September 26, 2004
PENN 6
St. Joe's 0
September 25, 2004
PENN 16
LaSalle 1
NEWS AND NOTES
Penn won its first ever
Liberty Bell Invitational this past weekend. Tournament MVP Mark Tyson led
the Quakers to the championship letting in just 1 goal on 58 shots.
Penn opens up MACHA
league play this weekend when they host Ivy League rival Princeton University on
Friday at 7pm.
Penn Hockey Hats are now available, click here
to order.
| PENN HOCKEY LINKS |
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October 1 @ 7:00pm
PENN vs. Princeton
Class of 1923 Ice Rink
Philadelphia, PA
October 2 @ 3:15pm
PENN vs. Penn State
Ice Pavilion
University Park, PA
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Penn Finds Success at Liberty Bell Invitational
By Kevin Castellano (September 28, 2004)
The Daily Pennsylvanian
The rink is not too impressive.
A layer of grime covers the red and blue bleachers. The
zamboni's engine clanks and its ill-greased gears squeak as it repairs the ice
during intermission. Surely the arena's off-white concrete walls are not too
aesthetically pleasing.
The gritty Class of 1923 Rink is home to Penn's club hockey
team, and there is no place more fitting for Penn's grittiest team.
Ice hockey at Penn differs greatly from Penn's other major
sports, primarily because it is a club sport. Whereas varsity athletes receive
equipment, clothing, laundry service and stipends on road trips, Penn's hockey
players pay dues in order to compete at the highest level offered at the
University.
The team receives some funding from the Department of
Recreation and Penn hockey alumni, but in a sport that requires expensive
equipment and ice time, the funding is simply not enough. The players account
for the difference by paying seasonal dues of $1,000 per player.
Many want the University to assist the hockey players with
some of these costs.
Freshman forward Greg de Haydu said that he would "love
for the University to give a little more money, because [the team would] get
more ice time." As the finances currently stand, the team can only afford
two hours of ice time per week.
In a sport where practicing as a team is critically
important, "You want to have two practices to one game," Penn coach
Dave Berger said. "We would like to have four practices a week."
In spite of financial constraints, severely limited ice time
and a stadium that rivals the old "Vet" in bleakness, Penn's hockey
players stay doggedly determined to lace up their skates and drop the puck. In a
word, they are gritty.
Their passion was rewarded this weekend in the fourth annual
Liberty Bell Invitational, a tournament between four Philadelphia collegiate
hockey teams.
In their first game against La Salle, Penn trailed for 10
minutes in the first period after Explorers defender Sal Punturiero fired a
blue-line slap shot over the shoulder of Penn goalie Mark Tyson.
Despite La Salle's lead, Penn maintained a relentless
forecheck and finally foiled La Salle goalie John Smyrl, who faced an astounding
56 shots on the day. Thirteen minutes into the first period, Penn junior star
forward Justin Mascitelli back-handed a rebound past the sprawled-out Smyrl to
tie the game. But it would not stay tied for long.
One minute and 46 seconds later, Penn took the lead with the
help of an unlikely source. Two hundred-and-thirty pound forward Bill
Breedlove's was rewarded with the go-ahead goal, a wrist shot from the blue line
that fooled Smyrl.
And there was much more offense to come.
Sophomore Patrick Linnemann led the Quakers with a goal and
five assists in their eventual 16-1 trouncing of the Explorers.
With the win, Penn earned a spot in the finals against Saint
Joseph's, which defeated Temple 8-2 in the semifinals.
In the title match, the Quakers continued their impressive
offensive production 58 seconds into the game with senior Micha Cohen's
breakaway goal. Penn added two more goals before the first intermission.
In a game that tallied 68 penalty minutes, physical play
increased as Penn built a sizeable lead.
"It gets tough. It gets scrappy," said Breedlove
of the physical nature of the game. "On one hand you want to protect; on
the other, you have to be classy."
Five minutes into the third period, Breedlove received a
five-minute penalty for fighting, a game misconduct penalty and was ejected from
the game.
However, the rough play did not disrupt Penn's focus on the
fundamentals. Led once again by Linnemann, Penn's offense put six goals on the
board. Linnemann finished the day with two goals and an assist and led all
players in the tournament with 10 points.
Tyson was the Quakers' other standout player. The goalie
only needed Cohen's first goal, as he held the Hawks scoreless with 39 saves to
earn the 6-0 shutout.
After the game, Tyson was named tournament MVP with a total
of 57 saves on 58 shots, resulting in a .5 goals against average.
Tyson "is the cornerstone of the team," Berger
said. "He made the big saves when we needed them. When he is on his game,
we're in good shape."
However, Tyson attributed his success to the team. "The
forwards and defense made my job easy. When you score 21 goals, it is hard to
lose."