By ryan November 17, 2000
Each season is different. New players, different combinations and, of course, surprises. With five fresh faces in the ranks, the women’s ice hockey offensive arsenal is seeking the perfect balance of factors needed to put points on the board this year. “I think our offense is going to be pretty strong. To score, there’s going to be a lot of scrappy rebounding, but I think it’s going to be like that throughout the league. We certainly need our big scorers from last year to step up and continue their offensive point output, but we’re also looking to see the other underclassmen come through,” head coach Carol Mullins commented. Although the lines are bound to change as the season progresses, the current combinations have been quite productive for the Red thus far in the season. Packed with experience, the “red line” boasts the speed and power of senior co-captain Dani Bilodeau, the quick hands of senior Erica Olson and the game savvy of sophomore Erin Ellis. The two veterans are very excited to be playing on the same line this year and are both duly impressed with Ellis’s progression. Bilodeau has been a consistent playmaker throughout her career and Olson, at center, led the team in scoring last season. Ellis gained valuable experience her freshman year and is looking to create opportunities for the Red. A line of speed, the “green line” is composed of junior assistant captain Jenel Bode, sophomore Lindsay Murao and freshman Bri Jentner. So far, this year, this line has been most successful in terms of points. Bode, at center for this line, leads the team with five points, while Jentner and Murao both have three points on the season. The “blue line” is highlighted by youth. Junior Sarah Olivier, who tallied twelve points last season, has been placed with freshmen Anita Khar and Ali Simpson. Khar has already made her impression, having scored the game-winner against Niagara two weeks ago. She is quick and she has a nose for the net. Although junior Erinn Perushek has been alternating between offense and defense, most of her time will be spent with the forwards this season, as she hopes to increase her numbers in the assist category. Sophomore transfer Jen Reed already has a year of college hockey experience and freshman Sarah Carter is coming along well and should be able to fill in some holes. Mullins is hoping to get these new players some solid time on the ice. With a variety of styles, the theme of the offense this year involves teamwork. “We’ve got a few of the top-skilled forwards in the league, but we may not have the depth. It’s going to take all 20 of us to do our jobs, play our roles and keep ourselves in the game. There’s no reason that we can’t beat anybody in the league this year,” Mullins said of her team’s prospects. “If everyone plays their individual roles, if we stay tough and aggressive, we’ll do really well this year,” Mullins added. “We want to be playing at the end of March and right now, we’re just laying the groundwork to achieve that.” Archived article by Kelli Larsen
By ryan November 17, 2000
Lions and Tigers and Bears. Oh my! With these intimidating team names, how can the Big Red men’s basketball team compete? Well, with new head coach Steve Donahue at the helm, the team has a new attitude, a new style of playing, and a new philosophy on winning. But can the Red compete against perennial Ivy League bigwigs Penn and Princeton? With all due respect to former Sun editor Mark Hale ’00, we were not brave enough to choose Cornell to finish in first place. The race for the third spot on the standings should be as competitive as ever, and the Red promises to be in the mix as Coach Donahue and his team embark on a new era in Cornell men’s basketball. 1. Pennsylvania Quakers (21-8 overall, 14-0 Ivy) Outlook – This year, Penn will be without its version of the Michael Jordan, as the other Michael Jordan graduated. He took with him his 16 points per game. Replacing Jordan at point guard will be sophomore Dave Klatsky. Ivy League Rookie of the Year Ugonna Onyekwe also returns to the lineup to solidify the Quaker front-line. Last year he averaged 11 points and six rebounds per game. Senior center Geoff Owens was granted fifth-year eligibility and hopes to build on his school record 152 blocks. Head coach Fran Dunphy will be looking for his third consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament. Penn seems to have all the ingredients for the three-peat. Magic Eight Ball — “Unlike the Chicago Bulls, the loss of Michael Jordan will not end this dynasty.” 2. Princeton Tigers (19-11 overall, 11-3 Ivy) Outlook — First year coach, John Thompson III, will have to reshuffle the last year’s lineup to make up for the loss of two of the Tigers’ big men, Mason Rocca and Chris Young. Also, Spencer Gloger decided to leave the Northeast for sunny California to play for nationally-ranked, UCLA. Still, the Tigers have Bill Walton’s son, Nate, to anchor the team. Last year, Walton averaged 5.4 points, but that number is expected to reach double digits this year with his increased playing time. WIthout Gloger, forward Mike Bechtold will be counted on to strike from long distance with his three point shooting touch. This team has a history of winning, and it will do just that. Magic Eight Ball — “Everybody’s leaving New Jersey. Just ask former Tiger coach Bill Carmody.” 3. Cornell (10-17 overall, 3-11 Ivy) 4. Columbia Lions (13-14 overall, 7-7 Ivy) Outlook — With the return of all five of its starters, and nine of its ten letter winners, Columbia could roar to the top of the league. Leading the charge is forward Craig Austin, who was the first Lions’ player since the 1992-93 season to be named first team All-Ivy. Center Chris Wiedemann is a 6’9” force inside and should add to his career total in blocks. Last year Columbia surprised critics with a late season surge to tie Harvard for third-place. They will be not be satisfied with anything less this year. The Lions are the sleeper pick of the Ivies. Magic Eight Ball — “The Yankees are the only New York team that can consistently win.” 5. Harvard Crimson (12-15 overall, 7-7 overall) Outlook — This team finished tied for third overall last season. Senior forward Dan Clemente will lead the offensive arsenal. Last year he averaged 18.6 points per game despite missing 11 games with a detached retina. A healthy Clemente is an unstoppable Clemente. To assist Clemente, sophomore Elliot Prasse-Freeman will play point guard and try to build upon his league leading 7.3 assists per game. Andrew Gellert will complement Clemente in the backcourt, and he looks to finish first in the Ivies in steals just as he did last year. With three starters returning and Clemente’s playing status uncertain, there are too many questions for the Crimson. Magic Eight Ball — “You might be on the top of U.S. News and World Report, but you’ve never won an Ivy title.” 6. Dartmouth Big Green (9-18 overall, 5-9 Ivy) Outlook — The Big Green has a great opportunity to gain some prestige in the Princeton/Penn dominated league. Though it lost Shaun Gee — the leading scorer in the Ivies last year — Dartmouth nonetheless compensates with senior Greg Buth, the third leading scorer last season. Look for Buth to continue the Dartmouth tradition of heading the scoring leaderboard. Joining Buth on the outside are junior point guard, Flinder Boyd and forward Charles Harris. Donahue considers this tandem to be the preeminent triumvirate of perimeter players. Magic Eight Ball — “It’s not easy being Green.” 7. Yale Bulldogs (7-20 overall, 5-9 Ivy) Outlook — Second-year coach, James Jones, looks to build upon his inaugural season. With a year under his belt, he has more of sense of the players and their roles. Sophomore guard Chris Leanza and senior center Neil Yanke will combine to make a potent 1-2 inside-out combination. Yanke is the captain and finished second in the Ivies in rebounding last year. Guard Isiah Cavaco needs to be healthy and contribute with his three-point prowess for the Elis team to be successful. Magic Eight Ball — “What’s an Eli?” 8. Brown Bears (8-19 overall, 4-10 Ivy) Outlook — Glenn Miller, the Bears’ head coach, has the task of working on his up-tempo style of play this year. Sophomores Alai Huualiitia and Earl Hunt provide versatility at either a guard or forward position. Hunt was second in Ivy scoring at 17 points per game. Junior forward Shaun Etheridge needs to be healthy this year, after missing 20 games last year with a broken foot. Magic Eight Ball — “At least they don’t pay their basketball players.” Archived article by Jason Skolnik