It’s not often that a men’s hockey game against dreaded foe Harvard is overshadowed by another Cornell sporting event.
But that seems to be the situation at hand this weekend. With the football team challenging Penn for the Ivy League title game on Saturday afternoon, tonight’s 7 p.m. contest at Lynah Rink against the Crimson has gone largely unnoticed.
Unlike in previous years when crackdowns on fish or insulting columns from Harvard’s student newspaper sent a buzz through campus, this year’s game has essentially been put on the backburner by the public, receiving only marginal and relatively subpar hype.
Ironically though, the match-up is a tantalizing one, especially since Harvard (2-1-0, 2-1-0 ECAC) — winner of the Ivy League last season — has already jumped off to a quick start in the league standings this year, having crushed Brown and Dartmouth.
But because veteran netminder J.R. Prestifillipo graduated in May, the Crimson was thought to be susceptible between the pipes, entering the year without a notable successor to turn to.
“Prestifillipo was great, great goalie as much as Lynah hated him,” sophomore senior Oliver Jonas has stepped in admirably, allowing 2.00 goals per game with a .942 save average.
As always, Harvard will pose a stiff test for the Cornell defense —