For the second straight year, the HBS Blades (11 Wins-1 Loss) found themselves in the final of the Tuck Ice Hockey Tournament in Hanover, New Hampshire. But this year, the Blades were the ones hoisting the Tuck Cup to the rafters.
The Tuck team got a quick start scoring two goals in the first five minutes. Undeterred, the HBS Blades recovered from their Chili’s induced food coma and soon after Garret Overlock (OI) scored on a quick wrist shot from the blue line. Next, Captain Jon Hill’s (OF) knuckle puck squeaked by the Tuck goaltender to tie the score 2-2. Two fluke goals gave Tuck the lead again for a brief moment, but then Matt McKnight (HKS) and Joe McElroy (NF) scored to re-tie the game at 4-4.
With the score tied and three minutes remaining, the Blades received a game-changing power play after Hill drew a roughing penalty. On the ensuing power play, RC phenom Joe McElroy scored his second goal of the night on a nice saucer pass from Hill, who miraculously recovered following his “injury.” Seasoned goalie and team Ed Rep, Ed Rawlinson (OG) made a flurry of saves in the final minutes to protect the HBS lead, and ultimately the HBS Blades defeated Tuck 5-4 in this nail-biter of a final.
“This is why I came out of retirement!” exclaimed Mike Kreger (OC) in the post-game press conference. James McNally (OB) summed up the Blades’ keys to success: “We built an effective team, aligned the organization and communicated through a common set of rituals, myths and shared language.”
McElroy won the tournament MVP for under-promising and over-delivering (8 goals, 4 assists). Previous winners include Erik Peterson, Tony Sarto and the class of 1976.
The Blades finished the tournament undefeated with six wins, winning both the A and B tournaments. The celebration continued off the ice late into the evening as the Blades infiltrated the local Greek scene, with defensemen Andrew Hendrie (OF) and Mike Angeloni (NG) determined to scout for the best local talent.
Results
Babson W12-4
Cornell W4-3 (Shootout)
Tuck B W6-4
Tuck Alumni W6-1
Vt Law W6-0
Tuck A W5-4
All Tournament Team
People’s Choice Award – Brian Wannop (OC)
Goon Award & Most Penalty Minutes – Alex Roe (OA), Ron Spreeuwenburg (OG)
Lady Bing – Chris Hontvet (Partner, OH)
Third Man In Award – Lenny Li (OA)
Strength and Conditioning Award – Chris Biedrzycki (OA) (creator of Biedrzycki challenge)
Upcoming Tournaments
This coming weekend the HBS Blades head to Canada to pick up some Tim Horton’s and avenge the U.S. Olympic Hockey loss by serving the Canadian business schools a humiliating loss at the Ivey Hockey Tournament in London, Ontario. Stephen Young (OH) guarantees that HBS will medal.
Also, mark the calendar for your chance to see the HBS Blades live in action. The weekend of March 26-28, HBS will host the largest MBA hockey tournament in the country, facing off against teams from Michigan, Kellogg, Wharton, Tuck, Babson, Suffolk Law, and others. Stay tuned for game schedule and hockey-sponsored social events.
