The Cornell hockey team's thirty-third annual awards banquet was held on
Saturday, April 16, and the event was a fun one despite the Big Red's sub-
par season.  A number of awards were given out, starting with the Senior
Recognition Awards.  The two seniors, Shaun Hannah and Geoff Bumstead, were
each presented with a Cornell sweater.  There were also Hat Trick awards,
which were sweaters given to each player who had scored a hat trick during
the season.  There were three this year:  Jake Karam, Vincent Auger, and
Geoff Lopatka.  To some, this might seem a bit much to make of a hat trick,
but it's a long-standing tradition to do so at Cornell, and besides, there
haven't been any hat tricks to celebrate in three years.
 
Outgoing Cornell athletic director Laing Kennedy then spoke, talking about
Cornell's great hockey tradition and, as he had last year, issuing a
challenge to the returning players to keep improving.  He made mention of
the fact that this was going to be his last Cornell hockey banquet due to
his retirement.  He also noted Cornell president Frank Rhodes' impending
retirement, which was announced a month after his own, and jokingly said,
"It was obvious that President Rhodes felt he couldn't continue without me."
Laing will indeed be sorely missed, by the hockey program in particular,
which he admitted he had a special fondness for -- understandable, since he
was a goalie for the Big Red in the early '60s.
 
The seniors then gave their speeches, and they both got in a good line or
two.  In the midst of thanking his parents, coaches, teammates, and so
forth, Shaun Hannah said, "I'd also like to thank the Brown hockey team"
(what??) "for allowing me to score 25% of my points in my career."  I
wouldn't be surprised if his brother Kim, who plays for Brown, reciprocates
next year when he graduates.  Geoff Bumstead, in his speech, took the oppor-
tunity to bust on freshman Vincent Auger (the team's only NHL draft pick).
In the process of thanking Cornell trainer Ray Barile (who had also worked
with Team USA in the Canada Cup and at the World Championships), he said,
"Vinnie, I hope you enjoy working with Ray, 'cause that's as close to the
big show as you're gonna get!"  I'd bet that Vinnie had a quick comeback --
I'm sorry I missed it.
 
And then it was finally time to give out the Cornell hockey awards:
 
     The Bill Doran Memorial Award for sportsmanship: forward Jake Karam.
 
     The Wendell Earle Memorial Award for excellence in both hockey and
     academics also went to Karam.
 
     The Joe DeLibero - Stan Tsapis Memorial Award for skilled efficiency,
     dedication, and hard-nosed competitiveness:  forward Brad Chartrand.
 
     The Sam Woodside Hockey Award, given to the rookie who "has demon-
     strated the skill, dedication, and desire that is representative of
     Cornell hockey," went to Vincent Auger (no surprise there).
 
     The Cornell Hockey Boosters Award for the player "whose contribution to
     the team is not apparent in box scores" -- enthusiasm, dedication,
     desire, etc.:  forward Geoff Lopatka, who was actually pretty darn
     apparent in the box scores at playoff time.  Still, it's a well-
     deserved piece of recognition.
     The Mark Weiss Memorial Award, given by the Class of 1981 in memory of
     Mark Weiss, a hockey player who died during his sophomore season, to
     the player who shows the most determination and passion for the sport
     of hockey over his career.  Again, no surprise; the winner was forward
     and team captain Shaun Hannah.
 
     The Iron Man Award.  I like the description of this one:  "Presented to
     the team member who, in spite of being bruised, broken, spliced,
     sliced, or otherwise hurt, most demonstrates the will and determination
     to overcome his injuries and contribute to the team."  The award went
     to forward Geoff Bumstead, who missed a good portion of his first three
     years due to assorted injuries, but came back in his senior season to
     lead the team in scoring, becoming the first Cornellian in three years
     to break the 30-point barrier.
 
     And finally, the Nicky Bawlf Award, for the most valuable player as
     determined by a team vote.  Bumstead won this award as well.
 
One other person was given special recognition at the banquet.  Mike Teeter,
who has been with the Cornell hockey team as equiment manager, goal judge,
and general man-behind-the-scenes for ages, was presented with a lifetime
Hockey Booster membership in appreciation.  This was a well-deserved honor
that was a long time in coming.
 
Thus, the book closes on the Cornell Big Red's 1993-94 season.  I guess we
Big Red fans can all suck our toes for the next few months until we find out
who the new recruits are...
--
Disclaimer -- Unless otherwise noted, all opinions expressed above are
              strictly those of:
 
Bill Fenwick
Cornell '86 and '94 (.5)
LET'S GO RED!!
"My brother's got this 65-mile-an-hour bass fishing boat.  Now, I don't think
 bass can go 65 miles an hour...  Maybe he catches them and takes them skiing
 or something."
-- Blake Clark