Sports Shorts

Men's hockey survives touch early schedule without Hamilton

To cme out of four games against some of the best teams in the country without your captain and leading scorer with a win and a tie might seem like a cause for celebration. But the men's hockey team is not satisfied. "The first four games showed we can and will stay with any team," forward Nick Deschenes, MC '03, said, "but we have to be able to win those close games for them to prove anything."

On Fri., Nov. 5 and Sat., Nov. 6, on the heels of their upset win over No. 9 New Hampshire, Yale went 0-1-1, tying Clarkson 2-2 and losing to No. 8 St. Lawrence 2-0. Since the team had the opportunity to win both contests, an air of disappointment hovers over the ice of Ingall's Rink. "We felt we should have won both games," forward Gabe Polsky, TD '02, said. It is a feeling that drives the team as it looks ahead in its schedule, which is one of the toughest in the country. "In both games we had chances to score and didn't," forward Luke Earl, JE '02, said. "We need to outwork our opponents to win."

With main offensive threat Jeff Hamilton, SM '00, serving a five-game suspension, the entire squad has stepped up, particularly on offense, where six players have two points and nine have one point. "Our team is not at all a one-line team," Earl said. "It's been a four-line effort."

Despite this depth and balance, the team recognizes that greater offensive production is necessary. The return of Hamilton, who will rejoin the team during the second half of its two-game road trip to Vermont and Dartmouth on Fri., Nov. 12 and Sat., Nov. 13, will help matters.

Although the squad believes it can beat anyone, players understand that every ECAC contest will be hard-fought. "Just because our first four teams were ranked and [future opponents] are not doesn't mean they will not be good," Deschenes said.

After the weekend, we will find out just how far the Bulldogs have come in their journey. "We know we have a lot of work ahead of us to not only compete but to excel," Earl said.

—James Fagan

Women's Tennis: One player advances as Elis struggle at ECACs

The women's tennis team will convene on Fri., Nov. 12, to have a serious discussion about individual and team goals. For now, the Bulldogs' aim is to have a more laid-back attitude.

In previous years, the players tended to work themselves up over the opposition's ranking prior to a match. High rankings would overwhelm the team at times and adversely affect its performance, according to Cynthia Obsitnik, ES '01. "This year we're just enjoying the competition," she said. Included in this attitude shift is an effort to build individual confidence; the fall tournaments have given them a chance to do so.

On Thurs., Nov. 4, Yale sent three players—Captain Jacklyn Fu, MC '00, Obsitnik, and Biffy Kaufman, SY '03—to the five-day ITA Regional Championship. Obsitnik, playing first singles, advanced to the third round before falling to Dartmouth's Rebecca Dirksen. After playing most of last season at second singles, Obsitnik feels a certain amount of pressure. "There's no fooling around," she said. "I'm in a completely different league [from last year's]." She will be tested in the spring by Princeton's No. 1, Kavitha Krishnamurthy '01, the eventual winner of the ITA singles title, who is ranked fourth nationally.

The team may end up trying to be David to other teams' Goliaths. With their ranks depleted due to graduation and one player taking the semester off, the Bulldogs have hoped desperately to avoid injuries. Unfortunately, injuries have hampered the team all season—Obsitnik alone has been sidelined twice.

Despite their many injuries and small squad size, the team finished 3-1 this fall in dual meets. The singles lineup is deep, and Fu and Obsitnik pair up to create a formidable doubles force. The greatest struggle for Yale's players may eventually be, Fu said, "a battle against themselves." With a stable lineup and tough winter training, the outlook for the spring Ivy League season is hopeful.

—Ewan MacDougall

Men's Tennis: Fall seasoning

The men's tennis team was fortunate enough to have a long non-league season this fall to prepare for the spring.

The fall season focused primarily on individual tournaments, where each school sends only its top-ranked doubles and singles players to compete. The Bulldogs went to two individual tournaments before losing in the first round at the ECAC tournament, which is a team event, and then struggling through another set of tough matches at the ICA regionals last weekend. Players that went to ICAs included Scott Carlton, JE '01, Ryan Smith, PC '00, Greg Royce, SY '01, Scott Mayo, BR '00, and Chris Shackelton, CC '02.

Though Yale will not be among the top teams when the fall rankings come out, the Elis gained both practice and perspective from the competitions. Mayo believes the team has the potential to do well in the spring. "We have some good players," he said. "The fall gave us a lot of experience so now we're more seasoned."

In the spring, the Bulldogs must pull together to dominate the Ivy League, since spring season tournaments are all team tournaments. Shackelton believes the Bulldogs' collective spirit is strong. "This team has a lot of heart," he said. "Tennis isn't exactly a team sport, so the fact that we have spirit in spite of that is huge." When it comes down to the last few points in a match, team support can make or break a whole match. All that the team needs to excel, according to Shackelton, "is a little confidence."

—Reilly Dibner

Around the Ivies

Harvard man scores: Harvard men's hockey

Forward Brett Nowak '03 was named the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week after amassing five points in Harvard's two wins this past weekend. In Friday night's 7-2 win over visiting Dartmouth, Nowak scored two goals and added two assists. The next night, Nowak had an assist as Harvard rallied for four third-period goals to defeat Vermont, 6-3. Nowak's brother, Derek, is a sophomore forward for the Crimson.

Penn women don't: Penn women's soccer

The Quakers were edged by James Madison University after Dukes forward Jen Keefe '00 scored the game's only goal on a header at 59:57 in the first round of the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament. JMU, appearing in its fifth straight NCAA tournament, moves on to face Virginia in the second round, while Penn, which was making its first-ever trip to the NCAAs, goes home with a final record of 13-4-1.

—Compiled by Aaron Lichtig

Eli Almanac

Sat., Nov. 12, 1949

On Fri., Nov. 11, 1949, several hundred rowdy Yalies thronged to Union Station to show their support for the football team, which was heading to New Jersey to face a heavily favored Princeton squad. The Tigers did indeed maul the Elis, 21-13, capturing the H-Y-P crown in the process. The Black and Orange scored 6:44 into the game when quarterback Dick Kazmaier tossed the ball to Captain George Sella, who scampered, untouched, into the Eli end zone.

On Wed., Nov. 9, three days prior to the matchup, five Princetonians snuck up to New Haven in an attempt to kidnap Handsome Dan. In revenge, two Elis crept into Palmer Stadium, where they were arrested by Princeton police, who relieved them of a large canvas Y, 10 gallons of kerosene, and a pair of four-foot wire cutters.

—Kate Moran

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