The puck recently dropped on the HBS Blades 2001-02 hockey season. For those new to the HBS sports scene, the Men and Women of the Blades practice and play ice hockey games against local graduate schools at Harvard’s Bright Hockey Center each Sunday evening from October to March. Interested students or partners who missed the sign-up at the Club Fair in September should contact Ken Baumgartner (OE) or Gretchen Engster (OA)-players of all skill levels are welcome.
The Men’s team started off the season in style by defeating Babson on November 5th. The Blades started off quickly in this contest, jumping to an early lead. Babson replied, but a key “lost contact lens” incident, courtesy of Kris Whalen (OF), stalled the action and allowed the Blades to regain momentum. Please note that there are few funnier or more futile tasks than trying to find a displaced contact lens on ice – the lens in question was thankfully discovered clinging to the facemask of an embarrassed Whalen. The Blades never looked back and ultimately skated to a 10-4 victory over their local foes. Considerable credit for this result goes to a strong first-year group of players, notably Ken Grahame (NA), Mika Malin (NG), Mark MacTavish (NC), Brett Merritt (NH), Rob Masson (NB), Jeff Scherer (NB), and Chris McIsaac (NJ). Grahame led the way offensively for the Blades, scoring four times. Cagey veteran Sam Wolff (OF) had two goals in the game; Mika Malin, Andrew Boer (OJ), Kris Whalen, and Jason Sutherland (OF) also scored. Goaltender Ben Heller, partner of Amanda Key (NA), was stellar in net in his first outing with the Blades.
The Men continued their strong season-opener performance by beating Boston College Law School on November 11th. BC Law proved to be a stronger opponent than Babson, but the greater depth of talent on Blades bench ultimately wore the BC Law team down. At the end of the game the Blades left the ice with a 10-3 victory. Forward Dave Lindbergh, partner of Patricia Pu (NH), led the effort, scoring twice in his first game. Masson, Merritt, Grahame, Boer, Wolff, Sutherland, Whalen, and Baumgartner also contributed goals. Second-year defensemen Hunt Doering (OE) and Eliot DeLoach (OE) added strong performances on the blueline.
When asked about the team’s performance in the first two games, Captain Ken Baumgartner replied, “We’ve got to take it one game at time out there. I don’t want to see this early success go to our heads. We need to play ‘old time hockey’ if we want a chance to win a few tournaments this season.”
Indeed, thanks to some great first-year talent on both teams and a strong cast of returning players, Blades members have high hopes for success at the Tuck and HBS tournaments later in the season.
The Blades would like to thank the fans that supported their efforts at Babson (Chaz, Jamey and Colin rule) and at home against BC Law. Look for more Men’s and Women’s hockey action in the coming weeks!
