Big Line-up Changes for Brown Game

Brandon Thomas just tweeted that Miller, Lowry and Mowrey are sitting tonight. Hilbrich, Stoick and Kevin Cole in the lineup. No injurie involved, just a shakeup.

scoop85
Brandon Thomas just tweeted that Miller, Lowry and Mowrey are sitting tonight. Hilbrich, Stoick and Kevin Cole in the lineup. No injurie involved, just a shakeup.

Miller has been our best player this season. The others I can understand.

Ben

scoop85
Brandon Thomas just tweeted that Miller, Lowry and Mowrey are sitting tonight. Hilbrich, Stoick and Kevin Cole in the lineup. No injurie involved, just a shakeup.

Miller has been our best player this season. The others I can understand.

I have to disagree. He's been floating almost all season long. And last night he was continually beaten to the puck and was not wiling to play in the tough areas.

Ben

scoop85
Brandon Thomas just tweeted that Miller, Lowry and Mowrey are sitting tonight. Hilbrich, Stoick and Kevin Cole in the lineup. No injurie involved, just a shakeup.

Miller has been our best player this season. The others I can understand.

Disagree on Miller, but over McCarron?

Anybody confused about Lowry? It's only from video, but I thought he had been looking good lately.

Trotsky
Anybody confused about Lowry? It's only from video, but I thought he had been looking good lately.

I also thought Lowry's been solid. Last night did not seem to be one of Miller's better games, but I had no issue with Lowry. But I defer to the judgment of the coaching staff in these matters.

scoop85

Trotsky
Anybody confused about Lowry? It's only from video, but I thought he had been looking good lately.

I also thought Lowry's been solid. Last night did not seem to be one of Miller's better games, but I had no issue with Lowry. But I defer to the judgment of the coaching staff in these matters.

Interesting line from the pregame. "It's time to get back to playing Cornell Hockey. We don't win just on individual skill, but as a team."

Trotsky
Anybody confused about Lowry? It's only from video, but I thought he had been looking good lately.

He has. I suspect Schafer wasn't happy with the unnecessary penalty after the second Yale goal. Same with Mowrey's dump of the Yale guy after the whistle. Both penalties taken with the clock stopped.

I'm glad to see Schafer finally shaking things up, but I'm surprised at the Miller benching. He hasn't scored goals at the same clip as last season, but I think he's been one of the more consistent and least mistake-prone players.

Maybe wishful thinking, but RedCast video seems clean tonight. It even started on time.

Al DeFlorio

Trotsky
Anybody confused about Lowry? It's only from video, but I thought he had been looking good lately.

He has. I suspect Schafer wasn't happy with the unnecessary penalty after the second Yale goal. Same with Mowrey's dump of the Yale guy after the whistle. Both penalties taken with the clock stopped.

Yes. The penalties.

Miller missed at least 3 opportunities that he usually would not miss last night. But to bench him for not scoring? He plays hard every game. Lowry is lucky he did not receive a major + misconduct for the shot to the groin yesterday. If league reviews video he still may be in hot water. Ever since Mowrey has been a freshman he seems to always be pushing it to see what he can get away with. The Yale player went down very easy on his horse collar, but he pushed Schafer to his limit. Mowrey has the talent to score 15 - 20, I can see trying to wake him up. Why Wilcox has played every game is a wonder, he coughed that puck up for the Yale game winner. Tonight he again is putting guys off sides and not quick enough with passes or shots. Wilcox is going to get better for sure, but to be consistent.... But sitting Miller and not Wilcox, or others mentioned above? Are the other D that bad? I like the shakeup except for Miller. Truth be told, we have a lot of guys that are good at breaking sticks, and shooting pucks into the crowd, but not give and go guys with the ability to snipe. Sometimes hockey sense -IQ - is hard to teach to players this old.

I think schafer was thinking this was an easy win for the team resulting in the line changes taking out some of our best players and placing guys who haven't played all season. I seriously think it was one of coaches biggest mistakes yet.

Hopefully it turns into a one step back to gain two steps forward situation if he was willing to sacrifice tonight's game to send a message for the rest of the season.

carpy85
I think schafer was thinking this was an easy win for the team resulting in the line changes taking out some of our best players and placing guys who haven't played all season. I seriously think it was one of coaches biggest mistakes yet.

Given how this season has gone, I can't imagine Mike thinking there are any "easy wins." It was predictable we'd find it difficult to score with tonight's line-up. He was simply fed up and had to try to shape some heads.

cth95
Hopefully it turns into a one step back to gain two steps forward situation if he was willing to sacrifice tonight's game to send a message for the rest of the season.

Hope so. We shall see.

It should be much clearer now why the players that are in the majority of the games are there. Big talent drop off. You also have to appreciate the effort Knisley puts in every shift.

Great move Schafer! That really got the boys going.

And we're somehow only five points out of 3rd with a game in hand. One left to play vs. everyone but Colgate. If we somehow play our way into a bye, since it certainly wouldn't be "backing in" at this point, it would be quite an achievement.

Probably because of the early Colgate games, everything seems "late." Let's hope the stretch run is just late this year too...

Paging Facetimer...

flyersgolf
It should be much clearer now why the players that are in the majority of the games are there. Big talent drop off. You also have to appreciate the effort Knisley puts in every shift.

Knisely, Mihalek, Hillbrich all busted their asses tonight.

This cannot be said for everybody, which is remarkable given the circumstances.

How is a team that lost only four seniors and finished 2nd in the league by a sizeable margin last season currently sitting on the cusp of being in the bottom four?

css228
How is a team that lost only four seniors and finished 2nd in the league by a sizeable margin last season currently sitting on the cusp of being in the bottom four?

This team is in a death spiral that Sully Sullenberger couldn't save.
When the coach comments at the weekly luncheon that he can't get through to the team because they are always texting or tweeting on their cell phones??
Distracted? Maybe entitled is a better word.
I applaud him for the disciplinary attempt, but it may (?) be too late.
And, even against the likes of Brown they looked disoriented and out of synch. It was painful to watch. Andy, keep your ass in the damn net!!
Not to mention that the benchees, with the exception of Bardreau, seemed more interested in socializing than looking contrite.
Yep,....how far the mighty have fallen.
The Colorado College and Michigan games feel like something from another season entirely.
"Hey, Rob Pannell, how's that foot feelin'??"

Johnny 5

css228
How is a team that lost only four seniors and finished 2nd in the league by a sizeable margin last season currently sitting on the cusp of being in the bottom four?

This team is in a death spiral that Sully Sullenberger couldn't save.

Sully crash landed to save his charges. We can still hope. And it is hard to believe that the team that beat up on Union in the third period on the 19th has disappeared.

But this is starting to stink.

Johnny 5

css228
How is a team that lost only four seniors and finished 2nd in the league by a sizeable margin last season currently sitting on the cusp of being in the bottom four?

This team is in a death spiral that Sully Sullenberger couldn't save.
When the coach comments at the weekly luncheon that he can't get through to the team because they are always texting or tweeting on their cell phones??
Distracted? Maybe entitled is a better word.
I applaud him for the disciplinary attempt, but it may (?) be too late.
And, even against the likes of Brown they looked disoriented and out of synch. It was painful to watch. Andy, keep your ass in the damn net!!
Not to mention that the benchees, with the exception of Bardreau, seemed more interested in socializing than looking contrite.
Yep,....how far the mighty have fallen.
The Colorado College and Michigan games feel like something from another season entirely.
"Hey, Rob Pannell, how's that foot feelin'??"

Hard to fathom that this team has a losing record in conference and overall, and is winless against the Ivies thus far. The team is closer to last than fourth -- 1-3 against the teams at or below them (with 3 of those games having been at Lynah) and have been out-scored in those three losses by 3-10.

The top four ECAC teams have scored 40 or more goals; Cornell has scored 24 times, with only RPI more futile at 23. On the flip side, only Quinnipiac has given up fewer goals than Cornell...does defense win championships anymore?

With three recruits having left the fold for various reasons (including the two biggest and toughest, as well as the top defenseman) the future looks a little less rosy than it did at the beginning of the season.

ithacat

Johnny 5

css228
...does defense win championships anymore?

I am reliably informed that it is necessary to place the puck in the opponents goal with greater frequency than your opponent places the puck in your goal if it is your intention to prevail in the contest.

In other words you have to play at both ends of the ice and the middle too.

Excuse me for interrupting.

I think that part of the problem that Cornell is facing is that other ECAC schools, especially the other Ivies not named Harvard, have been able to recruit better in recent years. I don't know why this has been the case, perhaps the economy and the rareness of really good pro careers has gotten more players to value quality educations. Perhaps the coaches are better than in the past. I am not sure. There are similar stories at Colgate and especially Union. (I wonder how Leaman and now Bennett are able to convince potential recruits that Union is really the 26th best academic institution in the country.) Even RPI is recruiting much better in recent years although the results on the ice don't show it. Quinnipiac is the hardest to explain. I know little about them academically -- I don't think that I have ever met a graduate.

Cornell is probably losing some players to other Ivies who are not interested in playing a basically defensive system. I do think that they will still finish in the upper half of the league, but a bye is not a given this season.

Didn't Yale kind of have a season like this last year? If I recall, after two dominant years, last year was a downer for them, before stepping up again this season.

I think Cornell's performance this season can be attributed to one or more of the following reasons:

1. Leadership - Perhaps this year's captains are not instilling the same attitude and ethic that last years's captains had
2. Chemistry - Maybe the freshman on the team just aren't gelling the way they should, so the team lacks that certain something needed to win games
3. Luck - Perhaps Cornell just hasn't had the puck go its way more times this season than others, both literally (experienced more amazing saves), and figuratively (season-ending injury)
4. Sophomore Slumps - Not seeing many players take the next leap forward in performance between their freshman and sophomore seasons, sophomore to junior seasons, junionr to senior seasons
5. Better Competition - All of this within the context of a much stronger conference

Thoughts?

margolism
Didn't Yale kind of have a season like this last year? If I recall, after two dominant years, last year was a downer for them, before stepping up again this season.

I think Cornell's performance this season can be attributed to one or more of the following reasons:

1. Leadership - Perhaps this year's captains are not instilling the same attitude and ethic that last years's captains had
2. Chemistry - Maybe the freshman on the team just aren't gelling the way they should, so the team lacks that certain something needed to win games
3. Luck - Perhaps Cornell just hasn't had the puck go its way more times this season than others, both literally (experienced more amazing saves), and figuratively (season-ending injury)
4. Sophomore Slumps - Not seeing many players take the next leap forward in performance between their freshman and sophomore seasons, sophomore to junior seasons, junionr to senior seasons
5. Better Competition - All of this within the context of a much stronger conference

Thoughts?

I don't think you need to be Facetimer to even propose:

6. Coaching - The coaching staff isn't reaching the players or effectively instilling in them the spirit of Cornell hockey.

I'm not saying this is a problem, only that not including it in a list of potential problems is missing (or deliberately excluding) one of the more obvious inputs to a successful team.

Kyle Rose

6. Coaching - The coaching staff isn't reaching the players or effectively instilling in them the spirit of Cornell hockey.

I'm not saying this is a problem, only that not including it in a list of potential problems is missing (or deliberately excluding) one of the more obvious inputs to a successful team.

In terms of coaching, I'm not ready to suggest that Schafer be fired, but maybe it's time to hire an offensive-minded assistant. According to the stats Ithacat posted above (as well as the eyes of anyone who has seen the team play), the problem is offense (or more accurately the lack thereof). Whatever offensive strategy Schafer is using isn't working, and maybe a fresh perspective would help.

ursusminor
Quinnipiac is the hardest to explain. I know little about them academically -- I don't think that I have ever met a graduate.

My brother goes to Quinnipiac. From what I've heard, Qunnipiac's academic reputation is quickly rising. They switched from being a college to a university about 20 years ago, are in the process of opening a med school, have numerous joint programs with Yale, and have been relatively successful at poaching non-tenured professors from the Ivies and other top schools. My guess is they're academically better than most of the non-Ivies in the ECAC. If your theory regarding recruits favoring academic schools is correct, than that would seem to benefit Quinnipiac.

jtn27

Kyle Rose

6. Coaching - The coaching staff isn't reaching the players or effectively instilling in them the spirit of Cornell hockey.

I'm not saying this is a problem, only that not including it in a list of potential problems is missing (or deliberately excluding) one of the more obvious inputs to a successful team.

In terms of coaching, I'm not ready to suggest that Schafer be fired, but maybe it's time to hire an offensive-minded assistant. According to the stats Ithacat posted above (as well as the eyes of anyone who has seen the team play), the problem is offense (or more accurately the lack thereof). Whatever offensive strategy Schafer is using isn't working, and maybe a fresh perspective would help.

It's possible the undisciplined play and bad penalties result mostly from frustration rather than from a genetic disposition toward douchebaggery, so there is at least some logical support for your viewpoint.

Edit: I meant that to sound more supportive than it did. IAWYASYN.

Kyle Rose


6. Coaching - The coaching staff isn't reaching the players or effectively instilling in them the spirit of Cornell hockey.

I'm not saying this is a problem, only that not including it in a list of potential problems is missing (or deliberately excluding) one of the more obvious inputs to a successful team.

A lot of folks here are dodging the issue of accountability.At the beginning of the season, the pundits and many on this page were praising the depth of potential on he team. We have gone from a place where no one would be surprised if we made the frozen four to making the NCAA tournament would be a surprise.

The coach is accountable here. He is paid (presumably quite well) to find the talent with potential and turn that potential into results. That clearly is not happening.

I for one am seeing the same thing we have been seeing for the past 5 years. A team that struggles with an aggressive forecheck. Trouble moving the puck through the nuetral zone, a dump and chase offense, and a powerplay that relies on shots from the point with hopes for a rebound. I think the rest of the ECAC has our number and is playing accordingly and it does not appear that we are adapting.

The coach has been here for 18 years with a solid record of success. He deserves the benefit of the doubt but there should be doubt at this point and he should be held accountable.

Towerroad

Kyle Rose


6. Coaching - The coaching staff isn't reaching the players or effectively instilling in them the spirit of Cornell hockey.

I'm not saying this is a problem, only that not including it in a list of potential problems is missing (or deliberately excluding) one of the more obvious inputs to a successful team.

A lot of folks here are dodging the issue of accountability.At the beginning of the season, the pundits and many on this page were praising the depth of potential on he team. We have gone from a place where no one would be surprised if we made the frozen four to making the NCAA tournament would be a surprise.

The coach is accountable here. He is paid (presumably quite well) to find the talent with potential and turn that potential into results. That clearly is not happening.

I for one am seeing the same thing we have been seeing for the past 5 years. A team that struggles with an aggressive forecheck. Trouble moving the puck through the nuetral zone, a dump and chase offense, and a powerplay that relies on shots from the point with hopes for a rebound. I think the rest of the ECAC has our number and is playing accordingly and it does not appear that we are adapting.

The coach has been here for 18 years with a solid record of success. He deserves the benefit of the doubt but there should be doubt at this point and he should be held accountable.

This is a really good post and basically sums everything up. Our conference success has diminished over recent years, but our national success hasn't. And that's probably why: when you're a system team that wins nearly every year, the other programs in your conference take notice and build themselves to beat you.

BearLover

Towerroad

Kyle Rose


6. Coaching - The coaching staff isn't reaching the players or effectively instilling in them the spirit of Cornell hockey.

I'm not saying this is a problem, only that not including it in a list of potential problems is missing (or deliberately excluding) one of the more obvious inputs to a successful team.

A lot of folks here are dodging the issue of accountability.At the beginning of the season, the pundits and many on this page were praising the depth of potential on he team. We have gone from a place where no one would be surprised if we made the frozen four to making the NCAA tournament would be a surprise.

The coach is accountable here. He is paid (presumably quite well) to find the talent with potential and turn that potential into results. That clearly is not happening.

I for one am seeing the same thing we have been seeing for the past 5 years. A team that struggles with an aggressive forecheck. Trouble moving the puck through the nuetral zone, a dump and chase offense, and a powerplay that relies on shots from the point with hopes for a rebound. I think the rest of the ECAC has our number and is playing accordingly and it does not appear that we are adapting.

The coach has been here for 18 years with a solid record of success. He deserves the benefit of the doubt but there should be doubt at this point and he should be held accountable.

This is a really good post and basically sums everything up. Our conference success has diminished over recent years, but our national success hasn't. And that's probably why: when you're a system team that wins nearly every year, the other programs in your conference take notice and build themselves to beat you.

Very good point. And up until the Denver mess, this was a pretty great out of conference season. Well, kind of great. Diminished by all the teams we played falling apart, perhaps.

How come nobody gets on Ryan's case? I see Gotovets basically willing to risk major injury blocking a shot at the end of regulation and then a few minutes later Ryan reacts sssslllllloooowwwwwlllllllyyyyyyy on a somewhat analogous play in front of the net in OT. He may have had less time to react but there was little urgency.

jtn27
My guess is they're [Quinnipiac] academically better than most of the non-Ivies in the ECAC.

Q has certainly come up but better than who besides St. Lawrence? Clarkson? The ECAC is pretty solid academically. US News has Quinnipiac ranked below Ithaca College in its grouping. The Q campus is definitely getting better, there are more academic offerings, and the arena is the qualified best (best = most modern, most comfortable) in the ECAC. It wouldn't hurt if the buildings had mature trees around them. It's hard to compare the quality of an engineering degree in cold particle studies from Clarkson with a Quinnipiac degree from the Ed McMahon school of communications. It's safe to say players' parents would feel comfortable that a student-athlete could get a decent education at Q.

Colgate #18 national liberal arts colleges (per US News)
Union #41 national liberal arts colleges
St. Lawrence #56 national liberal arts colleges

RPI #41 national universities (Ivies are 1-2-3-4-8-10-T15-T15 (Cornell is 15))
Clarkson #115 national universities

Quinnipiac #15 regional universities north (Villanova #1, Ithaca #10)

ursusminor
Quinnipiac is the hardest to explain. I know little about them academically -- I don't think that I have ever met a graduate.

Listen for the diction. He's the one who says, "You want this for here or to go?"

billhoward

ursusminor
Quinnipiac is the hardest to explain. I know little about them academically -- I don't think that I have ever met a graduate.

Listen for the diction. He's the one who says, "You want this for here or to go?"

Hey, they have a great Pole!!

RatushnyFan
How come nobody gets on Ryan's case? I see Gotovets basically willing to risk major injury blocking a shot at the end of regulation and then a few minutes later Ryan reacts sssslllllloooowwwwwlllllllyyyyyyy on a somewhat analogous play in front of the net in OT. He may have had less time to react but there was little urgency.

People here have been on Ryan's case from time to time, though it has been about turnovers in the D zone. I've never really seen that as a severe problem and more a consequence of the fact that he seems to be on the ice about 40 minutes a night. The only real problem I have with him is that it seems like the sparkling play he showed the first two thirds of his freshman year has dimmed significantly. That may be by design (He Has Been Assimilated Into The System) or it may be another consequences of playing every other shift for 2 years.

If Gotovets was at Kentucky he'd have gotten hazard pay for his play last weekend. The last guy I remember completely risking his life like that on the ice is the guy behind the bench.

Is there a replay of Gotovets jumping on this grenade?? It sounds so good...

I didn't include coaching in my list because the coaching staff has not changed from last season to this season. I would also expect the coaching staff to remain fairly consistent in appraoch and motivation, especially if there were no personnel changes. I don't think (but I could be wrong) that, with two Cornell alums on the coaching staff, they aren't doing all they can to instill a sense of Cornell hockey pride, motivate the team and coach as well as possible.

The other five items I identified are more variable in nature, and is more measurable. Having said that, this could just be an unlucky year.

Look at Yale's record the last few seasons:

2009-2010 21-10-3
2010-2011 28-7-1
2011-2012 16-16-3 - their "down" year, which included losses to some weaker teams (like a home loss to RPI)
2012-2013 12-5-3 in progress

Looks like we are having a season similar to Yale's 2011-2012 season. If we finish one game above 500, we will have a near-identical record to their 2011-2012 team.

BMac
Is there a replay of Gotovets jumping on this grenade?? It sounds so good...

More like he jumped in front of a mortar round than on a hand grenade.

Did anyone hear the pre-game where coach talked about why he was making the changes? He talked about the fact that he should have done it sooner. It sounds a lot like bringing up your child, the sooner you try to set up the rules the easier it gets. He took full responsibility for the fact that he has not been able to get things to turn around. It didn't sound like he did it because it was Brown and we could win anyway. Rather that if he doesn't do it now, the season will be lost.

If it does get some players to turn around and play smarter, then we might have a reasonable chance of winning 4 out of the next 6 games.

I look at the scratching of some players doesn't necessarily have an immediate or great effect but (hopefully) will have a bigger impact in the games to come after said players earn their way back onto the lineup.

margolism
2011-2012 16-16-3 - their "down" year, which included losses to some weaker teams (like a home loss to RPI)

As opposed to 2012-2013 which included a 6-1 home loss to RPI.

Incoming




Pre OT Highlights




Ferlin First Period




Esposito PPG

marty
Incoming

I love that kind of gutsy play, but having known George Boiardi, I hold my breath every time a player (of any sport) blocks a shot like that, at least until everyone gets up and gets going again.

margolism
I didn't include coaching in my list because the coaching staff has not changed from last season to this season. I would also expect the coaching staff to remain fairly consistent in appraoch and motivation, especially if there were no personnel changes. I don't think (but I could be wrong) that, with two Cornell alums on the coaching staff, they aren't doing all they can to instill a sense of Cornell hockey pride, motivate the team and coach as well as possible.

The other five items I identified are more variable in nature, and is more measurable. Having said that, this could just be an unlucky year.

Look at Yale's record the last few seasons:

2009-2010 21-10-3
2010-2011 28-7-1
2011-2012 16-16-3 - their "down" year, which included losses to some weaker teams (like a home loss to RPI)
2012-2013 12-5-3 in progress

Looks like we are having a season similar to Yale's 2011-2012 season. If we finish one game above 500, we will have a near-identical record to their 2011-2012 team.

The season that this is starting to eerily resemble is Cornell's 2007.

In that year, after taking Yale into overtime and being blown out by 3 against Brown in the final home weekend of January, the team stood at 9-7-3 overall. This despite a 5-0-0 start and a promising Estero SF win (followed up by a collapse against Maine in the title game).

That squad actually managed to claim 4th and a bye, though they were knocked out by Quinnipiac in the QF.

did anyone else see the post clip link for a SYR Crunch fight
goalies really went at it, and at the end R. Sawada is locked up with another player
[youtu.be]

That was awesome. Thank you for posting these.

(I love the Cornell flag visible after Esposito's goal. Looks like a great new tradition to me. Has this been happening for a while?)

BTW, when was the last time Cornell was shut out, at home, for a loss. (There was a 0-0 shutout tie, but at least they earned a point for that game.)

BMac
(I love the Cornell flag visible after Esposito's goal. Looks like a great new tradition to me. Has this been happening for a while?)

This was the second weekend I've brought the flag to hockey -- I brought it to WICE last weekend too. No one's told me to put it down yet, so I'll keep bringing it.

margolism
BTW, when was the last time Cornell was shut out, at home, for a loss. (There was a 0-0 shutout tie, but at least they earned a point for that game.)

Last home loss when we haven't scored was March 12, 2011 in game two of the QF against Q (1-0). Last regular season home loss when we haven't scored was January 30, 2004 against Colgate (0-2).

We've also been outscored 24-10 since going 3-0 up against Maine.

Johnny 5

billhoward

ursusminor
Quinnipiac is the hardest to explain. I know little about them academically -- I don't think that I have ever met a graduate.

Listen for the diction. He's the one who says, "You want this for here or to go?"

Hey, they have a great Pole!!

MarieCurie_zpsdef4771a.jpg

And Q has a great phys-ed course in pole dancing. Although it's called Modern Dance 107 or something in case your parents get a peek at the semester transcript.

billhoward

Johnny 5

billhoward

ursusminor
Quinnipiac is the hardest to explain. I know little about them academically -- I don't think that I have ever met a graduate.

Listen for the diction. He's the one who says, "You want this for here or to go?"

Hey, they have a great Pole!!

MarieCurie_zpsdef4771a.jpg

And Q has a great phys-ed course in pole dancing. Although it's called Modern Dance 107 or something in case your parents get a peek at the semester transcript.

They are talking about having pole dancing in the Olympics, so why not in college? It might help balance the Title IX problems in some places.

Jerseygirl, thoughts? Bitter thread drift.

RatushnyFan
Jerseygirl, thoughts? Bitter thread drift.

On the lineup shifts? Talent not living up to potential makes me think that the team is dealing with a bout of little shit-itis, in which everyone has a lot of talent but can't come together as a team because they each think they're the best and don't particularly like each other. Just a completely random guess based on the lack of gelling, general willingness to get chippy early on, and the stark contrast to the Class of 2003 (who I knew relatively well) which was arguably a less purely talented bunch that really seemed to like each other, and came together and put the team above all else. Well, that and TWIN POWER.

On the pole dancing jokes? Pick one: 1. Har har har herp derp thhhhhbbbbhhhh 2. AS IF those hussy puck bunnies need another tool in their arsenal with which to lure otherwise angelic athletes to their "venus flytraps"! 3. Good pole dancers are in seriously great shape. Probably wouldn't hurt a few of our athletes, both male and female, to take a turn on the pole to strengthen their cores. They're already used to hearing "Pour Some Sugar On Me" at Dunbar's/after hours/ wherever they're drinking nowadays.