Bulldogs skate toward strong second half

By Patrick McGarvey

According to the ECAC coaches, the Yale hockey team was going to be one of the worst in the conference. In the preseason poll, the Bulldogs were ranked 10th out of 12 teams. After all, Yale had finished 10th last season.

So who would have thought that midway through the season, the Yale team would hold such a commanding first place lead? The numbers are truly impressive. Despite their 4-3 loss to Dartmouth on Sun., Jan. 11, the Bulldogs are still 12-4 and hold a six-poi nt lead over second-place Harvard. In the ECACs, the team is 9-2 and is off to its best start since 1950-51. The Elis are ranked ninth in the U.S. College Hockey Online Poll and eighth in the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine Poll.

But even more remarkable has been the manner in which which the Bulldogs have moved through their schedule, crushing opponents with a smothering defense.

Julia Tiernan/YH Daryl Jones (3) PC '98, and Jeff Glew (17), BR '98, race for the puck in a recent game. With eight of the 13 remaining contests at home, the rest of the schedule seems to favor the first-place Bulldogs.

It seems that everyone has been surprised by the Elis' performance-- everyone but themselves. "We knew we were better than a 10th place team last year,"captain Ray Giroux, BK '98, said. "We had the talent, but we just didn't show it all of the time." The team entered the season knowing it was not respected by many teams in the league. But the Blue showcased their defensive power in early victories at home against Clarkson and St. Lawrence. In the first nine games of the year, the defense gave up more tha n one goal only twice.

Sitting comfortably atop the ECAC does not mean that the team may become complacent and start to set its sights on playoff action. Yale is now the team to beat, and squads facing them know that they will have to play a solid game to beat the Bulldogs.

"Our success has placed a big target on our back," head coach Tim Taylor said. "The other teams in the league now know that Yale is a team that they have to go after, or risk losing." The first half of the season brought big victories on the road, inclu ding wins at Harvard, Cornell, and Colgate. These road victories, always hard to come by, are a major reason the Bulldogs have climbed to the top of the ECAC.

As the competition rolls into Ingalls Rink during the second half, Yale has a definite advantage. "It's nice to be playing at home," starting goalie Alex Westlund, SM '99, said. The goalkeeper, ranked among the nation's top 10 goalies this season, added, "We have a lot of confidence in our own building."

In addition to the favorable crowds, playing at home is advantageous in the ECAC because of the extensive travel required to reach many of the venues; bus rides, which last up to eight hours, give the visitors a large disadvantage. The Whale, famous for its noise, will be the location of eight of the Bulldogs' final twelve league games, a critical advantage. Yale will also have the psychological advantage of having defeated the majority of their opponents previously in the season.

Despite the favorable second-half schedule and its early season success, Taylor acknowledges that the team will be hard-pressed to match their first-half effort. "It's unrealistic to expect to go 9-2 in the second half. We were picked to finish tenth. That means that a lot of the teams are better on paper."

A stingy defensive corps, an All-League goalie, and strong play across the board have all contributed to the success. Continued defensive excellence should serve the team well as they defend their place atop the league.

A quick glance down the roster might lead one to believe that the Yale squad is a young group that may lack experience. The truth is, however, that many of the sophomores are returning varsity players. The team returned most of its defensive unit along w ith Westlund, the top goalie, from last year. "They definitely rival any other young team that I have ever coached," Taylor said.

Is this team really as good as its current commanding first-place position? Although the Bulldogs are firmly on top of the ECAC, skeptics have suggested that the league may not be as competitive as it once had been. Teams, including Yale, have struggled against competitiors from other leagues. The Blue had their hands full against non-league Lake Superior State in their first game back after a three-week layoff.

The Bulldogs showed their strength last week, however, soundly defeating traditionally strong Vermont on the road. Whether Yale deserves the number-nine ranking in national polls can be debated, but the skaters have earned their place at the top of the ECAC with gutsy defense and timely goals.

Scoring on the Bulldogs has proven to be a difficult task for the opposition this year. The Bulldogs have allowed a paltry 34 goals against in league play and Westlund has a 1.66 goals average. Yale has surrendered fewer than three goals in 11 of 16 game s. While they have not been blowing the competition off the ice, the Elis have managed to win many of the closer games. The offensive attack is led by Jeff Hamilton, SM '00, who has proven to be one of the most exciting goal scorers in the league. Hamilto n has 11 goals and 16 points, while Giroux leads the league in scoring among defensemen.

Still, it is a long season, and there is much hockey left to be played. "There are no championships for being good for the first half of the year," Taylor cautioned. On Sat., Jan. 17, the Blue take on the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. This begins a two-week break from conference play to complete the non-league portion of the schedule.

It has certainly been an exciting run thus far for Yale hockey. If you asked this team at the beginning of the season if they expected to be in this position at the halfway point of the campaign, you would have received many different responses. But if you ask players now where they expect to be at the end of season, you'd get the same answer from everyone. The Bulldogs expect to be on top.

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