Ken Pavelle writes:
 
>> ... BG will ...have a single game against Colgate at the BGSU Ice Arena.
>
>This has the makings of a great game.  Colgate should be strong again this
>year, as should BG.
 
I dunno about Colgate being strong, at least outside of the ECAC.  The Red
Raiders look like they'll be hit pretty hard by graduation, losing top scorers
Earl Cronan and Chris DeProfio and three solid defensemen in Brad Dexter, Matt
Garzone, and Rod Pamenter.  Colgate will have to hope their recruits will be
ready to "step in and contribute".  As for Bowling Green, I'd guess they will
be quite good this season, though whether it will be enough to move up in the
CCHA standings remains to be seen...
 
>                     But I have to say, the matchup I'd REALLY like to see
>is BG/Cornell.  They're both perennial powerhouses, sometimes but not often
>enough in the top echelon on Div I.  Add to that a lot of history.  Also, I
>can't help but feel like there's some potential animosity for Cornell
>nudging BG out of tournament contention.
 
Well, this isn't Cornell's fault -- the Big Red did what they had to do to make
the NCAAs (as it developed, that required them to win their conference tourney),
and BG didn't.  Though it will probably serve as extra incentive for the
Falcons this year knowing that they've been the unlucky #13 in the NCAA tour-
nament selection process two years in a row.  Just look what Colorado College
has done since they got snubbed back in '94.
 
Cornell and Bowling Green may have a lot of history, but not against each
other; they've only met four times.  Their last meeting, in the first round
of the inaugural Cleveland Classic in December of '92, was one to remember...
(yecch)  Cornell had an awful team that season, but they somehow managed to
build a three-goal lead after two periods in that game, only to cough it up
in the first six minutes of the third.  The Big Red prolonged the agony by
scoring late to tie the game, then fell in OT.  Arrrrgh... and I had to drive
eight hours to *Cleveland* to see all this...
 
>What's the thought?  If it were up to you, who would you rather see Bowling
>Green play, Cornell or Colgate?
 
If BG were having a good year, I'd rather see them play Colgate... if the
Falcons were having an off year, I'd rather they play Cornell :-)
 
We might see a Cornell-BG matchup in the future; Cornell head coach Mike
Schafer seems interested in scheduling games against CCHA opponents.  I haven't
seen the Big Red's 96-97 schedule yet, but I understand that Miami and at least
one other CCHA team are on it, and it sounds like Cornell is trying to schedule
games in future seasons against Lake Superior and possibly Schafer's old em-
ployers, Western Michigan.
 
--
Disclaimer -- Unless otherwise noted, all opinions expressed above are
              strictly those of:
 
Bill Fenwick
Cornell '86 and '95
LET'S GO RED!!                                                  DJF  5/27/94
"I saw an ad for a set of dumbbells and a video tape on how to use them.  And
 I'm thinking, if you don't know how to use dumbbells, what are the odds you
 know how to use a VCR?"
-- John Mendoza
 
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