November
6,
2003
Rebuilding
from a Blowout
By
Joe Gladziszewski
In the
midst of severe hurricane damage, there's a possibility
that someone can look past the ravaged homes, roads, and
utility lines and say, "Gee, we really needed the rain."
That
was the perspective voiced by Yale coach Tim Taylor in the
aftermath of incredible 8-4 and 10-0 losses at North Dakota
last weekend.
The
excuses were at the ready, but Taylor didn't point at any
of the circumstances surrounding an 18-4 aggregate defeat
at the hands of the No. 1 team in the INCH Power Rankings.
Consider North Dakota's schedule for starters. On Oct. 15,
the Sioux had already played a pair of games and was getting
ready for a huge weekend showdown with Boston College. In
New Haven, Yale began formal practices that day. Think of
kids wearing tape bearing their names across the top of
their helmets at hockey school.
There
were travel problems – delayed connections on flights
both to and from Grand Forks. There was inexperience, with
four freshmen dressed for Yale each night, and having only
competed in a cupcake tune-up against the University of
Guelph is not the preferred method of prepping for a team
of North Dakota's caliber. There was some awe, in stepping
into Engelstad Arena, which Taylor described as "a
marvel."
"The
bottom line is that we weren't ready for what North Dakota
threw at us. There were numerous factors at stake,"
Taylor said. "Certainly, it was a rude awakening for
the guys that had not played in Division I games before.
For our veterans, it showed them that we haven't made the
transition from doing things that we did well last year,
to doing them so that we can play well this year.
"You
can't belittle the fact that we were playing one of the
top-ranked teams in the country."
To see
a team score 18 goals over five periods – Yale actually
led Friday's game 1-0 after the first period – one
must wonder about goaltending. That was not a source of
anxiety for Taylor, who gave Josh Gartner and Peter Cohen
close to equal playing time. Each was credited with nine
goals against on the weekend.
"I
didn't leave the weekend with the feeling that we were all
set in that area, but I also didn't coming away with concerns,
because I saw what they could do last year," Taylor
said.
Back
to the hurricane analogy, the Bulldogs have suffered through
the storm and are now starting to rebuild their hockey lives.
It starts with the feeling that a team has after being humbled
in such a manner, and a commitment to make sure it doesn't
happen again.
"Shame
on us if we go through the same type of experience we went
through at North Dakota at any point over the course of
the rest of the season. The weekend will make us better;
it gives us a true picture of the challenges that face us.
We will be a different hockey team this weekend," Taylor
said. "I like the leadership that has been shown. We've
had a great week of practice. It's not the type of thing
that will knock us backward, rather it will propel us forward."
Yale
welcomes Cornell and Colgate to Ingalls Rink this weekend.
SEEN
AND HEARD IN THE ECAC
Speaking
Out – On Oct. 30, the NCAA Division III Presidents
Council voted against withdrawing a proposal that would
eliminate the opportunity for seven Division III institutions
to offer scholarships to athletic programs that compete
at the Division I level. The men's hockey programs at St.
Lawrence, Clarkson, and Rensselaer would be affected by
this change, if passed by the entire Division III membership
at the national conference in January. Prominent figures
from those three institutions released statements in the
aftermath of the decision.
Highlights
from each of the statements indicate that the affected schools
won't stop working toward preventing this measure from passing.
The links will lead you to the full text of each statement.
St.
Lawrence University President Daniel F. Sullivan:
"We
very much want to remain members of Division III. But we
believe it is important for the Division III membership
to continue its long-standing recognition of the very special
circumstances affecting one or two traditionally national-class
sports programs at our schools, including the men's and
women's hockey programs at St. Lawrence. I remain united
with my colleagues at Johns Hopkins University, Colorado
College, Clarkson University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,
Hartwick College, Rutgers University and SUNY Oneonta in
the firm belief that enactment of Proposal 2-69 would do
considerable harm to our schools. Worse, it would do so
without measurably advancing the cause of Division III."
Clarkson
University President Tony Collins:
"In
good faith we have made long-term investments in facilities
and pledged our commitment to our student athletes, coaching
staff, and fans. The case made more than 20 years ago, and
accepted by the NCAA, remains intact today for Clarkson
University. We will now move forward on all fronts with
the other seven schools opposing this proposal. We will
explore all options available to us and leave no stone unturned
to find a solution that is in the best interest of our student-athletes
and the University."
Rensselaer
Director of Athletics Ken Ralph:
"While
we are disappointed by the Presidents Council's decision,
we remain optimistic that we will prevail in January. We
strongly oppose the NCAA proposal because it ignores the
outstanding academic tradition of our athletics program
here at Rensselaer. Over the next several weeks leading
up to the January NCAA Convention we fully intend to work
vigorously, in conjunction with the other seven universities,
to tell our story of Rensselaer's great hockey tradition.
We remain committed to offer hockey at the highest level."
More
on Moore – Yes, loyal ECAC
followers, I understand that you may be sick and tired of
reading about Dominic Moore. Perhaps you rejoiced at the
conclusion of his Harvard career, knowing that journalists
would now be able to put their gaudy praise of Moore aside.
Well,
for the sake of finality, let's just throw one more Dominic
Moore item into the old ECAC notebook. The New York Rangers
rookie recorded three assists in his NHL debut on Nov. 1
at the Molson Centre against the Montreal Canadiens. Two
of those assists came on the power play.
The
next three games for Moore didn't match his debut standard,
as his ice time decreased in each game, from 13:56 against
Colorado, to 8:13 against Dallas, and finally just 5:31
in a 6-3 loss to Carolina on Thursday night. In the game
against the Avalanche, Moore suited up against his older
brother Steve, who was also a recent call-up to the NHL.
|
Great Weekend Getaway |
 |
| Brown
at Dartmouth (Fri.), Harvard at Dartmouth (Sat.)
Three
teams that represent the ECAC in the latest INCH Power
Rankings will do battle at Dartmouth's Thompson Arena,
where the Big Green could make an early statement
in the league standings with a strong showing on home
ice. The Big Green will need to be much better than
they were in a 2-1 win over Holy Cross on the same
sheet of ice last weekend.
While you're there: For dinner plans, check out
local favorite EBAs
(Everything But Anchovies) featuring a fun and
diverse menu, including an item called Mini Buffalo
Chicken Eggrolls.
|
| Stick
Salute |
| Princeton
sophomore goalie Eric Leroux kept the Tigers
in a pair of games at St. Cloud State over the weekend.
The London, Ontario, native made 43 saves in a 2-1
overtime loss on Friday, and stopped 46 shots in Saturday's
3-1 loss. But that apparently wasn't good enough to
earn any of the weekly ECAC accolades. Goalie of the
Week honors went to Yann Davis, and Clarkson's Mac
Faulkner was Player of the Week. |
| Bench
Minors |
| Union's
fine 4-0-1 start against teams like American
International and Niagara opened the eyes of college
hockey followers across the country. When the chips
were down, with a true chance to make a statement
against New Hampshire, the Dutchmen were blown out
9-2. By recording an assist, UNH goalie Mike Ayers
had more points in the game than Scott Seney and Jordan
Webb. |
FRIES
AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BAG
•
New Union coach Nate Leaman isn't afraid
of hurting anyone's feelings, and has voiced displeasure
at times early this season following less than 100 percent
efforts by players. Following Friday's 9-2 loss at New Hampshire,
Leaman decided to send a message to some of the Dutchmen
by giving them an afternoon in the bleachers. Leaman dressed
17 skaters, one fewer than the 18 allowed by the NCAA.
The
effort was better right from the start, as Union out shot
Bentley 16-0 in the first period.
"I
didn't think some guys had a real good game against UNH,"
Leaman told Ken Schott of the Schenectady Daily Gazette.
"I wanted to play the guys who put the effort in."
•
One of Leaman's first acts after being appointed head coach
at Union was to appoint Bill Riga and Tony
Gasparini as his assistant coaches. That meant Andrew Will,
former Union standout defenseman and assistant coach under
Kevin Sneddon, was without work for this
season. Will's situation changed earlier this week, when
he took on an interim assistant coaching job at Rensselaer
under Dan Fridgen.
•
Continuing with the Engineers, RPI's 0-2-1
record through three games has now returned to the even-water
mark with consecutive wins over Army and Merrimack. In Saturday's
win over Merrimack, the Engineers spotted their hosts a
3-0 lead five minutes into the second period. Rensselaer
came back with two of its leading scorers paving the way.
Defenseman Brad Farynuk had a goal and an assist, and sophomore
center Kevin Croxton had a pair of helpers.
•
Union and RPI will travel
to Clarkson and St. Lawrence
this weekend. The Saints look to snap an eight-game winless
streak (0-5-3) on home ice. SLU went to Lake Superior State
last weekend. On Friday, an early two-goal lead evaporated
when the Lakers scored a pair of goals in a 21-second span
to knot the score. Saturday's contest was a 4-2 loss for
St. Lawrence, with sophomore T.J. Trevelyan scoring both
Saint goals. He leads the team with six goals this season.
• Clarkson continues to
take care of business during a nine-game home stretch, with
a 2-1-1 record thus far following identical 4-1 weekend
victories over Findlay and Sacred Heart. A pair of short-handed
goals during the same minor penalty keyed the Saturday win
over Sacred Heart.
•
The worst part of Cornell's winless weekend
at Lynah, in coach Mike Schafer's eyes, was that his Big
Red team didn't play with the defensive focus that the program
is known for. He told the Ithaca Journal after
Friday's game:
"I
was really disappointed on how we approached the game. (Our
players) approached everything from the offensive side of
the puck and nothing frustrates me more than guys cheating
on the offensive side of it.
"It
is not the kind of hockey that we have to play in order
to be successful. I am really disappointed with our mentality
going into the game. I don't know if that is new guys in
new roles or the young guys trying to press being excited
to play their first game, or what it was, but it definitely
will be changed very quickly."
• Vermont's visit to Michigan Tech
was the first time the Catamounts have flown on a road trip
in five years. Jet lag, perhaps, in Friday's 7-3 loss? UVM
did rally back for a 2-2 tie in the Saturday contest, with
Travis Russell making 49 saves.
•
The Catamounts announced on Thursday that both of this weekend's
games at Gutterson Field House (capacity 4,035) are sold
out. Vermont welcomes Harvard on Friday
and Brown on Saturday.
