The thirty-fourth annual Cornell Hockey Awards banquet was held last
Saturday, and as usual, there were a number of pieces of hardware (and
software) handed out.  The evening started with the Hat Trick / Senior
Recognition awards.  All four seniors on the team -- defensemen Christian
Felli and Blair Ettles, and forwards Jake Karam and Tyler McManus -- were
presented with Cornell sweaters.  A Hat Trick award (also a Cornell sweater)
was presented to freshman Ryan Smart, the only non-senior to notch a hat
trick (actually two) this season.  Karam (2) and McManus (1) were the others
who picked up hat tricks this year.
 
Head coach Brian McCutcheon gave a summary of the season, and he was
followed by the senior speeches.  One of the better lines of the night came
from the oft-injured Ettles, who noted orthopedic surgeon Dirk Dugan's
presence at the banquet and said, "You may have noticed that Doc Dugan's got
a new jacket... well, that was me."
 
Then came the awards:
 
     The Bill Doran Sportsmanship Award for sportsmanship on and off the ice
     went to forward Jake Karam, who also won the award last year.
 
     The Wendell Earle Memorial Award for excellence in both hockey and
     academics was given to defenseman Steve Wilson.  Wendell's 12-year-old
     grandson Evan presented the award, and as has been his custom (we're
     talking about a pretty poised kid here), he took a couple shots at the
     award winner.  He noted Steve's choice of a flannel shirt for the event
     (a nice-looking flannel shirt, but it appeared slightly out of place
     when seen among the coats and ties that the rest of the male attendees
     were wearing), and also mentioned that Steve, the team leader in pen-
     alty minutes, had had ample time to study the penalty box as well as
     his other subjects.
 
     The Joe DeLibero - Stan Tsapis Award for skilled efficiency, dedi-
     cation, and hard-nosed competitiveness went to forward Brad Chartrand
     for the second year in a row.
 
     The Sam Woodside Award for skill, dedication, and desire by a rookie,
     was won by a pair of freshmen:  goaltender Jason Elliott (who excelled
     in the first half of the season) and forward Ryan Smart (who excelled
     in the second half).
 
     The Cornell Hockey Boosters Award is presented to the player "whose
     contribution to the team is not apparent in the box scores" but who
     brings enthusiasm, dedication, and desire to the team.  This one was a
     no-brainer:  defenseman Blair Ettles, who despite being healthy for the
     first time in his career saw action in only five games this season.
     Still, he had an almost relentlessly positive attitude and was ready to
     step in when needed.  A well-deserved award.
 
     The Mark Weiss Memorial Award, given in memory of Mark Weiss, a hockey
     player who died during his sophomore season, goes to the player who
     shows the most determination and passion for the sport of hockey over
     his career.  The winner was defenseman Christian Felli.
 
     The Iron Man Award, for determination to overcome injuries, was another
     no-brainer:  defenseman Bill Holowatiuk, who played in all 30 games
     this year after missing all of the 1993-94 season with a serious knee
     injury.  Needless to say, it is fervently hoped that next year's winner
     of this award will be forward Vinnie Auger, the former Ivy League
     Rookie of the Year who missed all of this year with a bad back.
 
     And finally, the Nicky Bawlf Award, given in memory of former head
     coach Nicholas P. Bawlf and presented to the most valuable player as
     determined by the vote of his teammates.  The winner was Jake Karam.
 
One attendee at the banquet deserves special mention:  Geoff Bumstead, who
graduated last year and was the 1993-94 most valuable player, as well as the
team's leading scorer.  His appearance was especially noteworthy because he
is now living and playing hockey in Germany.
--
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 still remember sitting in a darkened theater with my arm around 17-year-
 old Mary Jo Rasmussen, trying to get to first base.  I can even remember
 the name of the film:  'The Lion King'."
-- Steve Martin, presenting an award at the Oscars