Athlete of the Week

Luke Earl, JE '02 Men's hockey forward Hometown: Simsbury, Conn. Favorite hockey player: Doug Gilmore Favorite sports movie: Slap Shot Favorite New Haven pizza: Naples Favorite candy: Snickers On the presidential election: "We had an away game on election night, so I didn't vote. I feel bad, but I knew Gore was going to win in Connecticut."

In hockey's first two games of the season, Earl certainly proved himself "The Best of What's Around." On Fri., Nov. 3, he notched a shorthanded, game-winning goal in Yale's 4-3 upset of the University of New Hampshire, the No. 3 team in the country. A few days later, on Tues., Nov. 7, he helped dismantle top-seed Boston College, scoring a goal in the third period that put Yale ahead, 4-1. Although he claimed this goal "wasn't a big deal at the time," it secured the win for the Bulldogs when the Eagles answered with two goals in the final minutes of the game.

Earl started playing hockey back when the Edmonton Oilers were still a good team. When he was only seven years old, his father, who used to compete with the Hartford Whalers, "tried to put skates on me," but Earl admitted, "I didn't like it at all."

When got older, Earl always had "free access to the ice" at the Westminster prep school in Simsbury, Conn., where his father teaches and his younger sister, a sophomore, currently plays hockey. Today, his family still attends most of his games, though they don't put undue pressure on him to excel. "My dad's pretty quiet during games," he said. "He just likes to sit back and watch."

Earl seems to have inherited his father's composure. He can't confess to any bizarre pre-game rituals or superstitions. "I try to stay as un-superstitious as possible," he said. "I just relax and focus."

Off the ice, Earl relaxes by playing Tom Petty, Pearl Jam, and, of course, Dave Matthews Band on his guitar, which he just starting learning with teammate Spencer Rogers, CC '02. For Earl, music is a necessary diversion from the demanding curriculum of a mechanical engineering major. In one of his classes, Earl is currently learning how to assemble the circuitry for a small car. "I've always been interested in how things work," he said.

Earl himself is certainly making things work on the ice, though he is quick to give his teammates credit for the Bulldogs' early-season success. "We've got a good, hard-working group of guys who are all on the same page," he said. "We're a really close team, and I think that's why we're doing well."

Earl believes that such a close-knit group of players—a group that includes All-Ivy forward Jeff Hamilton, SM '01, who red-shirted last season—can "win our league, win the ECAC championship." If Earl continues to produce, the Bulldogs can certainly expect what Dave Matthews would call "a better time than most can dream."

Photo by Katie Aldrich.

Back to Sports...