For at least one weekend, it isn’t Cornell’s men’s hockey team that has the campus stirring, it’s the basketball team. Currently sitting second in the league with a 5-1 Ivy mark, the Red will host perennial Ivy powers Penn and Princeton this coming weekend at Newman Arena. With a couple of victories, Cornell could put itself into the driver’s seat for its first Ivy crown since the 1988 season. Here’s a look at what else is going on in the Ancient Eight.
Brown
The university’s athletic department has put a lot of energy and effort into promoting men’s hockey goalie Yann Danis, and he hasn’t disappointed. Danis won his fifth ECAC Goalie of the Week Award this season after backstopping the conference-leading Bears to wins over Princeton and Yale over the weekend. Danis is leading the country with a .951 save percentage and is second with a 1.53 GAA on the year.
The Bears’s alums also made noise this week. Former wide receiver Chas Gessner, who graduated last June, will be one of the four former Ivy League gridders to play in NFL Europe this coming spring. While at Brown, Gessner broke virtually all of the university’s receiving marks while garnering All-Ivy honors.
Columbia
The Lions have been the doormats in the Ivy League for as long as anyone can remember. In 2002-03, the men’s basketball and football teams did the unthinkable, as both teams failed to win a single league game. While both squads have shown improvement this year, it’s the fencing team that has become the pride of Manhattan. The defending Ivy League champions, the women’s team is ranked fourth in the country, while the men have moved up to fifth.
Dartmouth
As Dick Vitale would say, Darmouth’s Leon Pattman has been a diaper dandy. While the Green’s men’s cagers have struggled out of the gates, the freshman hasn’t, winning the past four Ivy League Rookie of the Week awards and six of the last seven. Pattman’s currently leading the squad in scoring at 14.5 points per contest and in rebounds with 4.9 per game.
On the ice, the women’s hockey team and defending ECAC champions lost its first game since Thanksgiving and its No. 1 ranking. The Green had been 10-0-2 since its last loss, but couldn’t stave off defeat against No. 2 ranked Minnesota.
Harvard
The men’s hockey team might have had all the publicity in the preseason, but its the women’s club that is proving its worth. The ladies won the Beanpot for the sixth consecutive year with their victory over Northeastern last night. Meanwhile, the men finished last after losing the consolation game to the Huskies.
Individual accolades are also pouring in for the women’s hockey team, as two members — Angela Ruggiero and Nicole Corriero — were named as finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award, given to the best female hockey player in the country.
Penn
As has been the case in Harvard, the women’s teams have overshadowed the men’s teams in Philadelphia. The men’s basketball team, the two-time defending Ivy League champions, stumbled out of the blocks with a 2-2 league record. Meanwhile, the lady hoopsters are 5-0 in conference and 11-6 overall. Team leader Jewel Clark also hit a milestone this past week, becoming the third player in program history to amass 1,500 career points en route to the Ivy League’s Player of the Week distinction.
Princeton
Looking for some love on Valentine’s Day? The Tigers have just the plan. In conjunction with National Girls and Women in Sports Day, Princeton’s women’s athletic teams will host instructional seminars and booths for the youths of the community. In addition, members of sports teams, including the 2003 national championship women’s lacrosse squad, will be signing autographs throughout the weekend.
Yale
The Bulldogs’ men’s icers might have lost Chris Higgins over the summer, but they apparently just acquired the services Mike Richter. That’s right, the former New York Rangers goalie will enroll in Yale next fall to finish his bachelor’s degree. Richter, who left after just two seasons at the University of Wisconsin over a decade ago, may serve as a consultant for Yale come next season.
Archived article by Alex Ip