Cornell Eliminates Princeton in First Round of ECAC Playoffs

Cornell ECAC Tournament Hockey Underway – My 43rd Year

Cornell Big Red line up, game 2, Hobey Baker Rink Princeton (3/9/13)

It’s that time of year again – Cornell in the ECAC hockey playoffs!

I saw my first Cornell hockey game at Lynah Rink 43 years ago – in 1970 – when I was in 8th grade and the tape and water boy for the high school hockey team.

My HS hockey team got crushed by Ithaca HS in a 2 game weekend series, but we got to see Cornell play arch rival Boston University. Unbelievable and memorable to this day.

Ken Dryden was in goal, and Cornell finished unbeaten that year, on the way to winning the NCAA National Championship. Dryden went on to play for the Montreal Canadiens.

I’ve followed Cornell hockey ever since and ended up going to Grad School there. After graduating HS, I went to college at rival Clarkson, and found the Cornell fans annoying. But, I didn’t survive Clarkson engineering and the North Country winters, and ended up graduating a little closer to Ithaca, in Binghamton, NY.

My X played women’s hockey at Cornell. My son saw his first Cornell ECAC playoff hockey when he was just 8 weeks old, in Boston Garden (1989).

When the ECAC tournament shifted from the Garden to Lake Placid, I would take him for a weekend of hockey, snowboarding (for him) and beer (for me). When it then shifted to Albany NY, we still went for a quick day in the Adirondacks.

The tournament left Albany for Atlantic City, NJ 3 years ago, and all I can say is that I’m delighted to hear that it will return to Lake Placid next year for a 3 year stint that I hope will be made permanent.

So, yes, you could say I have an emotional attachment to Cornell hockey.

#9 seeded Cornell eliminated #8 Princeton last night 3-2 score, in a 2 game sweep, and move on to play either #1 Quinnipiac or #2 seed RPI next weekend. Pics below: