ENNalty Box

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This week's events: Friday, November 30, 5:15 pm Class of 1923 Ice Rink  vs. Univ. of Maryland Baltimore County Saturday, December 1, 9:15 pm Lawrenceville Prep vs. Rider University Sunday, December 2, 4:00 pm Chelsea Piers vs. New York University

News and Notes:     PENN is currently undfeated in MACHA league play. PENN is currently ranked 12 in the ACHA Northeast. PENN beat MACHA rival Millersville and name rival Penn State prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. Captain Whit Matthews scored 2 hat-tricks: one against Millersville and a second against Penn State.

Coming off their victory versus WPU in late October, it was greatly anticipated that the Quakers would be able to replicate that style of play in their square off against Millersville University held Friday evening, November 2nd. Most definitely, the Quakers didn’t disappoint the devoted fans scattered around the Class of 1923 Rink - many of whom were their family and close friends that had already been on Penn’s campus for Homecoming Weekend. Looking more like the ice follies at times, the game was marked by repeated spills, collisions, and harrowing near misses. (Maybe the bottoms of the players’ blades had been greased!) At any rate, that immediate impression was deceiving because both teams were making concerted efforts to be the first to score. Almost ten minutes into the first period, the Quakers’ efforts paid off with the night’s first goal scored by team captain Whit Matthews who was assisted by forward Frank Bastone. That adrenaline rush lasted a mere three minutes, which was when Millersville tied things up early on with their first goal. Bouncing back before the final minute of play in the first, Whit Matthews came through again with an assist to his fellow lineman Todd Leri who scored goal two and ignited the crowd. Period two would end up housing most of the scoring as both teams battled to be the most domineering. Millersville’s second goal came rather quickly, but the Quakers answered the call to action aggressively by scoring twice in less than two minutes. Whit and Todd led the rush, not surprisingly, with the Quakers’ first goal and assist respectively in this period. Stepping up to contribute for the next successful shot would be defenseman Colby Zaph, the scorer, who was lent a hand by frosh forward Mike Southworth. The opposition would put a small dent in the Quakers’ lead with another goal but, once again in the final minute of play, the “dynamic duo” of Todd and Whit tore one past the goalie! Besides the scoring, a sign of the Quakers’ determination was their total shots on goal, increasing from a margin of three over Millersville to seven. After forty minutes of back-and-forth play, both teams decided it was high time to get even more physical in the third. For that reason, a rash of penalties occurred giving each side an opportunity to capitalize on their own power plays. Millersville was unable, although they did manage to tweak out an even-strength goal (which would be their last.) Ultimately, it was the Quakers of Penn who capitalized with a push to the opposing net led by – you guessed it – Whit and Todd who teamed up for their farewell goal and assist. When all was said and done, the Quakers did in fact replicate the style of their previous win and were rewarded with an announcement of the final score: Penn-6/Millersville-4. Many thanks were given to Whit and Todd who, for all their contributions, easily earned the joint title “Star of the Game”! ******* Flash forward twenty-four hours to Saturday evening, November 3rd. The Quakers, still in the midst of Homecoming Fever, found themselves facing another opponent – this one all too familiar and formidable. Siena College, who upset the Quakers during last month’s match-up on their home ice in upstate New York, had resurfaced with a vengeance. Immediately noticeable as they streamed from their tunnel, the boldness of their uniforms was almost a statement of what would be their power on the ice. Wearing jerseys of GREEN with YELLOW trim, they may have been able to guide wayward ships to shore on the murkiest of nights! No doubt the Quakers would have gladly sent them packing for duty on the Jersey coast had they been able. Unfortunately, the damage Siena was to inflict, and the disappointment that would follow, couldn’t have been further from their control. Large, fast, and accurate in their shots, Siena dominated the action with some fierce checking and rapid-fire attacks at the Quakers’ net. Perhaps due to early frustration, the Quakers registered a variety of penalties during period one, thereby giving Siena a one-man advantage frequently. The result: two power play goals against Penn (as well as one even-strength) and more than double Penn’s shots on goal total. Fortunately, the Quakers did manage to get one on the scoreboard, the outcome of forward Mike Sand’s goal assisted by fellow forward Dan Remick. Much more would be needed, though, for the next forty minutes. In a valiant attempt to turn the tide, Quakers captain Whit Matthews wasted no time. A mere ten seconds into the second period, he fired an unassisted shot past Siena’s goalkeeper to bring his team to within one point! Little did Whit (or the rest of his team) know that the last Quaker goal of the evening had just been scored. Siena was simply a runaway train. With two more goals in the second (including one short-handed) and another five spread throughout period three, they were literally unstoppable. Making the situation even more stressful was the Quakers’ inability to profit from the many power plays that materialized in the third - the result of a slew of Siena penalties that ran the gamut. At game’s end, Siena had a whopping sixty shots on goal compared to Penn’s thirty-seven and obviously achieved a win with the final reading Penn-2/Siena-10. With bruised egos and burned retinas, the Quakers quietly filed off the ice, through the tunnel, and into their locker room where the somewhat confined quarters surely added to the awkwardness and anger as each player tried to wrap his mind around what had just transpired. The loss, now in the past, was permanent. Picking up the pieces and pressing onward to their next battle against Princeton – Penn’s constant and perpetual rival in all athletics – had to be their next focus since the future, of course, was still variable.                                                                  ~Timothy F. Fahey

The situation couldn’t have been more urgent for the Penn Quakers on the evening of Friday, November 9th. Coming off their truly depressing loss to Siena College the previous weekend, the Quakers were anxious to reclaim some of the pride that had been forcefully torn from their grasps. Making this situation even more tense would be the fact that they were to face Princeton University - a peer institution, a geographical neighbor, and a rival that Penn affiliates traditionally love to hate (particularly in the athletic arena.) Given the circumstances, this competition had the potential to become heated! While they didn’t exactly have a slugfest on ice, both teams exhibited a tenacity to win. Although the Quakers were placing more shots on goal and delivering more hits in the first period, Princeton managed to place the only shot in net with an even-strength goal at the period’s halfway point. Once the first intermission was over, it was evident that the Quakers’ chance to reenergize had not been taken lightly. Actually, Princeton scoring first may have been the added incentive the home team needed because at roughly five minutes into period two, forward Dan Remick would place Penn on the big scoreboard first with an unassisted goal. A good start, yet more would definitely be necessary. With the increasing friction in the second came some time spent in the penalty box for three Quakers – exasperating since Princeton was able to obtain two more goals, one in which they profited on their power play advantage. A bit deflated but not down, the Quakers’ forward Todd Leri slid one between the pipes in the final minute and a half with assistance from forward Aaron Wasserman. Within one point of Princeton, the Quakers relished their fantastic effort as period two came to a close. Period three heralded smarter and more effective hockey for the Quakers, specifically no penalties and more goal scoring. Three goals were scored, to be exact, which was just enough to place them in the driver’s seat with a one-goal lead over Princeton. The first of the trio, scored once again by Dan Remick, was an all-important power play goal (due to Princeton’s boarding penalty). Assisting him in that goal were defenseman Craig White and forward Mike Friedland. Scoring second was the sure-fire duo of Todd Leri (goal) and Whit Matthews (assist). Last, with an even-strength goal, was forward Mike Sand with an assist from Dan Remick, this game’s prominent playmaker. Princeton also drove the puck to the net during the third, not once but twice, and what an infuriating goal the latter would be for the Quakers! Happening at less than a minute before the end of the game, that unassisted shot by the “men in orange” snatched away the Quakers’ seemingly guaranteed victory and downgraded them to a tie score of five a piece - the game’s final tally. Satisfied with their efforts, yet sullen with the outcome, the Quakers regrouped and concentrated on their next face-off much like what they had done after their recent loss to Siena. Time for sulking was brief, if at all, with away games versus Penn State and Indiana University (of Pa.) scheduled for the remainder of that weekend. Some results of those games can be found notated below. PENN QUAKERS vs. PENN STATE Saturday, November 10th QUAKER GOALS: Period One:    Whit Matthews (Assists: Todd Leri, Mike Southworth)    Dan Remick (Assist: Mike Southworth) Period Two:    Whit Matthews (Assist: Todd Leri)    Ross Giambalvo (Assists: Jason Spindel, Andy Domont)    Paul Yoon (Assist: Jason Spindel) Period Three:    Whit Matthews (Assist: Todd Leri) Final Score: Quakers-6/Penn State-4     PENN QUAKERS vs. INDIANA UNIVERSITY of PA Sunday, November 11th QUAKER GOALS: Period One:    No scoring Period Two:    Whit Matthews (Unassisted)    Ross Giambalvo (Assist: Dave Scheinker) Period Three:    No scoring Final Score: Quakers-2/Indiana Univ. of Pa.-11                                                                    ~Timothy F. Fahey