The Sad Thread: Worst Losses in Cornell History

[Trotsky]

Hitherto the list of Landmark Games on TBRW has included only wins.  I'm interested in adding a few historically significant losses.  My initial list of candidates:

3/16/73 (NCAA SF collapse vs Wisconsin)

3/01/77 (9-10 ot ECAC SF loss to UNH)

3/07/78 (shocking QF Lynah loss to Providence)

4/10/03 (NCAA SF loss to UNH)

3/27/05 (ot NCAA QF loss to Minnesota)

3/26/06 (3ot NCAA QF loss to Wisconsin)


Have I (blissfully) forgotten any of particular psychological damage?

I am also going to add "the tie," 12/30/66 against BU in what may have been a battle of unbeatens (have to research it further).

[pfibiger]

you're missing a big one. this one was really rough, 2ot:

http://www.tbrw.info/seasons/2002/box20020316.html

[Robb]

I heard something about a game in New Haven one time, but I'm pretty sure that was just a rumor....  ::nut::

(naturally, as a RS game, it doesn't hold a candle to the significance of any of the other losses you have, but the fact that it popped into my head does at least prove that it was memorable)

[Beeeej]

I heard something about a game in New Haven one time, but I'm pretty sure that was just a rumor....  ::nut::

I thought about that one as well, but I had the impression Greg was aiming more for games that were particularly devastating to lose, that we had a real chance at winning, that were surprising losses, etc.  If you go for blowout losses like the imaginary New Haven incident, frankly the list would have to get much longer.

Sticking closer to what I surmise is Greg's theme, I would add the 2004 and 2007 home QF losses to Clarkson and Quinnipiac respectively, though those weren't individual games.

[Trotsky]

you're missing a big one. this one was really rough, 2ot:

http://www.tbrw.info/seasons/2002/box20020316.html

Yeah.  That was horrible.  I should also include the first NCAA F loss because, well hell, it's an NCAA F.

[Trotsky]

I heard something about a game in New Haven one time, but I'm pretty sure that was just a rumor....  ::nut::

I thought about that one as well, but I had the impression Greg was aiming more for games that were particularly devastating to lose, that we had a real chance at winning, that were surprising losses, etc.  If you go for blowout losses like the imaginary New Haven incident, frankly the list would have to get much longer.

Sticking closer to what I surmise is Greg's theme, I would add the 2004 and 2007 home QF losses to Clarkson and Quinnipiac respectively, though those weren't individual games.

Personally I went into the Q games assuming we were going to lose.  That season just had bad mojo all over it.

The 26-goals given up to BC is a fun game to add as The representative of a rout loss.  It was in the 40's sometime -- I believe I have the box already.

The roughest Lynah rout loss I ever saw was the 11-3 '86 loss to Harvard where Schafer absolutely did not try to peg Cleary on the bench and if he did, well, these things happen.  That game was 2 hours of "I can't believe this is happening."

[Al DeFlorio]

Hitherto the list of Landmark Games on TBRW has included only wins.  I'm interested in adding a few historically significant losses.  My initial list of candidates:

3/16/73 (NCAA SF collapse vs Wisconsin)

3/01/77 (9-10 ot ECAC SF loss to UNH)

3/07/78 (shocking QF Lynah loss to Providence)

4/10/03 (NCAA SF loss to UNH)

3/27/05 (ot NCAA QF loss to Minnesota)

3/26/06 (3ot NCAA QF loss to Wisconsin)


Have I (blissfully) forgotten any of particular psychological damage?

I am also going to add "the tie," 12/30/66 against BU in what may have been a battle of unbeatens (have to research it further).

BU was 12-0; Cornell 11-0.  Ranked #1 and #2, respectively, in the country at game time.  BU was the established power; Cornell, the upstart.  

It was a month or so after Michigan State and Notre Dame, both also unbeaten, played an infamous tie (before there were football tie-breakers) in the game billed to determine the national college football championship.  ND coach Ara Parseghian chose to go for a late field goal to get the tie rather than risk losing by going for a touchdown, figuring Notre Dame would be voted #1 in the polls on reputation [and so they were].  The press before the Cornell-BU game noted that in hockey it would be different...there would be no tie; they'd play overtime until someone won...so there'd be an undisputed #1 after the game.  

So much for that theory.

[Edit:  Interesting sidelight - Giles Threadgold and Bill Cleary were the referees.]

[Trotsky]

BU was 12-0; Cornell 11-0.  Ranked #1 and #2, respectively, in the country at game time.  BU was the established power; Cornell, the upstart.

I have heard that this was the game when "Screw BU" started.  Is that true or just retconned apocraphra?

Though it must have started sometime...

It's funny, I had always thought of that game being at MSG as part of the ECAC Holiday Tournament, but it was at Boston Garden (or perhaps Matthews Arena) in the Boston Tourney.

[Al DeFlorio]

BU was 12-0; Cornell 11-0.  Ranked #1 and #2, respectively, in the country at game time.  BU was the established power; Cornell, the upstart.

I have heard that this was the game when "Screw BU" started.  Is that true or just retconned apocraphra?

Though it must have started sometime...

I'm pretty sure it started later...probably after the tide turned in the Cornell-BU rivalry.

There's a great write-up on the game on this Terrier Hockey Fan Blog.  Be sure to read the comments.

http://terrierhockey2.blogspot.com/2009/11/bu-cornell-first-tie-dec-30-1967.html

[Trotsky]

BU was 12-0; Cornell 11-0.  Ranked #1 and #2, respectively, in the country at game time.  BU was the established power; Cornell, the upstart.

I have heard that this was the game when "Screw BU" started.  Is that true or just retconned apocraphra?

Though it must have started sometime...

I'm pretty sure it started later...probably after the tide turned in the Cornell-BU rivalry.

There's a great write-up on the game on this Terrier Hockey Fan Blog.  Be sure to read the comments.

http://terrierhockey2.blogspot.com/2009/11/bu-cornell-first-tie-dec-30-1967.html

That's great.  Here's another BU site with the same article but also info on some other BU-Cornell games.

[Robb]

BU was 12-0; Cornell 11-0.  Ranked #1 and #2, respectively, in the country at game time.  BU was the established power; Cornell, the upstart.

I have heard that this was the game when "Screw BU" started.  Is that true or just retconned apocraphra?

Though it must have started sometime...

I'm pretty sure it started later...probably after the tide turned in the Cornell-BU rivalry.

There's a great write-up on the game on this Terrier Hockey Fan Blog.  Be sure to read the comments.

http://terrierhockey2.blogspot.com/2009/11/bu-cornell-first-tie-dec-30-1967.html

It was before my time, and I can't seem to recall any specifics, but it seems that I remember that it had to do with some off-ice shenanigans to BU's benefit during an ECAC tournament (seeding? game times? etc?), so pretty much everyone in the building was peeved with them, so we started that cheer during our game with someone else...

Great story, huh?

[ACM]

A couple of games that aren't exactly "losses", but which rank among the most painful games ever:

12/13/72 9-0 beating at the hands of BU at Lynah (that later was awarded to Cornell by forfeit for BU's use of an ineligible player, but which Cornell still considers a loss)
1/4/85 10-10 tie vs. McGill in Montreal; while not a loss, probably one of the ugliest games in Cornell history

[Trotsky]

1/4/85 10-10 tie vs. McGill in Montreal; while not a loss, probably one of the ugliest games in Cornell history

IINM, Reycroft had benched several players for this game for ahem indiscretions.  I can't imagine what bad behavior one could possibly get up to in Quebec... ::whistle::

The boxscore, in all its glory.

I have no recollection at all of Vance Henson.  Was Pat Heaphy the Architecture student who used to look exhausted even in pregame warm-ups?  Whoever that guy was he didn't sleep in four years.

[Josh '99]

I heard something about a game in New Haven one time, but I'm pretty sure that was just a rumor....  ::nut::

(naturally, as a RS game, it doesn't hold a candle to the significance of any of the other losses you have, but the fact that it popped into my head does at least prove that it was memorable)

That game (which never happened) is the one that came to my mind too.

[ACM]

Was Pat Heaphy the Architecture student who used to look exhausted even in pregame warm-ups?  Whoever that guy was he didn't sleep in four years.

Sounds like you're thinking of Keith Howie.