Turn the page: the 2025 second half

[stereax]

Son came to Cornell in the "Barron Era." I went to my first hockey game ever - not knowing a thing about it.  I figure skate so I immediately appreciated the agility and swiftness of the guys' skating: Yanni Kandis in particular stood out. In the beginning, I couldn't even "see" where the puck was. But watching the guys fly on the ice, experiencing the fun inside Lynah - I googled the rules and learned. I read the Dryden book: outstanding. Am now hooked on hockey.

Daughter and niece accepted a few years later.  I make excuses to get to Ithaca: clean daughter's kitchen and watch 2 hockey games. Get to see Ben Berard shoot, Steinberg pick fights and Malinski perform wonders. Soon season tickets are an excuse in and of themselves.

I'm in Florida in March of 2024 watching ESPN when they defeat RPI and it becomes apparent that Cornell will face Harvard in the playoffs. Can't stay away. The next Friday, I take the  5:50 am flight out of Florida and 3 flights later I am in Ithaca with my sister '02, daughter '25  and niece '24. Wegmans has no fish for the rest of the week. An octopus is scraped off the ice. Cornell takes Harvard apart. Twice.

I have a long list of favorites moments:

- Watching directly overhead from the Lynah bar as Kyle Penney, with quiet authority,  strips an opponent of the puck
- The joy of Kemp and Robinson when they each make their goal in the shootout
- Robinson threading perfect passes that are finished by, pick someone, Bancroft or Walsh?
- The Castagna-Mack-O'Leary line making a goal
- Castagna on his edges driving towards the goal
- Kyle Penny's short-handed goal!
- The lightening speed of O'Leary or Kraft, and the subsequent alarm of the opposite team
- Walsh stealing the puck and getting it to Bancroft for a shorty
-  All of Rego's wrap and jams
- Fegaras' skating, and shooting, love to watch him
- Walsh or Psenicka, in front of the goal, scoring with a quick tip or tuck in
- Delvin, Bancroft or Wallace putting on a heavy hit
- Charlie Major's OT game winner, a minute after the crowd was chanting his name
- Suda's fantastic shoot-out goal vs. SH

And of course: games Cornell was suppose to lose:

- Defeating  Nbr 1 Quinnipiac, 2x (Overrated cheer anyone?)
- Beating Nbr 1 ranked  Denver 2-0 in the 2023 NCAA finals
- Taking down Nodak 4x and Minnesota Duluth 2x- bursting those Midwest schools expectations of East Coast and Ivy League  hockey

And Sigh: every game at MSG with its giant crowd of loyal Cornelians.

I could go on, but you'd stop reading. In short, Cornell hockey has brought me great joy.

By all accounts this group of fine hardworking young men and they are juggling academics (night prelim anyone???) with practices, extra practices, long bus rides, charitable events and alumni dinners and never mind sorority formals. They're probably playing with at least some pain: according to my husband who in the Stone Age was a D-1 athlete,  it's the norm.

I don't really spend time wondering about the inner workings of the team. The questions I demand to be answered are more along the lines of: how could Kyle Betts earn a 4.2 in Electrical Engineering AND play hockey? Circuits alone should have derailed his hockey career.

I enjoy even the games they lose. Honest. Parts of them.

I'll be at Hobey Baker rink this Friday with my 3 little nieces decked in red.  They'll slap the hands of the players as they emerge from the locker room. It will be fantastic. Go Big Red!

:') This is the energy I need more of. Go Big Red

[BearLover]

Cornell has trailed at some point in 15 of 17 games this season. Not just been tied—trailed! We rarely play with the lead. Cornell hockey has historically had a reputation of protecting a small lead in the third period with suffocating defense. This year, though, I don't believe we've gone into the third period with a 1-goal lead a single time? And we've gone into the third with a 2-goal lead exactly once (first game vs NoDak)? Really crazy stuff.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

Cornell has trailed at some point in 15 of 17 games this season. Not just been tied—trailed! We rarely play with the lead. Cornell hockey has historically had a reputation of protecting a small lead in the third period with suffocating defense. This year, though, I don't believe we've gone into the third period with a 1-goal lead a single time? And we've gone into the third with a 2-goal lead exactly once (first game vs NoDak)? Really crazy stuff.

Actually we had a 3 goal lead going into the third at Princeton Friday night.

[BearLover]

Cornell has trailed at some point in 15 of 17 games this season. Not just been tied—trailed! We rarely play with the lead. Cornell hockey has historically had a reputation of protecting a small lead in the third period with suffocating defense. This year, though, I don't believe we've gone into the third period with a 1-goal lead a single time? And we've gone into the third with a 2-goal lead exactly once (first game vs NoDak)? Really crazy stuff.

Actually we had a 3 goal lead going into the third at Princeton Friday night.

I know. I could have been clearer. I was talking
 specifically about going into the third period with 1- and 2-goal leads in reference to the previous sentence about "small leads."

[The Rancor]

Cornell has trailed at some point in 15 of 17 games this season. Not just been tied—trailed! We rarely play with the lead. Cornell hockey has historically had a reputation of protecting a small lead in the third period with suffocating defense. This year, though, I don't believe we've gone into the third period with a 1-goal lead a single time? And we've gone into the third with a 2-goal lead exactly once (first game vs NoDak)? Really crazy stuff.

Actually we had a 3 goal lead going into the third at Princeton Friday night.

I know. I could have been clearer. I was talking
 specifically about going into the third period with 1- and 2-goal leads in reference to the previous sentence about "small leads."

Did you watch the game?

[BearLover]

Cornell has trailed at some point in 15 of 17 games this season. Not just been tied—trailed! We rarely play with the lead. Cornell hockey has historically had a reputation of protecting a small lead in the third period with suffocating defense. This year, though, I don't believe we've gone into the third period with a 1-goal lead a single time? And we've gone into the third with a 2-goal lead exactly once (first game vs NoDak)? Really crazy stuff.

Actually we had a 3 goal lead going into the third at Princeton Friday night.

I know. I could have been clearer. I was talking
 specifically about going into the third period with 1- and 2-goal leads in reference to the previous sentence about "small leads."

Did you watch the game?

Yes

[CU2007]

Cornell has trailed at some point in 15 of 17 games this season. Not just been tied—trailed! We rarely play with the lead.

Cornell has been tied in every game we've ever played!

[ice]

With regard to turning the page, I hope Cornell plays big this coming weekend and comes home with 6 points.  Also, it would be nice if the fish thing came to an end.  It looks stupid and it slows down the game.

[VIEWfromK]

With regard to turning the page, I hope Cornell plays big this coming weekend and comes home with 6 points.  Also, it would be nice if the fish thing came to an end.  It looks stupid and it slows down the game.

I would prefer they turn that tradition into a Teddy Bear Toss instead.

[BearLover]

Also, it would be nice if the fish thing came to an end.  It looks stupid and it slows down the game.

I completely agree with you. But that's not gonna happen.

[chimpfood]

The amount of oldhead takes that go unopposed on this forum is outlandish.

[Trotsky]

5 point weekend for the first time this season.  Just keep it going and build conference points.  The ECAC is what matters now.  For my first 20+ years as a Cornell fan it was all that mattered at all.  We couldn't even conceive of an NCAA title.

Let's get back to tending our own garden.  Just one title in the last 13 seasons.  That aint right.

[Swampy]

5 point weekend for the first time this season.  Just keep it going and build conference points.  The ECAC is what matters now.  For my first 20+ years as a Cornell fan it was all that mattered at all.  We couldn't even conceive of an NCAA title.

I don't understand this. If your first 20 years ended this year, you would have started in 2005, by which time we'd won two NCAA titles. In fact, any time after 1970 would have such preconceptions. And the Frozen Four trips (1973, 1980, 2003) certainly should have helped conceptually, as would 1968 & 1969, when we made the FF but did not win the championship. It therefore follows that the inability to conceive an NCAA title must have ended in 1967 (or Fall 1966, when the Faithful could first witness the eventual Frozen Four team, backstopped by the Big Kid. This implies your first 20+ years must have begun in 1946 or earlier. And if you were 18 at the time (or 17, having skipped a year in New York City's SP program), you would have been born around 1929. This would make you 96 or older. Perhaps you are. But then I would suspect it's the state of your memory today, rather than that of your conceptions during your first 20+ years, that's most relevant.

[RichH]

5 point weekend for the first time this season.  Just keep it going and build conference points.  The ECAC is what matters now.  For my first 20+ years as a Cornell fan it was all that mattered at all.  We couldn't even conceive of an NCAA title.

I don't understand this. If your first 20 years ended this year, you would have started in 2005, by which time we'd won two NCAA titles. In fact, any time after 1970 would have such preconceptions. And the Frozen Four trips (1973, 1980, 2003) certainly should have helped conceptually, as would 1968 & 1969, when we made the FF but did not win the championship. It therefore follows that the inability to conceive an NCAA title must have ended in 1967 (or Fall 1966, when the Faithful could first witness the eventual Frozen Four team, backstopped by the Big Kid. This implies your first 20+ years must have begun in 1946 or earlier. And if you were 18 at the time (or 17, having skipped a year in New York City's SP program), you would have been born around 1929. This would make you 96 or older. Perhaps you are. But then I would suspect it's the state of your memory today, rather than that of your conceptions during your first 20+ years, that's most relevant.

Huh?

https://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/4500000/The-Princess-Bride-the-princess-bride-4546198-1280-720.jpg

[RichH]

The amount of oldhead takes that go unopposed on this forum is outlandish.

You say this on an actual internet bulletin-board style messaging website.