cover from Lynah Rink. The two games include the interesting choice of the January 25, 2013 clash against Yale. I find this choice odd considering other than a short period when Cornell went winless against Yale during the span of 1-2 graduating classes including two embarrasing losses to Yale in the ECAC Championship Final in 2009 and 2011, Cornell-Yale clashes are not particularly heated or emotional. With Schafer gleefully breaking that disappointing streak against the Elis in November 2011, I do not have reason to think the January 2013 clash will make for particularly great televesion. Even though, I think that Lynah has the character and personal ambiance that makes it positioned uniquely to expose the the nation to the best of college hockey with the best fans in college hockey, even if one of the two chosen games is not a marquee game or opponent.

The best of Lynah will be on display with what is likely to be the largest national television audience to ever watch a Cornell hockey game from Lynah on November 16. NBC Sports made a brilliant selection to air the Cornell-Harvard game from Lynah. If NBC Sports invests the production time, this could be good television, not just a good hockey game as the best rivalry in collegiate athletics will take center ice.


Mason Cup Will Stave Off The New (College Hockey) World Order For An Extra Day

In what will likely be the last reverberations of The Realignment of the college hockey world in the wake of the creation of the Big Ten Hockey Conference, the CCHA has decided that it will crown its champion on Sunday rather than Saturday evening. This has forced the ESPN/NCAA Selection Show to be pushed back from early in the morning the Sunday after conference championship finals to late Sunday evening. This has the practical effect that it will give teams a shorter period of time for scouting and video coaches to amass their data and videos to prepare their teams for the opponents that they will meet the next Friday.

The oft-neglected element of the CCHA's move to Sunday? The CCHA decided that by moving the game back to Sunday that it no longer would be to host a consolation game. I feel bad for those teams that make the CCHA Championships at The Joe that may be on the bubble and would have relied upon that game to play into the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Cornell needed such a play-in game in 2012 with the ECAC Championships Consolation Game. So, the Lynah Faithful will be able to empathize with any teams that fall off the bubble because of the lack of one last game.


See ya, you goon

This section this week is not addressed to any criticisms of Cornell hockey, but rather comments made on another hockey blog toward a less successful, but emerging, program. A team that won three national titles in five years should not feel so insecure that it needs to take shots at a newcomer to its conference, right? Evidentally, BC Interruption doesn't think so as it commonly takes shots at UConn for the Huskies's goal to become competitive in Hockey East. The latest included:

            "Including all 11 (2014) and 12 (2015) programs only increases the chances that a non-TUC program -- looking at you,
            2011-12 Vermont and every season UConn -- faces an NCAA Tournament bubble team...However, this may have a
            much bigger impact the following season, when the fifth best team in the conference will have to play the last-place
            team UConn in the first-round of the 2015 tournament."

I am not sure why BC Interruption feels compelled to mock UConn. One mocks teams for three typical reasons: 1. the team that is the target of mocking is a traditional rival, 2. the team that is the target of the mocking has fans who lack historical perspective and condescend to established and already successful programs, 3. the mocking fans are insecure about their success. Considering, that 1 and 2 are out because BC and UConn are not rivals, and UConn has recognized unconditionally and unequivocally that it will be an uphill battle to be successful in Hockey East. So, it must be the third. I guess it makes sense. A program that rises to an astoundingly dominant status after a more than five-decade long absence from the pinnacle of the sport is bound to question internally when the dark times will come again.

Also, BC Interruption, when condescending to UConn about its competitiveness within a conference, consider that in 22 years in the ECAC, BC won only two ECAC Championships. BU and Cornell didn't seem to have a problem as they won five and six ECAC Championships respectively. I guess it might take a program that was uncompetitve to recognize one. However, lay off UConn, they will do fine, and it isn't becoming of the fanbase of a national champion to lord itself over an emerging program.


Un-U-sual?

This story might not have made the cut had this post not been running one day late. Union head coach Bennett handed out ECAC Championship rings to those players who are on the roster from last season and Jeremy Welsh who even though he won't be joining the Dutchmen to finish his collegiate career at Union, because he chose to join the ranks of the Carolina Hurricanes franchise, was on hand because he is training in Schenectady until practices can begin at the Hurricanes's AHL affiliate (I wonder if Bennett delivered the rings to those who graduated who were not at Union). The ring has a pronounced block U in the center, as can be seen in the picture. It commemorates the 2011-12 season during which Union won its first Whitelaw Cup. This left me with a few questions.

Is this common for ECAC teams? I have done a cursory search online of all teams who have won in recent memories and can find no such rings for Cornell, Princeton, or Yale. WAFT is sincerely curious. Why the choice to get such a championship ring? I enjoy the fact that Union is appropriately and deservedly happy to have brought home its first Whitelaw Cup, but I was curious how unusual or out of the ordinary it is for programs that win an ECAC Championship to have such rings made.

If this becomes a convetion, then Cornell might need to follow the example of one other dominant franchise and borrow a theme for shirts from another dominant franchise.

This will be the last of a nearly uninterrupted series of posts that emphasize and wax poetically about Cornell hockey and the ECAC until much later in the season. Next week, WAFT will begin special features and posts dedicated to the run-up to the beginning of the Cornell hockey season on October 20 against Boston University for the women's team and October 26 against Colorado College for the men's team. However, a few events during the off-season and over the last two weeks have been worthy of note and particular emphasis.

Various programs have had their respective ticket lines over the week from the perennial line at RPI to the inaugural line at Penn State. This caused me to begin to think about what it is exactly that makes Cornell hockey and the Lynah Faithful unique.

Are we unique? Or, are we merely partakers, perhaps originators, in a common rite of passage among the most passionate fanbases in college hockey? The Line was the point of entry for this conversation but it concludes with the statements and actions of Sean Whitney, who completed his senior campaign in March, that highlight what I believe that makes the Lynah Faithful and those who don the carnelian and white on the ice different than any other players and fans throughout all of college hockey. It is these characteristics that sets the experience of Cornell hockey far above the experiences anywhere else.

The difference could not be wins. There are programs, admittedly few, but they do exist, that have more wins than does Cornell. It could not be national titles. There are programs with more national titles. The size of Lynah Rink? Its capacity is at approximately the average for a college hockey barn. Loudness perhaps? I contend that we are the loudest fans in the loudest venue but the Children of Yost will beg to differ. Also, is loudness a great enough hallmark to make our fans as unique as we pride ourselves on being? What makes the Lynah Faithful special is something more emotional. Something more visceral.

It is not The Line that started before the 1962 clash against Harvard and continues uninterrupted through the modern era that makes us unique, but the reason that generations of Cornellians have chosen to wait to become Lynah Faithful, through good times and bad, through both highs and lows in program history, that makes Cornell hockey and its fans the exemplar of what is great about college hockey. What makes us special is an unending, unabridged connection between past and present, players and fans.

The culture of Cornell hockey is one in which one can ask any member of the Faithful the last time that Cornell won the ECAC Championship and have that member answer correctly (2010). Similarly, most Faithful know without a second's thought that Cornell is the only program in NCAA history to have completed a season undefeated and untied (1970). They observe and remember fondly (even though it ended long before many of their births) the historic BU-Cornell rivalry in the ECAC that began with Ken Dryden between the pipes. Most recognize that Ned Harkness amassed a large portion of his historic coaching career, for which he still holds the NCAA's best record as a win percentage (0.729), behind the bench at Lynah. The Faithful value that it is where the Cornell-Harvard rivalry began in earnest in 1973 with the Lynah Faithful throwing fish on the ice at the Crimson as reciprocity for Harvard throwing a chicken at goaltender Dave Elenbaas in Cambridge earlier that season. It is where the renaissance of an arguably dormant program began in 1996 with the arrival of Mike Schafer who coached the team to an improbable ECAC Championship in his first year, the first that Cornell had won in a decade, and the beginning of Cornell dominance in the Cornell-Harvard rivalry. The structure and aesthetic of Lynah are a connection to the past and a celebration of the history and traditions of Cornell hockey. The Faithful and our antics connect us to fans and players from long gone eras, and to the current players on the ice.

History and tradition forge a cohesiveness among the Faithful that is absent from almost all other fanbases in college hockey. A dedicated Cornell hockey fan or member of the Lynah Faithful is not just a fan among many other fans at Lynah, but they become a collective, invested, and emotional whole. This connection does not evaporate upon leaving Lynah. Cornell is truly an Ivy League institution with a Big Ten heart. The pride at Cornell is unequaled in the Ivy League, and unsurpassed at any other institution or in any other conference. The most common, but not exclusive, gratuitous demonstration of this pride is through the shared experiences of Lynah and the path to becoming a Lynah Faithful. It has been said to elucidate this point that "Cornell isn't an organization. It's a loose affiliation of independent fiefdoms united by a common hockey team."

It's not about wins. Even though it is indescribably fun to watch the Big Red win. If it were about wins, loyalty and passion would wane during the rare droughts in success for Cornell hockey. They do not. It is about connections to the past, fellow fans, and players. It is this connectedness that makes the Lynah Faithful and Cornell hockey the most special fanbase and program in college hockey. Members of the Faithful and players cease to be mere participants in and spectators of a sporting event. They become family.

Sean Whitney's above comment says everything that needs to be said. I know that I feel the same as he does. His role in Cornell hockey history will not be forgotten, especially by members of the Faithful like me who watched him play on East Hill. I think that all the Lynah Faithful, most if not all who feel as I do, love that the players on the ice feel as we do perched on our wooden benches: connected. Whitney's comment proves that. His presence in Lynah Rink will be sorely missed.

Whitney was not without one last demonstration of the connection and emotion between fans, players, and history of which I speech throughout this post. I happened to be at the March 10, 2012 ECAC Quarterfinal game against Dartmouth. Cornell won the game in convincing fashion the night after Whitney ended the then-longest game in Lynah Rink history with a double-overtime goal. It was Whitney's last game at Lynah Rink and his last wearing the classic Cornell home whites. As his final act in Lynah Rink, he skated to center ice as the team began to file down Cornell's tunnel. He knelt down at center ice and ate some of the snow. He took a piece of Lynah with him.

Whitney's action are certainly memorable and should live on in the annals of Cornell hockey history. However, even had Whitney not done what he chose to do, what is shown below, he would have taken a part of Lynah with him. The Lynah experience is incumbent in being a Cornellian. Once that experience affects us, we are all bound. Wherever we go, we take that connection with us. It is through deep connection, history, and emotional investment that the Lynah Faithful and Cornell hockey are unique and how this fanbase and its players forge bonds that endure generations. That is why each generation of Faithful that chooses to wait in The Line is never disappointed to find that it was well worth the wait.

Outlook Hockey Does A Stellar Analysis of the Incoming Lady Rouge
The Cornell women's ice hockey roster had a high attrition rate after last season with losing a very talented class of eight players. They will leave behind undeniably a large void to fill. That class led Cornell to its first Frozen Four and national title game in the history of the women's program. Some worry that such a class would be nearly impossible to replace. Their roles will be forgotten never, but Outlook Hockey shows how developed and deep the freshman talent is that Coach Derraugh brought to East Hill for the 2012-13 in the form of Anna Zorn, Jess Brown, Victoria Pittens, Taylor Woods, Kelly Murray, Morgan Richardson, Cassandra Poudrier, and Stefanie Moak.


The Hockey Guys Serve Up A Big Red Snub?
While the women's ice hockey team was getting special attention from Outlook Hockey, the incoming men's ice hockey class was getting no particular attention from The Hockey Guys. The Guys made a list of what they believed to be the top ten incoming recruiting classes in college hockey. They considered not simple quantitative criteria like NHL draft picks or direct comparison of junior league statistics, but attempted to take a holistic account of the impact that each new class will have upon the program that it is joining. They recognized honorable mentions for Minnesota-Duluth, Harvard, and Denver and ranked the top ten as follows: 10. Ohio State, 9. Minnesota, 8. North Dakota, 7. Boston College, 6. Providence, 5. Miami, 4. Boston University, 3. Michigan, 2. Nebraska-Omaha, 1. Notre Dame. Cornell is noticeably missing.

A few among the fanbase were upset or distraught by that fact. However, considering that Cornell brought in what College Hockey News recognized as a top-ten recruiting class just last season, this season is more of a reloading rather than a rebuilding year. Cornell lost key defensemen in Ross and Whitney, and clutch forwards in Collins and Jillson. However, with players like Miller and Esposito remaining and those like Ferlin, Lowry, and Bardreau maturing, Cornell really needed more reliability than flashy, point-scoring talent in the incoming class. Willcox and Stoick will attempt to provide that reliability and I am sure that with some time Knisley, Hilbrich, and Tiitinen will become reliable point producers in their own right.

Comparison of the season's classes indicates that there is no cause for alarm either. Notre Dame was ranked in the top ten for both last season and this coming season. Last season, Notre Dame failed to earn a bid to the national tournament. Another interesting note is that Providence cracked the top ten classes. I think this is an indication of the recruiting talents of Nate Leaman and that he will have Providence bursting onto the national season much like he did while building the talent reservoir and system that still exists at Union two seasons after his departure.


Redcast: (Possibly) Slightly Less Horrifying This Season

In news that is sure to delight Cornell hockey fans who cannot attend games regularly, Cornell Athletics announced that it would now be offering sporting events in HD.  Redcast has long been considered to be of questionable quality, with games being broadcast blurry and occasional stoppages of streaming video entirely.  It seems that the new HD feed will be an asset both for men's and women's hockey though in differing capacities.  The exact wording from the press release is below.

            "Cornell has upgraded connectivity at Schoellkopf Field, Lynah Rink, Newman Arena and Friedman Wrestling Center             to allow for higher quality feeds. In addition, new HD radios will upgrade the audio feeds for football, men's ice hockey             and basketball, as well as men's lacrosse. In addition, professional audio broadcasts will be available as part of the                 video feeds for home events involving sprint football, women's basketball, women's ice hockey and women's
            lacrosse."

While it would be nice for those fans away from Lynah to be able to see these games in a reliable fashion, we will wait and see how Cornell athletics improves the quality of Redcast.  After all, if RPITV can produce excellent quality broadcasts (see: 2012 ECAC Semifinals and Finals in Atlantic City), Cornell certainly can do it!  We look forward to seeing improvements in quality this year and into the future.


Crest Is Better (Just A Friendly Reminder)

The tickets for the marquee match-up of Colgate's season went on sale at midnight. Colgate's rival, Cornell, will play at historic Starr Rink on Friday, November 2, 2012. WAFT encourages Colgate to renovate rather than replace Starr, but the replace movement has gained some traction regrettably. I encourage all who are able to attend because this may be one of the last clashes between the (Red) Raiders and the Big Red to be played at Starr. As much as I think that Cornell's meetings with 'Gate do not rise to the level of heated rivalry that 'Gate claims, Colgate remains a program that I respect immensely and it represents some of the best aspects of ECAC Hockey. 'Gate humbled Cornell last season and through Austin Smith showed great character. Furthermore, it will be the first ECAC weekend of the season during which Cornell will embark upon its quest for its thirteenth Whitelaw Cup. WAFT will be there to watch from the beginning.


Rosen Chooses a Design That Celebrates Golden Knights History

Some might not be aware that Clarkson sponsored a contest to redesign goaltender Cody Rosen's helmet for the 2012-13 season. Submitted designs required a submission fee of $5.00 to be considered by the Golden Knights's netminder. The proceeds from the submissions were donated to the Relay for Life. It is such a great cause and a great contest idea. Taylor Salisbury, a Clarkson alumnus, submitted the design during his senior year. The design celebrates Clarkson greats on the side shown above. Those greats include Willie Mitchell and Erik Cole, among others. Clarkson with Casey Jones at the helm is poised for a big year.

I think it is part and parcel to being Lynah Faithful that one gains quickly an appreciation for all things goaltending. So, I like the helmet design a lot. The one side that celebrates the Golden Knights pep band and fans reminds me of one other goaltender's mask from Cornell.

The bookends of the 2012-13 regular season for Cornell announced that practices had begun or will begin in the near future last week. Union tweeted the above that indicates practices are well underway at Messa Rink. Colorado College will begin captain-led practices today, September 10. The two mentioned teams are disparate in several ways. Colorado College is a program with rich history that failed to earn a bid to the 2012 NCAA Tournament and hopes that it will avoid a repeat of such a feat. Union is a program with a history of success that is recent. Union is looking to return to the highest level of the sport again this coming season. Of particular interest to Cornell is that Colorado College represents the first regular-season game that the Big Red will play this season (at Lynah on October 26, 2012) and Union is the last regular-season home game for the Big Red (February 23, 2013).


A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words

Not much can be added that the above image does not capture already. Images of SLU's locker room were released at the end of last week. The locker room is gorgeous and by far one of the nicest that I have seen. I think that such an addition for one of the historic programs in the North Country is good for the ECAC especially on the heels of a momentous end to last season (Union in the Frozen Four and Cornell toppling Michigan) and a successful off-season (Quinnipiac holding on to Pecknold despite Hockey East interest and various ECAC programs gaining recruits that Hockey East programs recruited heavily). The pre- and post-realignment era will prove to be a chance for the ECAC to reassert not only its relevance, but its prominence in college hockey.

Something seemed off when I saw this picture after Union had clinched its first ECAC Championship in Atlantic City in March. No, I do not mean that as a sarcastic comment about how far Union has come in its 21 years in the ECAC. I meant that a key element in the photo, the focal point even, was different than it should be. The Whitelaw Cup awarded to the 2012 Union College Dutchmen looked different than the Whitelaw Cup that had been awarded to previous ECAC Champions. I knew that it looked very different from the Whitelaw Cup awarded to Cornell in 2010 when I had the pleasure of watching that dominant team defeat a well-coached Union team to claim yet another ECAC Championship. I watched the 2011 ECAC Championships on CBS Sports and recognized that Yale's 2011 Whitelaw Cup was nearly identical to the one awarded to Cornell in 2010. So, I decided to research the history of the appearance of the Whitelaw Cup.

The results of my search are posted above in a gallery of six Whitelaw Cups awarded over the span of seven years. These were the years for which it was easiest to find an image in which the form of the Cup was readily discernible. As one is always able on WAFT, click the images if you want to view a larger version for better comparison.

The trend is fairly pronounced. The appearance of the Whitelaw remains relatively constant from Cornell's eleventh Whitelaw in 2005 through Yale's second in 2011. The slight variation that is noticeable is that the Whitelaw had a less polished patina in the earlier 2000s than it did in 2006. Notwithstanding the brilliance of the finish of the Cup, very little changed in its appearance. It maintained the same shape and general appearance.

The form of the Whitelaw changed drastically some time between March 2011 and March 2012 when Union celebrated with it on the ice of Boardwalk Hall. Maybe it was the seabreeze. Maybe it was the Jersey Shore. But, the Cup increased in volume by what appears to be a factor of four. The accessory, understated handles on the side of the Cup grew. They extended from the base of the Cup to the top, scrolling into the beveled opening, much unlike the small handles that extended only slightly from the base of the Whitelaw that Yale, Princeton, Harvard, and Cornell hoisted. The height of the Whitelaw grew considerably too to about 1.25 the total height of the trophy.

The next thing I looked at to see exactly how much history and tradition was altered within a matter of one season of hockey was to check what Whitelaws from further back than 2005 looked like. The only place where I knew that there were many on displays was Cornell's locker room in which a large portion of the collection of trophies that Cornell has won are displayed. I used a video in which Schafer was interviewed in the locker room to get a glimpse at what those previous trophies looked like. I've pieced the images together into a panaroma, found below, of the view of the trophies from part of the locker room.

The dates on each trophy cannot be deciphered. However, based upon the timing of ECAC rebranding and the 2005 photo in the above gallery, one can conclude that the trophy in the center is Cornell's 2010 Whitelaw. The 2005 photo in the above gallery appears most similar to one of the other three similarly looking cups in the photo (the far left and the two rightmost). That leaves two trophies that look nearly identical to the trophies in the above gallery (2005-11) remaining. If one assumes that the four ECAC Championship trophies pictured are Cornell's four most recent ECAC Championship wins, the oldest would have been won in 1997. That would mean that the Whitelaw Cup remained unchanged for at least 14 years.

Why the change? I checked the ECAC Hockey website and press releases to read what was said about the Whitelaw Cup in formal press releases. I was suprised pleasantly to find that the ECAC press release that describes the Whitelaw Cup includes a photograph of a representative Whitelaw. It is below pictured.

The representative Whitelaw Cup looks like those won from at least 1997-2011, but likely even earlier. It looks very different from the trophy that Union received in March 2012 at Boardwalk Hall. I expect that when a trophy changes in a conference that alleges that it takes itself and its history seriously that there would be a public announcement regarding the redesign of the trophy. Hockey East did this in 2008 when it redesigned its regular-season championship trophy. Why didn't the ECAC do the same with such a drastic trophy change for the tournament championship?

The ECAC is currently the second-oldest collegiate hockey conference in the nation. It will be the oldest conference when the 2013-14 season begins. The only way that title is challengeable is if people argue that retention of one charter member (Michigan Tech) in the WCHA Lite makes it the clear heir to the historic WCHA. I am not convinced that it does. I digress. The ECAC is at least the second-oldest collegiate hockey conference in the nation whose constituent members include the oldest universities in the nation to sponsor NCAA hockey and the oldest hockey programs in the nation.

The ECAC Championship is the second-oldest collegiate hockey tournament championship recognized in the nation. The WCHA crowed its first champion in 1952. The ECAC crowned its first champion in 1962. The CCHA did the same a decade later. The ECAC Championship trophy was named in honor of former ECAC Commissioner Robert M. Whitelaw in 1989. The Broadmoor Trophy became the standard WCHA Championship trophy in 1985. The Lamoriello Trophy did for Hockey East in 1988. The CCHA Championship trophy was not recognized as the Mason Cup until 2001. By either metric, the Whitelaw Cup is one of the oldest and most historic tournament trophies in college hockey.

Three of the four named historic tournament champion trophies have one thing in common: absolute consistency in appearance over most of their lifespan. The Broadmoor Trophy, Lamoriello Trophy, and Mason Cup follow this trend. The Whitelaw Cup does not. The appearance of the Whitelaw verifiably remained unchanged from at least 1997-2011. It likely was unchanged much longer. Even if the simplistic cups in Cornell's locker room that are not indentifiable to an eye, such as mine, that has not seen them in-person are earlier versions of Whitelaws, why the change now again? Moreover, why the change in 2012 without any publicity?

The ECAC celebrated its move back to Lake Placid as the appropriate choice with claims emphasizing the historic nature of the league and once-and-future host venue. I am sure that in 2014 there will be no shortage of marketing that heralds the ECAC Championships in Herb Brooks Arena as "the oldest and most legendary hockey programs in college hockey in the most famous hockey arena in the United States." It is a nice catchphrase, but as a conference and fanbase if we do not value the history and prestige of our most prestigious honor, do we really deserve such appellation? Can we really claim that we care that much about the history of the conference and winning its grandest trophy if we allow the embodiment of that achievement to change without questioning those whose hallmark decisions include moving the tournament outside of the league's geographic footprint for increased television coverage and then having no such coverage but a year later?

I've offered many questions, but few answers. I am not sure what the answers are. But, I know that it is wrong when a historic conference abandons its traditional trophy, the one that even appears in its formal press releases still, and the first that loyal fans know of this is when it is handed off to the captain of that year's championship team.

I hope that it was just the Jersey Shore getting to Mr. Whitelaw. He made some bad decisions and ended up not looking quite the way he used to. Maybe it was the G.T.L. lifestyle or the gambling or the women. Maybe he hired a double when he realized he would not be on national televsion. Maybe all of the above. But, I hope that the ECAC and Mr. Whitelaw will take this as a sincere invitation to bring the original back. We preferred him. The version that was rolled out in 2012, even though in some ways more aesthetically pleasing, was not a Whitelaw Cup. That version deserves to suffer the same fate as the television show referenced in the title of this post and the ECAC stint in Atlantic City.