IHS Boys Hockey

[stereax]

"Internet here is between Bad and Abysmal."

No cell reception away from the lobby area, but there is a free guest Wi-Fi network that works pretty well.

I'm on it. It's still pretty bad 😅

[stereax]

Third period thoughts:

The PA is playing Kryptonite. Again. Pep band. Take notes. I'm over Despacito. Get some more of the Hockey Standards back.

It's 15:38 and the 3rd is about to start... this is great news for me Making The Bus. Maybe a little less Avoiding People After The Game, given I'm probably gonna need to stick in here for half an hour, give or take, after the game ends just to avoid Standing At The Bus Stop In The Cold Forever. Hopefully there's just enough trophy stuff that it'll be fine.

If you couldn't tell by the score, we are... a lot better than they are. But they're keeping it competitive.

At this point, I'm getting used to the incessant stick banging after literally anything happens.

Yeah lmao I just checked my route home. Literally 13 minutes by car and an entire hour by bus. 6 and a half miles. 2.5 hours walking if I miss the bus... though at that point I think I just leg it to the mall/airport area and bus home from there.

Holy mother of pushing the goalie around while he's making a save. And a scrum again!

Oh that stick went flying. Oh that guy looks HURT, our 8.

Neck guard falls off in the middle of the ice. Couple of calls for a whistle. The BC player gets it back when the whistle finally goes.

Okay so this is just gonna be firewagon Hit City. Okay!

I kinda miss the mid-period ice scrape/media timeout, not gonna lie.

High stick called against our 5, while our other guy gets super tripped on a break. Exclaim the girls behind me, "It's always Griffin!" (Gryffin? I dunno.)

Nice shorthanded 2-on-1 break. Couldn't get it in, though.

BC is calling its timeout here.

AND OUR 20 GETS A SHORTY LET'S GOOOOOOOO. Probably not the best decision for the BC goalie to play the puck, didn't give him enough time to reset. No jailbreak in high school hockey.

My hat is feeling much less secure on my head.

Their 34 HAMMERS our 20. Penalty killed.

Broken stick, goes to the penalty box manager. Refs picked it up pretty quick.

Fuck, our 5 took a SHITTY hit and is SUPER hurt. No whistle, of course. The fans are LIVID about that

One of the girls is trying to get the Jocks to start a chant, I assume? But the Jocks say no, they've already gotten a talking-to today.

Holy shit WHAT A BREAK. 12 has a clear one, shoots it, goalie makes the save but it ends up trickling in anyway. 6-0, us!

These goalies make Hasek look like a statue. Flip floppery on BOTH sides.

Their 3 takes a heavy hit. Again, no penalty. 2 minutes left in the 3rd anyway. The seven-year-olds are chanting "what the fuck"... Or maybe "drop the puck"? No. I think it's "warm the bus".

Did the puck just get... stuck in the roof... yeah, seems it.

A set of keys is being jingled.

Period 3 end.
ITH 6-0 BC
SOG 50-36

PLAY... DANCING QUEEN...

Yeah I think it was the power of Blond that let us win. Holy crap is the Ithaca team aggressively blond. This has to be dye.

Poor 5. He's hurt enough that he's leaning on the wall of the rink instead of standing in line with the rest of the team.

...and they drag him out for the Second Team All-Star. 😅

Medals time for Ithaca! All the BC fans are leaving, a good chunk of the Ithaca ones are heading out too. I'm sticking around... if only to steal heat.

Oh they LOVE 27.

Plaque!!! Go team!!!

[stereax]

Two years of waiting for the bus at Lynah and trying to avoid being Seen has prepared me perfectly for this.

Players, friends, family. And me, who has at least 15 minutes to go before crawling out of here and beginning the trek home.

One of the pink laces guys walks out with his Section IV Champions shirt turned into a tank top. "Already? You just got that handed to you!" "Sleeves cut off already, we're done!" "...At least his chest is still covered..."

Jesus Christ that 8 guy is like, an entire foot taller than me on skates. I've had guys like Hiscock and Ashton pass me in the halls at Lynah but they're not THAT big. Damn.

[Weder]

Third period thoughts:

The PA is playing Kryptonite. Again. Pep band. Take notes. I'm over Despacito. Get some more of the Hockey Standards back.

It's 15:38 and the 3rd is about to start... this is great news for me Making The Bus. Maybe a little less Avoiding People After The Game, given I'm probably gonna need to stick in here for half an hour, give or take, after the game ends just to avoid Standing At The Bus Stop In The Cold Forever. Hopefully there's just enough trophy stuff that it'll be fine.

If you couldn't tell by the score, we are... a lot better than they are. But they're keeping it competitive.

At this point, I'm getting used to the incessant stick banging after literally anything happens.

Yeah lmao I just checked my route home. Literally 13 minutes by car and an entire hour by bus. 6 and a half miles. 2.5 hours walking if I miss the bus... though at that point I think I just leg it to the mall/airport area and bus home from there.

Holy mother of pushing the goalie around while he's making a save. And a scrum again!

Oh that stick went flying. Oh that guy looks HURT, our 8.

Neck guard falls off in the middle of the ice. Couple of calls for a whistle. The BC player gets it back when the whistle finally goes.

Okay so this is just gonna be firewagon Hit City. Okay!

I kinda miss the mid-period ice scrape/media timeout, not gonna lie.

High stick called against our 5, while our other guy gets super tripped on a break. Exclaim the girls behind me, "It's always Griffin!" (Gryffin? I dunno.)

Nice shorthanded 2-on-1 break. Couldn't get it in, though.

BC is calling its timeout here.

AND OUR 20 GETS A SHORTY LET'S GOOOOOOOO. Probably not the best decision for the BC goalie to play the puck, didn't give him enough time to reset. No jailbreak in high school hockey.

My hat is feeling much less secure on my head.

Their 34 HAMMERS our 20. Penalty killed.

Broken stick, goes to the penalty box manager. Refs picked it up pretty quick.

Fuck, our 5 took a SHITTY hit and is SUPER hurt. No whistle, of course. The fans are LIVID about that

One of the girls is trying to get the Jocks to start a chant, I assume? But the Jocks say no, they've already gotten a talking-to today.

Holy shit WHAT A BREAK. 12 has a clear one, shoots it, goalie makes the save but it ends up trickling in anyway. 6-0, us!

These goalies make Hasek look like a statue. Flip floppery on BOTH sides.

Their 3 takes a heavy hit. Again, no penalty. 2 minutes left in the 3rd anyway. The seven-year-olds are chanting "what the fuck"... Or maybe "drop the puck"? No. I think it's "warm the bus".

Did the puck just get... stuck in the roof... yeah, seems it.

A set of keys is being jingled.

Period 3 end.
ITH 6-0 BC
SOG 50-36

PLAY... DANCING QUEEN...

Yeah I think it was the power of Blond that let us win. Holy crap is the Ithaca team aggressively blond. This has to be dye.

Poor 5. He's hurt enough that he's leaning on the wall of the rink instead of standing in line with the rest of the team.

...and they drag him out for the Second Team All-Star. 😅

Medals time for Ithaca! All the BC fans are leaving, a good chunk of the Ithaca ones are heading out too. I'm sticking around... if only to steal heat.

Oh they LOVE 27.

Plaque!!! Go team!!!

As someone who went to zero IHS hockey games (but plenty of Cornell games) when I was at IHS, I appreciate your enthusiasm!

[RichH]

Trust me when I say: let the band cater their repertoire, please. They know. A song you like might just be ruined if our band tries it out. The band isn't the same as a CD player, as we are finding out.

It's a WAYS back, but we/they tried a bunch of different & new arrangements, and I can tell you that Beastie Boys and The Offspring tend to sound terrible when arranged for (our talent level) of brass & winds. There have been a lot more misses than hits. I was surprised that "What's My Age Again" and "Light My Fire" did NOT work. Meanwhile hockey players were requesting more They Might Be Giants.

There were also songs that Athletics told them they couldn't play (e.g. a certain C-Lo Green song). Meanwhile Yale came in and played "Uncle Fucka." Whattya gonna do?

[stereax]

As someone who went to zero IHS hockey games (but plenty of Cornell games) when I was at IHS, I appreciate your enthusiasm!

Haha, sorry for being annoying 😅

I just... I just like hockey. I liked hockey before I got to Cornell and I damn well will love it long after I leave. It really doesn't make a difference to me, men's or women's, NHL/PWHL, minor leagues, Europe, NCAA, CHL, other juniors, or varsity high school puck (apparently). I just... like watching hockey. Preferably in person, but I'll put on anything I can find at home, too.

And, well... not to get into Stereax TMI hours again, but - when I really started paying attention to hockey, back in late 2022 when I was studying in Geneva, during that Devils 13-game win streak... I mean, I think most people here can kinda tell my marbles are a little discombobulated, to say the least. I really, really wasn't doing well. I'd go to my classes, sleep the rest of the day away, wake up at midnight to catch the Devils game, maybe see the Knights if they were on late, and pass out again.

...I don't think it's a stretch to say hockey probably kept me alive, at that point in time. It still does, honestly. I mostly measure time in the gaps between Cornell games. I love these teams, I love what they stand for, I love that we don't compromise, I love that we underscore the student in student-athlete. I think... Even more than that, I love the people I've met through hockey - Devils friends, other teams' fans, but especially the folks on eLynah and the rest of the Faithful. People who have no reason to take an early-twenty-something law student under their wing but they still do anyway. The places I've been, the things I've seen, the people I've shared it all with.

...Back in Geneva, we (kinda obviously) have a Swiss NL team. I always wanted to go to a game, but I just - I could never work up the courage, I think. It was about the courage. And - really, when I think back about undergrad, that's my biggest regret. Not my grades, not my incompetence at networking, not my inability to land an internship at the UN. It's that I never went to a Servette game. Because that other stuff - that stuff just happens. You're not going to get perfect grades, you're not going to be the most charming in the room, and when you're locking yourself away in bed all day, it's kinda tough to get the prestigious internships. But there was no reason I couldn't have gotten on the bus, spent the couple francs a ticket would've been, and seen a hockey game in person.

...I don't want to repeat those mistakes.

I... there's one life, that I live. I only get so many days on this Earth. I can study caselaw until my brain melts, sure, but - I don't get that time back.

Everyone's going to the same BigLaw firms anyway. I'll probably end up either at some sort of NGO or in government work. We'll see how things go, what jobs I end up taking. Wherever I'm needed, that's where I'll end up. I have faith in that - that there's some sort of cosmic order and that everything happens for a reason.

It's - you are what you love. And, well - I've kinda made my peace with the fact that I'm likely going to live a very solitary existence. I'm... not something, I think, many people can handle. That's... That's fine. I'd rather live authentically, on my own, than cram myself into a box that's killing me for the benefit of someone else.

So then - I have - a career, maybe. And I do love what I want to end up doing - international legal work. Policy-making, maybe. Diplomacy, perhaps. More traditional "lawyerly" stuff, almost certainly, at least to start.

But that - I don't want that to define me. Not solely, anyway. I'm reminded of a guest lecturer we had in one of my classes last semester, a judge for the ICTY. A man who had pored over thousands and thousands of exhibits of the most gruesome war crimes imaginable, senseless, senseless bloodshed. And yet, he said this -

"You need to have a life outside of this work. It will kill you otherwise."

And - I don't know the IHS team. I couldn't even tell you their names without the program. But... I like hockey. And - well - I just think everyone should have someone in the stands cheering them on.

It's why I make it a point to go to the women's games - because they deserve the support the men get. It's why I'm happy to spend the day hauling myself up to Lansing to catch a game, to cheer for the local high school students as they win a championship, to see the joy that hockey brings them and their friends and their families, to bask in the warm leftovers of that joy myself.

At the end of the day, it's all the love of the game, and the love the game inspires. The community it builds. The memories it creates. All of it. Just... being human. Being alive. Contributing to the chaos, in my own way. For maybe the first time, it feels like, truly being a part of something that's bigger than myself.

...Well. Maybe I shouldn't post here when I'm sad. Maybe I should get into writing essays. I dunno.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

Trust me when I say: let the band cater their repertoire, please. They know. A song you like might just be ruined if our band tries it out. The band isn't the same as a CD player, as we are finding out.

It's a WAYS back, but we/they tried a bunch of different & new arrangements, and I can tell you that Beastie Boys and The Offspring tend to sound terrible when arranged for (our talent level) of brass & winds. There have been a lot more misses than hits. I was surprised that "What's My Age Again" and "Light My Fire" did NOT work. Meanwhile hockey players were requesting more They Might Be Giants.

There were also songs that Athletics told them they couldn't play (e.g. a certain C-Lo Green song). Meanwhile Yale came in and played "Uncle Fucka." Whattya gonna do?

Somebody played the Ceelo Green song this weekend.  I thought it was us.

[stereax]

Trust me when I say: let the band cater their repertoire, please. They know. A song you like might just be ruined if our band tries it out. The band isn't the same as a CD player, as we are finding out.

It's a WAYS back, but we/they tried a bunch of different & new arrangements, and I can tell you that Beastie Boys and The Offspring tend to sound terrible when arranged for (our talent level) of brass & winds. There have been a lot more misses than hits. I was surprised that "What's My Age Again" and "Light My Fire" did NOT work. Meanwhile hockey players were requesting more They Might Be Giants.

There were also songs that Athletics told them they couldn't play (e.g. a certain C-Lo Green song). Meanwhile Yale came in and played "Uncle Fucka." Whattya gonna do?

It does kinda feel like there's a certain repertoire of... Hockey Songs, y'know? Even Flow for offsetting penalties, for instance, is something that it feels like a TON of rinks do. Sometimes the "oh well, whatever, nevermind" part from Smells Like Teen Spirit for things like a goal coming back. I'm not even sure I've heard Chelsea Dagger recently, and it feels like we played that a lot last year.

...Really, I'm just sick of the same five "filler" songs like Despacito, lmao. At least we're phasing out Hot To Go. That one... Shakes fist at sky.

But I do fully trust that the band, who has been doing this for Many Many Years, has a better idea of what to play than some idiot on the forums. I'm not accosting the band and demanding they play different songs the way you seem to think I am, lol. I just say shit in stream of consciousness because it floats to the top of my head. And I'm just sayin', there is a LOT of good music out there, and I wouldn't mind hearing more of it.

(And fwiw, I do agree that Beastie Boys would probably sound awful on band instruments. As well as... a whole lot of songs.)

Speaking of sounds at Lynah, just me or is there no more cowbell this year after the guy who had it in November completely bombed it? It feels like I can't remember it.

[RichH]

Trust me when I say: let the band cater their repertoire, please. They know. A song you like might just be ruined if our band tries it out. The band isn't the same as a CD player, as we are finding out.

It's a WAYS back, but we/they tried a bunch of different & new arrangements, and I can tell you that Beastie Boys and The Offspring tend to sound terrible when arranged for (our talent level) of brass & winds. There have been a lot more misses than hits. I was surprised that "What's My Age Again" and "Light My Fire" did NOT work. Meanwhile hockey players were requesting more They Might Be Giants.

There were also songs that Athletics told them they couldn't play (e.g. a certain C-Lo Green song). Meanwhile Yale came in and played "Uncle Fucka." Whattya gonna do?

Somebody played the Ceelo Green song this weekend.  I thought it was us.

It's very possible. Administrations can only keep an eye on you for so long until it seems silly, counterproductive, a poor use of resources, or simply forgotten. It has been 15 years and an entirely new athletic department since then.

It's a very good tune for band, regardless of content.

[stereax]

By the way, for the curious: I did catch the bus (thank goodness) and I am now happily at home enjoying dinner. Go Lil Red

[RichH]

Trust me when I say: let the band cater their repertoire, please. They know. A song you like might just be ruined if our band tries it out. The band isn't the same as a CD player, as we are finding out.

It's a WAYS back, but we/they tried a bunch of different & new arrangements, and I can tell you that Beastie Boys and The Offspring tend to sound terrible when arranged for (our talent level) of brass & winds. There have been a lot more misses than hits. I was surprised that "What's My Age Again" and "Light My Fire" did NOT work. Meanwhile hockey players were requesting more They Might Be Giants.

There were also songs that Athletics told them they couldn't play (e.g. a certain C-Lo Green song). Meanwhile Yale came in and played "Uncle Fucka." Whattya gonna do?

It does kinda feel like there's a certain repertoire of... Hockey Songs, y'know? Even Flow for offsetting penalties, for instance, is something that it feels like a TON of rinks do. Sometimes the "oh well, whatever, nevermind" part from Smells Like Teen Spirit for things like a goal coming back. I'm not even sure I've heard Chelsea Dagger recently, and it feels like we played that a lot last year.

...Really, I'm just sick of the same five "filler" songs like Despacito, lmao. At least we're phasing out Hot To Go. That one... Shakes fist at sky.

But I do fully trust that the band, who has been doing this for Many Many Years, has a better idea of what to play than some idiot on the forums. I'm not accosting the band and demanding they play different songs the way you seem to think I am, lol. I just say shit in stream of consciousness because it floats to the top of my head. And I'm just sayin', there is a LOT of good music out there, and I wouldn't mind hearing more of it.

(And fwiw, I do agree that Beastie Boys would probably sound awful on band instruments. As well as... a whole lot of songs.)

Speaking of sounds at Lynah, just me or is there no more cowbell this year after the guy who had it in November completely bombed it? It feels like I can't remember it.

Good comments. Another thing is that the band is entirely student-run and doesn't really have a music purchasing budget. Typically, this means the same folder for years, sometimes getting new stuff from the marching band. Also, conductors have their favorites and stick to the same songs for a year, and some good stuff gets buried or forgotten.

If there are members who have the talent and time, there have been some student arrangers, but that is rare. For a time, someone at Yale was arranging current hits, which was fun. But people also age out.

That said, I haven't been involved for those many many years, and there are always bandies who visit this forum.

Anyway, Wooo, congrats Little Red!!

[andyw2100]

Speaking of sounds at Lynah, just me or is there no more cowbell this year after the guy who had it in November completely bombed it? It feels like I can't remember it.

There has consistently been someone playing the cowbell. A few games ago it was a woman coming out of the band, doing a very good job, while simultaneously walking down the stairs towards the ice. At other times it's been the two main guys who seem to be sharing the responsibility this season.

[stereax]

Speaking of sounds at Lynah, just me or is there no more cowbell this year after the guy who had it in November completely bombed it? It feels like I can't remember it.

There has consistently been someone playing the cowbell. A few games ago it was a woman coming out of the band, doing a very good job, while simultaneously walking down the stairs towards the ice. At other times it's been the two main guys who seem to be sharing the responsibility this season.

My memory must be shot, then. Thanks for the correction!

[Chris H82]

Thanks Steareax - I really appreciate the stream of consciousness postings. It paints the picture, both of what you are seeing and thinking. I think Hunter Thompson would be proud.

[stereax]

Thanks Steareax - I really appreciate the stream of consciousness postings. It paints the picture, both of what you are seeing and thinking. I think Hunter Thompson would be proud.

I kinda just dump all the thoughts here that I'd share with a friend, if I had a friend at the game. But hey - I'm glad you got to experience it with me

I'll post some pictures later today!