ENNalty
Box
ENNalty
Box
| This week's events:
PARENTS' WEEKEND October 5, 5:15 pm
October 6, 5:15 pm
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News and Notes:
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QUAKERS NAB 2ND PLACE, SHOW STRENGTH IN TOURNAMENT
| Some of the harbingers of autumn reared their heads on Penn’s campus
this past Saturday. Outdoors, the falling leaves and cool, crisp air combined
with bright skies to seemingly signal the transition. To Penn ice hockey
fans, the unmistakable sounds of skate blades and Sherwoods scraping the
ice inside the Class of 1923 Ice Rink were welcomed as surefire signals
of a most familiar autumn tradition: ice hockey season!
For those in attendance at the rink on Saturday, September 29th and Sunday, September 30th, history was witnessed. Dubbed the Liberty Bell Invitational Tournament, this inaugural event pitted the Men’s Ice Hockey team of Penn against three local rival universities: Drexel, LaSalle, and Temple. Loosely modeled after Boston’s annual Beanpot Tournament, the concept was to showcase the talent that these young men display on the ice while promoting collegiate-level ice hockey and the spirits of camaraderie and competition. The four teams were paired for the semi-final round on Saturday the 29th as follows: Penn versus LaSalle at 3pm followed by Drexel versus Temple at 5:15pm. On Sunday the 30th, a consolation final for the previous day’s losing teams (LaSalle and Temple) was played at 2:45pm with LaSalle earning a 3rd place standing. Penn and Drexel, now fighting for a championship title, had their on-ice battle at 5:15pm. Much to the chagrin of their supporters, Penn managed to rank 2nd place while Drexel was ultimately awarded the tournament victory. Sheer fortitude, skill, and cohesion were displayed in a forthright manner throughout the tournament, particularly by Penn whose quest for the Liberty Bell title was punctuated by many notable efforts. Saturday’s match against LaSalle, in which Penn triumphed 11-0, featured solid play and a shutout by goalie Pat Baude who made 9 saves. Hat tricks abounded as well, served by forwards Aaron Wasserman and Micha Cohen, a freshman who undoubtedly made a spectacular debut appearance! Team veteran forwards Todd Leri, Andy Domont, and Whit Matthews contributed regularly with goals and assists, which established them as the game’s leading scorers. All in all, the match proved to be an ideal ego-booster and limbering exercise for the championship final to come on Sunday. With the arrival of Sunday came Penn’s realization that they were to do battle with Drexel, a fierce Division 1 opponent. Despite their determination to defeat Drexel, the Penn team found themselves down 1-0 by first period’s end. Not long into period two, the score swung to 3-0 in Drexel’s favor. The door-opener for Penn was a goal by forward Dan Remick, which was rebounded off a shot from defenseman Craig White. With one minute left in the second period, a similar situation transpired when Whit Matthews capitalized on a rebound from Saturday’s phenom Micha Cohen. Another attack by Drexel early in period three landed them ahead with a 6-2 score, but Penn battled back tenaciously. Defenseman Colby Zaph scored a slapshot from the point. Then, another rebound translated to yet another goal when forward Mike Sand’s shot was deflected between the pipes by forward Aaron Wasserman. With a pass from forward Todd Leri, captain Whit Matthews made it a 6-5 hockey game. Unfortunately for Penn, the final five minutes of the third period ushered a virtual scoring blitz by Drexel – including a shorthanded and an open-net goal – which eliminated Penn’s chance of obtaining the coveted Liberty Bell Invitational title. Although the 9-5 loss was a tough pill to swallow, Penn definitely had their shining moments and proved that they had enough muscle to compete with top local and regional teams. Perhaps most impressive about the championship game was the performance of freshman goalie Adam Kweskin who prevented the match from becoming more lopsided by making an astounding 45 saves! As the inaugural tournament’s first champion was announced via public
address, Penn had some announcements as well. The lucky winners of various
Flyers and Phantoms paraphernalia, which were offered through the purchase
of raffle tickets at the door, were identified (albeit by ticket number.)
In addition, a percentage of the proceeds for the Liberty Bell Invitational
Tournament are to be provided to the Red Cross for their valiant relief
efforts that, naturally, have become paramount in the weeks since the nation’s
tragedy. Due to its initial successes, the University of Penn will hopefully
be in a position to host next year’s event, building upon and continuing
the tradition born this past weekend. With the support of the Penn community,
the Men’s Ice Hockey team should be well-positioned to present this unique
blend of rivalry, sportsmanship, and humanitarianism.
~Timothy F. Fahey
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Club Hockey Plays For Charity
The Penn-hosted Liberty Bell Invite raised
funds for relief
| Last season, the Penn club ice hockey team proved itself to be among
the top club hockey teams in the the region, compiling a 16-9 record and
defeating powerhouses NYU and Indiana University of Pennsylvania, both
of which went on to compete at Nationals.
Last weekend, the Quakers, now 29 players strong, began their 2001-2002 season with another milestone -- hosting their first tournament. The Liberty Bell Invitational, held at the Class of 1923 ice rink, brought together three area rivals -- Drexel, La Salle, and Temple -- with proceeds going to benefit the American Red Cross Relief Fund. The Quakers originally planned the event to be a fundraiser for the team, since their dues are, by far, the highest among club teams. However, the Red and Blue made a collective decision to shift gears in light of the tragic events on Sept. 11. "The team as a whole decided that we wanted to donate what we could to help the people who suffered," senior Whit Matthews said. "Charity is something that we don't usually get to do, and it seemed like a timely situation." The tournament was put on entirely by the Penn hockey team, with support by the Philadelphia Flyers and Phantoms. Both teams heard about the event from the Quakers' press releases, and the Flyers donated three autographed pucks while the Phantoms contributed an autographed stick. The memorabilia was raffled off during the weekend's festivities. "They showed interest in the long-term," Matthews said. "If we do the event again, they definitely want to be involved." On Saturday, in the first semi-final game, the Red and Blue crushed LaSalle, 10-0, with hat tricks by sophomore Aaron Wasserman and freshman Micah Cohen, the latter of whom was playing in his first collegiate game. Junior assistant captain Todd Leri also had two goals and two assists while Matthews added a goal and four assists. "It was a good warm-up game, to get the feet going," Matthews said. With the win, the Red and Blue advanced to meet Drexel, a victor over Temple on Saturday. Against the Dragons, the Quakers held their own but eventually fell, 9-5, in a streaky contest. Drexel came out strong, taking an early 3-0 lead. The Quakers responded, as Matthews and junior Daniel Remick each scored on rebounds to bring the Red and Blue within one goal with one minute to go in second period. Drexel regained control and surged ahead to a 6-2 lead in the third period before the Quakers had a three-goal streak of their own, capped off by a Matthews goal on a pass across the crease from Leri. The Dragons ended Penn's bid for an upset, though, with a short-handed goal and two empty-net goals in the last seven minutes of play. "Drexel, they took it to us," Leri said. "They're ranked 13th in D-I club hockey, which is nothing to shake our heads about. Now we know what we have to work on." The Red and Blue next take to the ice on Friday, when they face Marist College at home. By Darlene Yang
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Past Issues of the PENNalty Box:
Issue # 1 (9/29) Issue # 2 (10/6) Issue # 3 (10/20) Issue # 4 (10/27) Issue # 5 (11/10) Issue # 6 (12/1)