17. Harvard Crimson
Record: 3-2-0
Series Record: 71-60-8
Friday November 16, 2012

Last Meetings:
November 11, 2011, January 21, 2012, & March 16, 2012
The regular-season clashes between Cornell and Harvard were a microcosm of the season. Cornell defeated the Crimson at Lynah East early in the season in commanding fashion. The Big Red amassed a three-goal lead in Cambridge (Allston, if you insist). The young Red team then shut down and protected a lead for most of the game. Ultimately, the Big Red would surrender two power-play goals to the Cantabs but Esposito had the answer and once again put the game out of reach in the third period. Cornell controlled the flow of that game and dominated it.

The January 2012 meeting saw a different dynamic. Cornell had become known for its tendency to surrender third-period leads by this point in the season. A lesser noted trend was also Cornell's tendency last season to play to the level of its opponent. Cornell played spectacularly in a hostile environment against a ranked Colorado College team just two weeks previous. However, with the Crimson bringing their then-top-ranked power-play unit to Lynah Rink to challenge Cornell's then-longest-in-the-nation unbeaten streak, Cornell leapt to an early lead and surrendered the tying goal with less than eight minutes remaining in the game. The Big Red defended its tie but gained one point from a game that was otherwise winnable.

The advancement of Cornell and Harvard, the second and third seed in the ECAC Tournament, to the 2012 ECAC Championships in Atlantic City ensured that the archrivals met in the semifinals. This opening round of the Championship weekend resembled the closing week of regular-season play wherein Cornell dominated an impressive and prolific Union team to lose the next evening to an RPI team that was entrenched deeply in a rebuilding year. Cornell's tendency to play to the level of its opponents was exacerbated at the end of the season. Sucks went on to force the Big Red and the Lynah Faithful at Boardwalk Hall to endure the largest postseason defeat by either program in the 102-year history of the Cornell-Harvard rivalry. Coach Schafer took responsibility for it ultimately claiming that he had not prepared his team.

Sucks players were awarded 30 points in the three games against Cornell last season. Key contributors, including Killorn and Valek, are gone. However, contributors of 21 points of that 30-point total are still on the roster for the Crimson.

This Season:
The Crimson expects to build upon its successes of last season. No, not by setting a new record of ties in a single NCAA season. Donato, his staff, and his players have made it apparent that they have set their sights on two goals: making the NCAA Tournament and winning the Whitelaw Cup. No Cantabs have accomplished either since 2006. Banter aside, this team from Cambridge, MA has the ability to accomplish either goal. I am sure that Cornell will have much to say about the latter goal.

The season has not started as Donato, et al. had hoped. The Crimson is just 3-2-0 despite having played neither the toughest teams in the ECAC nor a demanding out-of-conference schedule so far. The latter will change when Sucks takes part in its annual trip to the Beanpot consolation game. If it decides to take a detour, it will be for the better of the Conference.

Harvard's three wins have been registered against Bentley, Brown, and RPI. The programs that Harvard has defeated own a combined record of 5-12-4 to date. Sucks suffered an unexpected loss at the hands of its faux hockey rival, Yale, in its third game of the season. The Elis embarrassed the Crimson at Bright Hockey Center, 5-1. The loss to Union last weekend was not wholly unexpected or embarrassing, but when one considers that starting Dutchmen goaltender Grosenick exited the game early in the second period the game takes upon greater meaning. A Harvard offense that was supposed to overwhelm even the stingiest defenses produced only one goal against Union's back-up goaltender who came in cold.

These do not indicate that the emperor that is Harvard's ambitions for the 2012-13 season has no clothes, but it indicates the depths from which Harvard will be attempting to rescue its season. Sound familiar?

The early season comparisons between the archrivals beyond the subjective are as follows: Andy Iles owns currently a 2.14 goals against average and 0.927 save percentage while Raphael Girard has produced a goals against average of 2.49 and save percentage of 0.926; Cornell has averaged scoring 2.33 goals per game while allowing 2.33 goals to be scored on it while Harvard has allowed 2.60 goals per game and scored 3.00; Cornell has 14 players who have tallied at least one point while Harvard has 13 players who have appeared on the score sheet; Cornellians have spent more minutes in the sin bin averaging 15.3 penalty minutes per game to Harvard's total of 10.4 penalty minutes per game; Cornell has converted on its power-play opportunities 21.9% of the time while Harvard has converted just 10.0% of its opportunities; Cornell kills off significantly fewer penalties with a kill rate of 77.4% to Harvard's more impressive rate of 89.5%.

Sucks will bring with it to East Hill this season's most highly touted recruiting class in the ECAC. The class has not disappointed. Freshman Jimmy Vesey ranks second in the nation in terms of goals per game and 13th in the nation in terms of points per game. He was recognized as the ECAC Rookie of the Week this week. He leads the Cantabs in terms of both goals and points. Vesey is ranked first among rookies for production of points per game. His fellow classmate in the wrong shade of red, Criscuolo, ranks 30th in the same category.

Keys to the Game:
Cornell has proven over the last two weeks that its most formidable adversary is itself. I am sure that the players will have taken the needed steps to prepare physically, systemically, and mentally for this clash against the Big Red's most hated foe. However, the key will be to maintain focus in spite of the inevitably high emotions of the most heated rivalry in college hockey.

Harvard does not bring with it any particularly threatening sides of the game like it did last season when it brought the top ranked power-play unit in the nation to Lynah Rink. Harvard maintained that distinction until the end of the season. However, Harvard's current power-play conversion rate of 10.0% is a far cry from the Crimson's ultimate conversion rate of 27.3% in 2011-12. The unrealized offensive potential of Sucks cannot be overemphasized.

Latent offensive potential for Sucks exists and a Cornell team with numbers that are subpar relative to the defensive expectations of Cornell hockey in terms of penalty killing will need to be wary of giving the Cantabs too many opportunities that will allow their offense to start rolling. Harvard against RPI in its last game capitalized on turnover opportunities to make the Engineers pay for their errors. That game represented the first time since defeating Bentley 5-0 that Harvard scored more than three goals. Harvard may be on an upswing in its offensive production and confidence. The Big Red needs to take the psychological advantage early in this game and should act to quash that early in the game Friday at Lynah. However, after establishing this dominance early in the game, Cornell cannot relinquish it because Harvard has played consistently and generated goals relatively evenly throughout all periods of play this season.

The 97th team to represent Cornell University has six players who have scored goals against Sucks. Bardreau, Miller, and Ryan have tallied one goal. Esposito and Lowry have registered two goals. Meanwhile, the Crimson Killer, Nick D'Agostino has tickled the twine an impressive five times in games against Sucks. That leaves eight of Cornell's point earners who have not recorded a goal against the Crimson in their careers. I am sure that they will want to join in on the fun.

Watch the fish. For those readers for whom this game will be their first time attending a Cornell-Harvard game and who intend to throw fish, please read the following. Firstly, good for you. Secondly, do not throw fish any time during game play. The fish are to be thrown as Harvard takes the ice before introductions. The fish are not to be thrown at any other time during the course of the game. Even if there is a stoppage in play. Under no circumstances throw fish onto the ice after the initial fish toss. Most importantly, doing so risks injury to both Cornell's and Harvard's student-athletes. Also, doing so will result in Cornell being charged a delay-of-game penalty giving Sucks a two-minute power play. This happened in February 2011. The resulting penalty caused Cornell to lose the momentum in that game. Cornell lost that edition of the rivalry.

Both Cornell and Harvard have suffered recent setbacks in the season. Cornell endured a sweep last weekend and Harvard lost unexpectedly to Yale while being able to generate only two goals against a Union team that has been forced to rely upon what depth exists on its roster. Both Cornell and Harvard will be looking to this nationally televised rivalry clash to make a statement to a broader audience and to themselves. Both programs will be expecting the high of winning in this heated rivalry to carry their teams onward to later success this season and right their courses in the season. The key task will be to make sure Cornell receives this reinvigoration from beating its most loathsome foe.

Historical Dimensions:
Far too much can be written here any time when Cornell and Harvard meet. It is the greatest rivalry in the ECAC and arguably the greatest rivalry in college hockey with it pitting two of the most historic programs in college hockey and the two most successful programs in the ECAC against one another. Cornell has two key reasons to have a chip on its shoulder heading into this game. Cornell has national ambitions and will need to rebound this weekend in the wake of a disappointing weekend. Cornell looks to avenge being dealt the largest loss suffered by either program in the history of the Cornell-Harvard rivalry in the last meeting between the two programs in the 2012 ECAC Championships. This game will provide Cornell the opportunity to reassert its dominance in the rivalry and to defeat a nationally well-regarded team to quiet any naysayers. The 140th meeting between Cornell and Harvard will have emotional and national consequences like few clashes between these programs in recent memory.

Harvard is one of the most successful programs in college hockey. It has one national championship and the second-greatest number of Whitelaw Cups in the ECAC. Programs are measured most often by their rivals. This is a rivalry of begrudging respect, but one thing is clear when Sucks is measured by the metric of Cornell's success. Harvard Sucks!

Few things of novelty exist in a rivalry as old as is the Cornell-Harvard rivalry. Especially for a rivalry that incorporates fish and even occasionally fowl. Nonetheless, something truly novel will occur in the 140th edition of The Game. NBC Sports Network will broadcast the game to the largest audience that will have seen an edition of the rivalry at the date of broadcast. The Game truly will be a spectacle as the greatest rivalry in college hockey takes center stage on a widely available network with a captive audience that is hockey starved in light of the NHL lockout. Doc Emrick and Pierre McGuire will have the call. Cornell and the Lynah Faithful will have the biggest stage yet to demonstrate that Lynah Rink is the most fearsome venue in college hockey and that Cornell has the greatest college hockey program.

This is Lynah. Where angels fear to tread. Let's show everyone why. Let's remind the Crimson.

The Cornell-Harvard rivalry like all other great rivalries in sports permeate every level of the institutions of the participating programs. Cornell and Harvard are institutions diametrically opposed. Harvard represents the standard bearer of the old guard of American academia as the oldest university in the United States. Cornell represents the forefront of a vanguard that change the philosophical approaches of American universities to education and educational opportunities. Harvard is the oldest university in the United States, but Cornell is the first American university.

The students of Cornell and Harvard have little love lost between them. They respect one another on some level, but that respect disappears upon direct comparison as they see only their distinction. From Cornell's perspective, Cornell is grade deflationary while Harvard is grade inflationary. Cornell is the "working class Ivy" "with a Big Ten heart" while Harvard is stilted. To borrow from Cornell's own marketing campaign in recent years, Cornell is elite while Harvard is elitist. Most Cornellians must realize that those distinctions between themselves and Harvard disappear to people outside of the Ivy League, if not just the Cornell-Harvard rivalry. However, these self-conceptions drive both Cornell and Harvard students to invest considerable energy and care in the tilts between the two programs.

One other level exists. Historically and institutionally, Cornell and Harvard are defined against one another since the founding of the former. Each borrows from the other but makes each adoption its own while assuming the superiority of its choices. The student populations of both universities dislikes one another. The Big Red and Crimsons players who represent each program harbor the same feelings toward each other as do their respective student populations. One can conclude that they are none too fond of each other. The greatest rivalries have yet another level. The historic leaders of great programs create, shape, and augment rivalries between their programs and their hated foes. The best rivalries in sports involve coaches who seize upon these rivalries to elevate their programs and in so doing make these competitions the stuff of legends. The Cornell-Harvard rivalry enjoys this oft-overlooked element as well.

Cornell and Harvard are two programs that are fortunate enough to have been helmed by two great college hockey coaches. All eight Ivy-League institutions have sponsored college hockey at some point in history even though only six do today. However, only two members of the Ivy League have earned a national championship in men's ice hockey. Harvard has claimed one. Cornell has earned two. The historically legendary leaders of both programs led their program to win each program's national championships.

Cornell can claim proudly that it was led by the greatest coach in college hockey history. Ned Harkness led the Big Red from 1963 through 1970. He helped Cornell earn both of its national championships. He will be remembered forever in the annals of college hockey as a head coach who coached three teams for two different programs to national-championship success. Harkness is ranked 26th all-time in terms of absolute number of wins as a head coach. His greatest statistical accolade is that after 42 years since his coaching career ended, he holds still today the record for the best career winning percentage at 0.729. A record that is dwarfed only by Harkness' winning percentage at Cornell that is an astounding 0.854.

Harvard has a legend of its own to claim as its historical legendary coach. The legendary aspects of the story that belongs to Bill Cleary has less to do with his role as head coach of the Crimson and more to do with his contributions to the Harvard Line that helped Team USA claim the United States's first gold medal in men's ice hockey in the 1960 Olympics. Cleary coached for nearly 20 years at his alma mater of Harvard. Cleary ranks 31st all-time in terms of absolute number of wins among college hockey coaches. His career winning percentage as head coach is a modest 0.614. These statistics are coextensive with his career at his alma mater because he coached nowhere else.

Cleary helped Harvard claim two of its eight ECAC Championships and six of its 10 regular-season titles. Harkness helped Cornell earn four ECAC Championships and three regular-season titles of its current totals of 12 and eight respectively. Of the 84 titles that Cornell and Harvard have won collectively, the accolades that Cleary and Harkness accumulated account for 40% of that unequaled total.

Cleary took the position as coach of the freshman team at Harvard in 1968. He did not ascend to the position of head coach of Harvard hockey until after Harkness departed from East Hill in 1970. Cleary and Harkness never coached teams that confronted one another on the ice. Despite this fact, their roles in shaping the tone and central facets of the Cornell-Harvard rivalry cannot be understated. Cleary and Harkness added to the culture that surround the greatest rivalry in college hockey despite the separation of their tenures at their respective schools by one season.

One of the most modern dimensions of the Cornell-Harvard rivalry has its origins in the Harkness Era. Harkness began to recruit Canadian talent to East Hill upon his arrival at Cornell in 1963. That added a dimension to the rivalry that will be discussed later. The element that concerns us now is what was part of Harkness' recruiting pitch to potential student-athletes. He recruited student-athletes from Canada. Most of these recruits, as Harkness would describe later, were the sons of farmers in Canada who were expected to partake in their family's enterprises after receiving education.

The path to the NHL from college hockey was not trodden. In fact, it was one of Harkness' earliest recruits, Ken Dryden, who began to establish the viability and legitimacy of college hockey as a path to the NHL. Harkness would inform potential recruits of the opportunities to study agriculture at Cornell University, a subject area in which the University was required to offer instruction per its status as New York State's land-grant institution. Harkness' pitch afforded recruits the ability to play the sport that they loved while studying a topic that would help them in what was likely to be their life's profession.

Coaches at Harvard saw things quite differently. Cleary then was not the head coach at Harvard, so the first line of attack upon Cornell hockey and Cornell University began with his predecessor, Weiland. Harvard's line of attack went along the lines that the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell offered an education unbefitting of an Ivy-League institution and that it provided Harkness with the ability to compete with athletes who were inferior academically to their counterparts at Harvard College. Notwithstanding the ignorance to most facts that one must enjoy to make this argument, the rivalry between Cornell and Harvard in men's ice hockey began to adopt an institutional tone.

The insult to the academic integrity of Cornell University as a proper Ivy-League institution and peer of Harvard has given rise to the modern era of taunts exchanged between Cornell and Harvard. The seeds of the modern chants of "safety school" and "grade inflation" no doubt have germs in the Harkness Era when Harvard criticized Cornell University and its student-athletes representative as inferior to its own. It is unsurprising that the Lynah Faithful would reciprocate a generation later with informing Harvard that it, not their beloved alma mater, was the safety school because it may be the hardest Ivy-League institution into which to gain admission, but it is the easiest from which to earn a degree with its lax grading policies and noted rampant grade inflation. The recognition of Cornell as one of the most grade deflationary institutions in the nation only has buoyed the modern generation of the Faithful to lob what many perceive and describe as a very stereotypical Ivy-League chant often. A chant that no matter how modern it may seem has its origins deep in the institutional memory of Cornell hockey from the Harkness Era.

Harvard may be able to claim that it revolutionized hockey with its creation of the line change (yes, this is a historical fact), however its most legendary coach has no such claim to fame. The same cannot be said of Cornell's Harkness. Harkness added a depth to the game of college hockey that had been not witnessed previously. He began the practice of putting a coach in the press box with a radio to take notes. Harkness would adjust his strategy mid-game to adapt to lessons from the observations of the coach with a better vantage point. This technique is blase now but ignited the ire of many of his coaching colleagues, not least of all those among the Crimson.

The taunting of "safety school" and "grade inflation" was not the only modern element that has its genesis in the Harkness Era born from his recruiting practices. The recruitment of Canadian players annoyed Harvard especially. Harvard forged its winning tradition upon American talent. It was one of the major hockey programs that lobbied to exclude Canadian players from competing in the ECAC or NCAA. Most viewed these attempts of Harvard during the Harkness Era and directly thereafter as a pointed affront to Cornell and its Canadian student-athletes. The stylistic choices of The Harvard Crimson make this assumption of Cornell all the more believable as it adopted "the Canadians" as a pejorative for Cornell in articles written about editions of the Cornell-Harvard rivalry.

Much like the Harvardian insults of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in the Harkness Era, it did not take long for Cornell to reclaim and embrace the attempted slight. Cornellians, no matter their national origin, incorporated pride in their Canadian student-athletes into a unique tradition of the Lynah Faithful. Both the Canadian and American national anthems are played at Lynah Rink before each game. It is only befitting of a program that has many Canadian student-athletes that represent it today and one with a revered history that Canadian student-athletes played no small role in creating. The unique tradition of the Faithful however is that when Cornell plays at a venue or a neutral site that does not play the Canadian national anthem, which is not all too uncommon in the college hockey world, the Lynah Faithful celebrate the contributions of Canadian student-athletes past and present with singing the Canadian national anthem.

Harkness' many strategic and recruiting practices irritated the Crimson. It was those practices that allowed Harkness to build a winning hockey tradition of Cornell less than a decade after Cornell's first game in Lynah Rink. This winning tradition challenged and toppled the dominance that Harvard had enjoyed for several decades. It is unsurprising that Harvard began to call Harkness and by extension Cornell "the poison Ivy." Future Cornell fans and at least one future Cornell coach would have choicer words for Harvard's legendary head coach.

Several elements of the Cornell-Harvard rivalry are traced directly to the almost two-decade tenure of Bill Cleary. Cornell continued a grinding physical game that Harkness preferred even after his departure. Not much has changed in the 42 years since then in that aspect of Cornell hockey. Cleary preferred a more open-ice offense-based style of play. Cleary seized upon the renovation of Watson Rink (now Bright Hockey Center) and the fact that ice surfaces in rinks need not have a standard size. He chose to renovate the ice surface so that it would have a size of 204 feet x 87 feet. These dimensions are the current dimensions of Bright Hockey Center. Cleary rationalized that the elongated ice surface benefited his preferred style of open-ice play and disadvantaged those that played a more physical game along the boards. It is very unlikely that he did not have Cornell in mind when making this strategic change to the layout of Watson Rink.

Cleary contributed to the college hockey world in ways beyond the rivalry. As a Harvard man, his opposition to the participation of Canadian players in college hockey was predictable. This opposition changed and adapted, much like the institutional opposition of Harvard hockey, to different eras. Cleary opposed Canadian recruits playing college hockey after they had competed in any level of Canadian juniors whether it was a non-professionalized or professionalized junior league. He opposed the latter on the groups that he opposed vehemently student-athletes who are much older than their classmates by virtue of playing years in a junior league. He lost this battle as most Junior A leagues are feeders to even his program. His vision of prohibiting Canadian professionalized juniors has been maintained as there exists still an outright ban on the participation of Canadian major junior athletes form competing as student-athletes in college hockey.

Cleary is involved in several anecdotes that indicate how his tenure and his stewardship of Harvard hockey helped fan the flames of an already heated rivalry between Cornell and Harvard. His time as head coach is most readily identifiable with the time frame when the Cornell-Harvard rivalry took upon what many describe as its most characteristic element: the chicken and the fish toss. Cleary led the Crimson in 1973 when a Harvard fan threw a dead chicken on the ice. The chicken indicated that the insults that Harkness and his era of Cornell student-athletes endured about the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell had gone nowhere. The Lynah Faithful responded with inundating the Crimson with fish to mock the primary industry of the host city of Harvard when it took the ice at Lynah Rink. Harvard fans, when they exist, will embrace the tradition of throwing dead fowl at the Big Red at Bright. As many know, the Lynah Faithful never miss a fish toss.

The other principal anecdotes about Cleary's time as head coach that involve the Cornell-Harvard rivalry involve directly and indirectly current Cornell head coach Mike Schafer. Once, he boldly left the Harvard bench to join fans in the stands at Lynah Rink. Cornell-Harvard-rivalry legend tells that Cleary did this to redirect the pressure off of his team at Lynah Rink to him. His team apparently was faring worse than usual in the particularly Crimson-hostile confines of Lynah. He did gain a great deal of attention as he sat near the sousaphones of the Cornell Pep Band. I am not sure if "Swanee River" was in the Pep Band's repertoire at that time, but the sousaphones of the Pep Band did give him an earful of whatever they were playing. Literally.

Cleary's reputation was notorious among Cornell players and the Faithful alike. It would be a grave understatement to say that he was disliked. One incident captures the level of dislike between Cleary and the Big Red vividly. Current Cornell head coach Schafer shot a puck at the Harvard bench direct at Cleary. It barely missed. What prompted it exactly is largely unknown, but the Lynah Faithful thought it was a proportional treatment for a coach that they viewed as loathsome.

The last anecdote involves Cleary's last official act as head coach of the Crimson. Cleary had announced before the 1989-90 season that he would retire when the season was complete. Seeding in the 1990 ECAC Tournament resulted in Cornell hosting Harvard in the quarterfinal round. Cornell swept the Crimson. Cleary was forced to end his career in front of a hostile crowd to a team that his players and he had ridiculed as competitively inferior in the days before the series. Instead of shaking hands with the Big Red after the series, Cleary ordered his team to leave the ice without congratulating the victorious Big Red. Cornell has not forgotten this openly hostile, disrespectful, and objectively unsportsmanlike act.

Schafer was an assistant coach for Cornell when Cleary ordered the Cantabs to behave in such an unsportsmanlike manner to insult Cornell. The ECAC named its regular-season title after Cleary in 2001. The Conference has named no formal accolades after Harkness. Cornell has won the regular-season title twice since it has born Cleary's name. The Lynah Faithful and Schafer have not and will not allow future players for the Big Red to forget Cleary's last official act as head coach of Cornell. This has led to Cornell's tradition of leaving the regular-season title trophy on the ice and refusing to touch it both times that Cornell has won it since 2001. Many of the Lynah Faithful will refuse to refer to the regular-season title trophy by its new name.

New eras of coaches have come and gone for both Cornell and Harvard since the times of Harkness and Cleary. Cornell has experienced a renaissance and rejuvenation under Mike Schafer who has led Cornell to five Whitelaw Cups in just 17 years including winning one his first season as head coach. One of Schafer's first-season goals as head coach was to defeat the Crimson in the regular-season series. Schafer accomplished this goal in spectacular fashion with a regular-season sweep of the Cantabs and a win over them in the 1996 ECAC Championship Final. Schafer has amassed a record of 31-13-3 against Harvard.

Harvard experienced a coaching change before the 2004-05. The Crimson were looking for a Schafer of its own. Harvard turned to Ted Donato to attempt to help guide Harvard back to national relevance. Donato has guided Harvard to two berths in the NCAA Tournament and one Whitelaw Cup in his eight-year tenure. These numbers in themselves do not indicate that Harvard has found the man to redirect its program toward the pinnacle of the sport. However, Donato has amassed a record of 10-11-1 in the Cornell-Harvard rivalry.

Schafer has gained near-legend status among the Faithful already. His contributions as a player and coach have endeared him to generations of loyal fans. The inclusion of Donato in a post about legendary coaches, when his status as such is still in flux, is to highlight how the nature of the Cornell-Harvard rivalry has changed since when Harkness and Cleary guided the greatest programs in the ECAC.

Schafer and Donato have a peculiar relationship. One need only watch their post-game handshake after Harvard handed Cornell the worst postseason defeat of either program in the 102-year history of the Cornell-Harvard rivalry. What were they both laughing about? First-season goals and a broken hockey stick in 1983 indicate that Schafer never takes games against the Crimson lightly. I think the interaction is very telling in the evolution of the rivalry to a different, more mature state.

Does it symbolize a loss of intensity? Not at all. It might illustrate an intensification. Examination of the rivalry through the lens of the coaches who oversaw it from its earlier stages under Harkness and Cleary to its current state under Schafer and Donato shows a change. The Cornell-Harvard rivalry has grown from outright vitriol and disrespect, from both sides, to a begrudging respect between two academic institutions that disagree historically on a fundamental basis and whose hockey programs are among the most storied in college hockey.

The current generation of the rivalry is one in which the programs value the rivalry in how it can make each program better. Cornell and Harvard, in academics and college hockey, want to prove that they are the best by measuring themselves by and defeating the best. The fortunes of Cornell and Harvard are tied mutually. Donato echoed these sentiments throughout his post-ECAC-Semifinal press conference. He spends a great deal of time praising Schafer and Cornell, and then wishes them luck sincerely in reaching the 2012 NCAA Tournament. The comments are in the below video in the introductions and at 3:54 specifically.

The Cornell-Harvard rivalry is not a rivalry of classless brawling or gratuitously exchanged profanity. It is the clash of the oldest and youngest in the Ivy League. The collision of the ideas of old academia against those of the new. It represents the clash of the two greatest programs in the ECAC that two of the most legendary coaches in college hockey led, have won national championships, have won the most ECAC Championships and regular-season titles, and involves the greatest fanbase in college hockey in the Lynah Faithful (I respect Harvard, but at some point reality has to weigh in, I hope Harvard gets fans, but right now, I cannot lie about that). Most of all, it is a clash between two universities and programs that know absolutely that they are better than their archrival and want to prove it in every realm. This new era of begrudging respect will be more passionate than the previous as it carries with it all the legacy and tradition from previous eras and adds yet another layer to the greatest rivalry in sports.

Upcoming for the Big Red is a home-and-home series against travel partner Colgate.  Colgate thus far has amassed a record of 3-7-1 against teams from all conferences.  Let's take a look at what Colgate has done thus far this season.

In their opening weekend, 'gate traveled out to Minneapolis to play the Gophers.  Neither game turned out well for the Raiders, with Minnesota shutting them out both nights by scores of 7-0 and 11-0.  Still in out-of-conference play, Colgate hosted 4 games against Hockey East opponents.  The first weekend was against Northeastern and UNH.  Colgate dropped both of those games as well, scoring their first goal of the season against a UNH team that has garnered some key wins this season, making them appear better than their 4-7-1 record.  The Wildcats beat and tied Boston University, who split with the Big Red earlier this season, as well as split with Boston College.  The next weekend marked the first win and first weekend sweep for the Raiders, defeating UConn 5-3 and 4-1.

Colgate began ECAC play the following week, playing teams that Cornell had tight games against, Yale and Brown, and lost both match-ups.  Though still winless in the ECAC, Colgate got a tie out of Princeton after losing to Quinnipiac the night before.  On the Big Red's off week, the Raiders faced new D-I team, RIT, and pulled off a win in a close game.

The key to beating this Colgate team will come in two different packages.  The first is special teams.  Colgate has scored almost half of its goals while on the power play. (7 PPG, 2 SHG, 17 total goals).  The Big Red will need to be especially vigilant while on the penalty kill, or more optimistically, avoid penalties.  The second is goaltending and scoring.  Obviously, to win, the Big Red will need to outscore the Raiders.  But the Big Red's go-to goaltender, Lauren Slebodnick, is likely not going to play this weekend due to her injury in the Princeton game.  (Hopefully she heals as quickly and painlessly as possible.)  So goaltending will be a question for Cornell.  Both freshman Stefannie Moak and sophomore Katelyn Pippy have stepped up for the Big Red in key moments this season, Moak in the Princeton game and Pippy in the Quinnipiac game.  But who will start for the Big Re remains a mystery.  Either way, Cornell will have an excellent choice of goaltenders to start. Colgate's two netminders, also a freshmen/sophomore tandem, have played in the same number of games this season, garnering a very similar save percentage (.892 and .890).  The key will be finding the weaknesses of the goaltender in use (likely one on Friday, one on Saturday), and using the trademark Lady Rouge offensive prowess in order to best the Raiders.

Cornell also gets back Brianne Jenner who was off competing in the 4 Nations Cup in Switzerland, helping Team Canada win a silver medal.  The Big Red should be clicking for both their games this weekend and will hopefully come out of the weekend stronger than ever.

Michigan
Date of Game Against Cornell: November 24
Analysis: The saga of Michigan continues.  Goaltending still appears to be an issue for the Wolverines.  After winning with a convincing score of 5-1, they dropped the second game of a home-and-home to MSU.  Rutledge was in goal both nights, with a .966 save percentage one night and a .741 save percentage the next night.  Michigan needs to decide what to do with their goaltending to pick up more sweeps than splits.
Key PWR Points: Split with Michigan State, tie over Northern Michigan, split with Miami, win over Bentley, split with RIT.

Ferris State
Date of Game Against Cornell: December 28
Analysis: Ferris had a rough weekend against a tough team, splitting the weekend with Lake Superior State.  They are going to need to figure out a way to work a sweep in every once in a while, as they're heavy on splits.
Key PWR Points: Tie with RPI, win and tie with Mercyhurst, splits with Alaska, Miami, and Lake Superior State.

Maine
Date of Possible Game Against Cornell: December 29
Analysis: WIN!  Maine pulled off their first win since October 13th.  They split the weekend with a tough Lowell team.  But the important part is that the Black Bears could be on the road to respectability.  They have Massachusetts this week.
Key PWR Points: Win over Army, split with UMass Lowell

Minnesota-Duluth
Date of Possible Game Against Cornell: December 29
Analysis: This week was not a good one for the Bulldogs.  They dropped both games against UNO for the first weekend in the season where they got swept.  They're going to need to rebound in their weekend against North Dakota
Key PWR Points: Split with Ohio State, split with Notre Dame, tie with Wisconsin

Denver
Date of Games Against Cornell: January 4 and January 5
Analysis: After their first loss, Denver is back to rolling.  They swept the weekend winning two tight games against Minnesota State.
Key PWR Points: Wins over Minnesota State, Michigan Tech, Air Force, UMass Lowell, and a split with St. Cloud State.

Colorado College
Date of Games Against Cornell: October 26 and October 27
Result: 2-0 Cornell, 3-2 Cornell
Analysis: After the sweep at the hands of the Big Red, CC has not lost a game.  Following the previous weekend's sweep of Wisconsin at Madison, the Tigers swept Bemidji State at home.  Next up for CC? A tough home-and-home series against a powerful Denver team.
Key PWR Points:  Air Force, Bemidji, Clarkson, Wisconsin 

As is appropriate for Harvard week, a lot of these items are related to Sucks.  So here we go, diving into this week's Good Evening, Hockey Fans.

Famous Hockey Voice to Call the Game

In case you haven't heard, the game this Friday will be on NBC Sports at 7:30.  But on top of that, NHL commentator Doc Emrick is calling the game.  In what has been referred to as the greatest rivalry in college sports, one of the greatest commentators will be not only there, but the voice of the game.  Don't miss it.

Speaking of the Rivalry...

Goaltending Problems for the Crimson?

Sophomore goalie Michalek played a lot of games his freshmen year, 24 in fact, with 22 starts.  However, in the five games thus far this year, he has not played.  A cause for alarm?  Not normally, given that Donato said he was going to go with whoever was best and not look as much at last year's performance.  However, as per Sullivan of the USCHO, there are reports that he has been added to the USHL's roster.  Odd?  Definitely.  However, this is unconfirmed, so we shall see how much of this is rooted in fact in the coming weeks.

Speaking of Goaltending...
Grosenick went down during the game against Harvard last week with an injury that was thought to take him out of the game for weeks (3-4 per some estimation).  It was thought to be an aggravation of his injury which had him out last season for a few games, but now, supposedly he is only "day-to-day" instead of out for weeks.  This would be fine if not for Bennett's penchance for playing injured players as soon as possible (see: Grosenick last year, Gostisbehere this year...).  So, we wish Troy Grosenick health and safety if and when he starts again.  Union's next game is November 24th against Penn State.

Shoutout to Clarkson

Not only did Clarkson win its first game this weekend, but the hockey program is fighting cancer via the movember movement.

Next weekend will provide ample opportunity for a turnaround after a disappointing weekend and to put it behind this team emotionally and temporally. Sucks comes to town for those who did not know (if you didn't know, you should really consider checking your Lynah Faithful credentials). Cornell's Cantab foes will make their way to Lynah Rink for a Friday evening tilt that will be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports Network. The game airs at 7:30 ET. If you're unable to make the 7:30 ET fish toss time in person, you should be able to watch a great broadcast from Lynah Rink with Doc Emrick calling the game. He has made his opinions about this series well known as he has called it consistently "the greatest rivalry in sports." This video will begin to put you in the proper mindset and start Harvard Week off right. Let's Go Red! Harvard Sucks!

This is not the post that many people will think that I am writing. This will not be a post that recants my belief in this team. My faith is unshaken. It will not be a laundry list of the errors that occurred over the weekend. There were many, but I have enough faith in this program and this team that I believe they will be able to identify and address those problems. As I alluded, many will expect this post to retreat from the belief in a Journey To Three for this season. They will be disappointed.

Disappointment. Shock. Those are the words that capture most accurately the sentiments of many of the Faithful, including me. No, I did not think that the 1969-70 record would be challenged or that rivaling the 30-win season of 2002-03 was a guarantee. I knew losses would occur and, as I predicted, they feel all the sourer with realizing the latent potential of this team. I mean this as no disrespect to either Princeton or Quinnipiac.

Quinnipiac is an emerging program that has established that it will be consistently competitive among the elites of the ECAC as well as those of the nation each year. The Bobcats aim to earn their first Whitelaw Cup this season. That accomplishment was always well within reach for them this season in my mind. I think that Cornell will provide them stiff competition as it seeks its thirteenth ECAC Championship, but the Bobcats have real potential despite the fact that they dropped a game to AIC recently.

Princeton was a team chosen to finish near the bottom of the league (most media placed it at 11th and none placed it higher than tenth). I felt that its rank was deflated too much. A shutout of a potent Colgate offense and a win over the ECAC's historical juggernaut in its home opener seems to verify that fact.

Princeton and Quinnipiac are good teams. The latter may be considered even a great team if it plays to its potential. Headed into the weekend, I thought that a sweep for Cornell was possible, but that anyone who thought it was all but guaranteed might have underestimated grossly the feline travel partners. However, Cornell and the Lynah Faithful do not face a weekend of a Cornell sweep, a win and a tie, or even a split. Collectively we face a very much unexpected sweep.

My first reaction was to turn to history to see the last successful Cornell team to have been swept on the road in such a fashion. Then, as I delved into the annals of schedules and results, I realized how futile it was. Yes, I found an answer to the last time an ECAC Championship-winning team from Cornell was swept on a weekend or the last time that Cornell was swept in a non-home-and-home series. But, I realize that it was moot. It  was wholly irrelevant to the task at hand.

Even though the rafters at Lynah are adorned with banners, WAFT's twitter background and banner image commemorate those banners, and we embrace our history as the most dominant program in the ECAC, when this team seeks to do something unprecedented, history is a poor guide. The college hockey landscape has changed so much since the 1966-67 and 1969-70 seasons that ultimate national tournament success in the current era can no longer be measured by those metrics. As we wade into uncharted waters, the our focus as fans and the team must be on the future rather than the past.

Where do we stand now? I would assert that next weekend is a second starting point of sorts for this team. It is a chance to prove that Cornell deserves the national spotlight, as I believe it does, and to recapture the imagination of many of its fans again like it did after its dominance in the Colorado College series.

Andy Iles ranks 20th in the nation in terms of goals against average (2.14) and 17th in terms of save percentage (0.927) currently. Three of Cornell's forwards rank nationally in terms of goals per game. Ryan ranks nationally for his point production per game. These totals exclude the contributions of Esposito because he has played 67%, not 75%, of Cornell's games to date. Cornell ranks 42nd in scoring offense with only 2.33 goals per game. Cornell's power play conversion has dipped to 21.9% since opening weekend against a very good Colorado College team. Cornell ranks 13th in terms of penalty minutes with 15.3 penalty minutes per game. Cornell ranks 18th in defensive scoring allowing 2.33 goals per game. Cornell's penalty kill has plummeted to 48th in the nation.

Those statistics convey mixed messages. Cornell has experienced great offensive contributions from many key players who have generated nationally well regarded totals. Lowry has matured greatly in every aspect of his game, and Esposito and Miller have begun to build upon their already impressive success from last season. D'Agostino and Ryan have provided key offensive contributions when needed as well. However, despite that, Cornell has won three games through three weekends of play. Andy Iles has been as dependable as always and is still one of the best goaltenders in the nation, but Cornell's average defensive numbers as a team need to improve.

Inconsistency. I started with the emotional reactions of most fans to this weekend. Now, I turn to what I believe the cause has been so far. Logic dictates that one of the teams this weekend could have upset Cornell. Reason would assume it to be Quinnipiac because they are the more skilled program. However, with a team as skilled as Cornell, dropping both games indicates likely that the Big Red defeated itself in some aspect of the game.

Cornell showed its utter dominance in the last forty minutes of the second game against Colgate. It did the same against Princeton for a more concentrated time. Cornell erased a two-goal deficit and took the lead in a matter of less than five minutes against a Tigers team that went on to score four goals against 'gate en route to earning a shutout against the Central New York Raiders the next night. Cornell dominated the first 20 minutes of play against the Bobcats. Quinnipiac head coach Pecknold narrated the game in much the same way when he said that it was Hartzell who kept Quinnipiac in the game for the first 20 minutes. The problems arose in the remainder of the almost 94 minutes of the weekend where Cornell did not play to its potential through either systemic collapses or lack of discipline.

This Cornell team plays to its potential when it plays like it did against Colorado College for all but five minutes of that series or for the last two periods against Colgate. Cornell has proven during the 205 minutes of the season so far when it has played to its potential that the Big Red need not fear any other program in the nation. It can play them and win. However, inconsistency has contributed to that team taking the ice only about 56% of the time this season to date yielding disappointing results this weekend.

Cornell has defeated itself when it has relinquished its intensity within games. The win in the Princeton game was in hand if Cornell had reverted back to Schaferian defense after taking the lead. No such transition occurred. Cornell continued to press for more offense and in so doing sacrificed its characteristic sound defense. The Quinnipiac game, by far the tougher game for Cornell, was likely winnable too if Cornell had not lost a level of focus.

Cornell likely will suffer a drop in the national rankings after this weekend. Some commentators have begun to murmur that Cornell was overrated all along. This weekend will provide Cornell the chance to prove them to be as foolish as most regard voters in media polls. If Cornell can maintain its intensity and focus for an entire game, it can compete with and defeat any program in the nation. However, Cornell must prove first that it can do that.

I avoided a historical note earlier, but I feel that one is needed in response to the comments along the line that Cornell was and is overrated this season. Regular-season sweeps, as disappointing as they are for teams with lofty ambitions like those that Cornell has this season, are not uncommon for even teams that go on to win a national championship. Six of the last ten national-championship teams were swept in a weekend at least once during their regular seasons. More than 60% of those programs suffered consecutive losses. This is not to soften the emotional blow of last weekend because it must be used for motivation to improve, but to place it in its proper perspective as compared to some overreactions that have and will be apparent throughout college hockey in coming days.

I think that this staff and team will learn in defeat and bring from it victory.

Reevaluation must occur this week; not of expectations or goals because even the loftiest are still well within reach. It must be introspective reevaluation. This team needs to remain focused and intense during the remainder of the games this season. This means not only pressing to generate the overwhelming offense that the Faithful know that this team can produce, but defending leads vigilantly, especially hard-fought and late-game leads. Cornell will have more than a good chance to win each game and reach its ultimate goal this season if it can accomplish that task.

Intensity should not be in short supply this weekend considering the slate of games at Lynah Rink. However, just to be sure, Cornell should take what mental and other preparatory steps that are needed to ensure that it plays every minutes and every second of the coming games.

What if the intensity is more than needed and overwhelms what would be required to win games this weekend? Well, it never gets old to defeat the hockey club from that prep school in Boston by a large margin.

Princeton Tigers
Record: 0-2-0
Series Record: 81-48-8
Friday November 9

Last Meetings:
November 18, 2011 and January 14, 2012
The last two meetings could not have been more different between the Big Red and the Tigers.  In their first meeting, Cornell skated to a convincing 4-0 victory over the tigers at Lynah.  Cornell held the advantage in terms of shots by a 22-15 margin.  All four goals were scored on even strength with both teams going scoreless on the power play (0-5 Princeton and 0-4 Cornell).  However, the second game was much closer.  Cornell dominated the first two periods, with all three of their goals scored then.  Cornell held a 22-13 shot advantage in those periods.  The third period was where Cornell collapsed and Princeton dominated.  Princeton held the edge in shots, 14-5, scoring three goals in the frame.  Neither team was able to score in overtime, 3 shots were made by Cornell and 4 were made by Princeton, making the final shot total 31-30 in the Tigers's favor.  Cornell went 1/5 on the power play, while Princeton went 1/3 on the power play.

Princeton finished the regular season 11th in the ECAC, ahead of only Brown.  The ECAC playoffs ended for Princeton in a loss to Yale, pushing the best of three series to all three games with an overtime win in the second game.  The season ended a far stretch from the previous one where Princeton landed in a three-way tie for fourth place with Cornell and RPI.  Princeton ended up in the unenviable position of losing both tie-breakers and ending in 6th place.  They lost the first round of the ECAC playoffs to St. Lawrence.  The 2011-12 season was a tough re-building year for Princeton, but they look to come off of that year and build even stronger.

This Season:
Princeton has only played four games this season, two exhibition and two regular season.  They have lost all four.  This may make some underestimate the team, as "a loss is a loss" but all loses have been by a single point.  Each game seems to have a very different sort of story for the Princeton team.  In their first exhibition games against Guelph, Princeton was unable to defend their lead.  They had a blowout first period, scoring two goals, but were unable to hold on as Guelph tied it up in the third period of regulation and went on to win in overtime.  The Tigers were perfect on the penalty kill but couldn't capitalize on the power play.  In their second game, it was a scoring jamboree with Guelph notching six goals with the Tigers failing to mount a comeback scoring only five goals.  The power play clicked that night, however.  But exhibition games are hard to look at in terms of what a team may bring to the regular season.  The intensity is different and often times teams play players with little experience.

Princeton took part in the Ivy Shootout along with Brown, Yale, and Dartmouth.  Its first game was against Brown.  Brown came out hard, and Princeton attempted a comeback a bit too late.  The final score was Brown 2, Princeton 1, with all three goals being scored on even strength.  Princeton was perfect on the penalty kill, but could not capitalize on their four power play opportunities.  The next game was against Yale.  Yale opened up the scoring, killing Princeton's chance at a perfect penalty record.  Princeton attempted a comeback but it was not enough.  They finished the game with a final score of Yale 3, Princeton 2.  Princeton is 88% on the penalty kill and 14.3% on the power play.  Princeton's goaltender in both games was Mike Condon.  He has backstopped his team to a .918 save percentage.  Respectable for a team who hasn't yet won a game.

Keys to the Game:
Surprisingly for a Princeton team, it has been outshot by both of its opponents.  If Cornell wants to win, it will have to be vigilant on the penalty kill as well as 5-on-5.  Of Princeton's three goals so far this season, one has been on the power play and the other two were even-strength goals.  Cornell needs to capitalize wherever it can for goals this weekend and beat Condon.  Condon seems to be the biggest part of why Princeton's games were so close.  Getting one past him will be the main focus of the weekend.  Another key would be to remain aware of the late comeback and not get complacent.  Princeton has mounted comebacks (albeit failing ones) later in their games, so Cornell will need to make sure it can defend its lead, should it be so lucky to have one.

Historical Dimensions:
This game will be played in the historic Hobey Baker Memorial Rink.  Hobey Baker, besides being a beautiful rink which has been around since 1923, is named after a Princeton alumnus who might sound familiar to college hockey fans.  Hobart A.H. "Hobey" Baker attended Princeton University from 1910-1914 with a degree in history, politics, and economics while playing as quarterback for the Princeton football team and forward on the Princeton hockey team, and if there hadn't been a rule against playing more than two varsity sports, he would also have added to his already impressive resume outfielder to the baseball team for more than one season.  He won three national championships in his time there (one for football and two for hockey).  Baker worked for J.P. Morgan before enlisting in the U.S. Army where he died in service en route from France to the United States.  

Besides being a wonderful and admirable person and Princetonian, what does Hobey Baker Memorial Rink and its namesake have to do with Cornell or college hockey?  Maybe some of you have heard about the Hobey Baker Award which the NCAA instituted in 1981 and awards to the NCAA player who best "exhibits strength of character both on and off the ice" and "contributes to the integrity of the team and displays outstanding skills in all phases of the game."  Cornell has had its fair share of finalists for the award, but never has had a winner.  In the ECAC, the only school which has had one is Harvard. They have three.  Only fifteen schools in the country have an award winner.

If you are at Hobey Baker this evening (or any other day throughout the season), make sure to walk around the rink, revel in the history, and watch a game in one of the most beautiful rinks in the country. And if you cannot make it to New Jersey, you can always check out the Union-Princeton game at Hobey Baker Rink on NBC Sports this season.

Michigan
Date of Game Against Cornell: November 24
Analysis:Michigan
Date of Game Against Cornell: November 24
Analysis: Michigan once again struggled to be the "Michigan" they want and need for their team.  They only managed to leave their weekend with a single point.  They tied Northern Michigan (though they won in the essentially meaningless CCHA shootout) the first night 4-4, and the second night they dropped the game to Northern Michigan 4-3 in spite of an attempted rally.
Key PWR Points: Right now, there are very few comparison wins from Michigan.  A split with RIT and a split with Miami are the only meaningful points, as well as a win over Bentley.

Ferris State
Date of Game Against Cornell: December 28
Analysis: Ferris State has played a harder schedule than some teams, this week taking on a Miami team who had just come from splitting with Michigan.  Ferris State split with Miami this weekend.  The first game was a shutout, with Ferris State scoring 3 goals on a Miami team coming off of a big win against Michigan.  The next night wasn't in Ferris's favor, with Miami beating them 4-2.
Key PWR Points: Ferris has a split with Miami, a split with Alaska, a win and a tie against Mercyhurst, and a tie (and a loss) against RPI.

Maine
Date of Possible Game Against Cornell: December 29
Analysis:  Maine has struggled to start this season off the way they wanted.  They still have a single win on the season, against Army, with 8 losses stacked against them.  They began Hockey East play with Providence, dropping both games, and this past weekend played defending national champion Boston College and UNH.  Maine dropped both of those games as well.  Maine's problems, it seems, is still clicking offensively.  They were outscored this weekend 8-2.  Maine needs to start clicking on its offense.
Key PWR Points: Army.  That's about it.

Minnesota-Duluth
Date of Possible Game Against Cornell: December 29
Analysis: Minnesota-Duluth was on an off-week this week.  Next week they take on Nebraska-Omaha. They're in a 3 game winless streak and they'll need to break that this weekend.
Key PWR Points: Splits with Ohio State and Notre Dame as well as a tie (and loss) against Wisconsin.

Denver
Date of Games Against Cornell: January 4 and January 5
Analysis:  Denver is no longer one of the teams in the country that is undefeated.  That is not to say that they're no longer a strong team, because they still are, but St. Cloud State proved that they are able to be defeated.  Denver dropped their first game being shut out 3-0 before coming back the next night, powering out a 6-1 win the next night.
Key PWR Points: Wins over UMass Lowell, Air Force, and Michigan Tech as well as a split with St. Cloud State.  Denver still looks to be the most impressive team in terms of pairwise.

Colorado College
Date of Games Against Cornell: October 26 and October 27
Result: 2-0 Cornell, 3-2 Cornell
Analysis:  Colorado College has come off of its three-game slide to pull off a sweep in its first WCHA series of the year.  Colorado College beat Wisconsin 5-4 on Friday night and then shut them out the next night, 3-0.  Colorado College looks to be in a good place as it returns home for the first time since October 20th for a series against Bemidji State.
Key PWR Points: Wins over Wisconsin, Air Force, and Clarkson.

Cornell Aims High
The men's team has high expectations and ambitions this season, but it had not been seen yet what Coach Schafer's expectations are.  This article from the Cornell Alumni Magazine puts that to rest.  It is a great read and something which we definitely recommend for any Cornell hockey fans.

Saints Celebrate
Legendary coach Joe Marsh was celebrated this weekend.  Almost 100 of his former players as well as coaches around the nation went to Canton to celebrate his legacy and participate in the first annual Joe Marsh weekend.  (St. Lawrence swept Alabama-Hunstville 4-0, 3-1 in the innaugural weekend.) The weekend was inspiring and we wish the best to Coach Marsh.

Women's Frozen Four Comes Back East
The Women's Frozen Four has been in place since 2001, and not once has it been hosted at an ECAC venue.  The 2012 Frozen Four was held in Duluth, MN and the 2013 will be held in Minneapolis.  It is a huge honor for Quinnipiac to host the Frozen Four in 2014 and we look forward to a wonderful showing by ECAC fans (and hopefully ECAC teams!).

Great Lakes Invitational Moved Inside
With the NHL Lockout still pending and no agreement in sight, it was only a matter of time before the Winter Classic was canceled.  And because of that, the GLI, which was going to be one of the hockey festivities going on around the event, was moved back indoors.  While it is a shame that a college hockey event will be moved back inside, it appears that once the Winter Classic does happen, it will likely remain in Michigan.  So while it might be another year until the Winter Classic occurs, it is not canceled forever.

NCAA Regional Sites Announced for 2014
NCAA Regional Sites were announced for the 2014 NCAA Tournament.  These cities include Worcester, MA, Bridgeport, CT, Cincinatti, OH, and St. Paul, MN. 

D-III Championship NOT to Be Held In Philadelphia
There have been a lot of talks about whether the NCAA would combine the D-I and D-III championships for the 2014 NCAA Tournament.  This week, the announcement came out that they would NOT combine the tournament for the different divisions.  A lot of people have expressed disdain for the decision, but I feel as if it is the right one.  Foremost, D-I and D-III fans do not appreciably overlap.  Secondly, if the D-III championship were held in the same location, the pomp of it would be overshadowed by the D-I championship.  Allowing them to be separate would allow for the right level of respect for each tournament. 

NCAA Tournament Finals to Air on ESPN
After spending last year relegated to the fringe channels, ESPN has announced the schedule for tournament games.  Like last year, the regional semifinal and final games will be split between ESPNU and ESPN3.  What is different this year is the Frozen Four games. The semifinals will be aired on ESPN2 with the championship getting the plum spot on ESPN itself.  This is a much better option than last year when ESPNU and ESPN3 carried all