--- Bill Fenwick wrote:
I wouldn't shed too many tears for the poor Ivies if they are losing
"coaches" like Brian Mason and, if the RUMOR is true, Jeff Kosak.  You can't
have a winning hockey team with strict admissions policies?  Mason is WRONG
WRONG WRONG.  Both Cornell and Harvard have had successful hockey programs
for years.  Of course, they have been able to recruit on this winning
tradition and that, coupled with the two schools' being somewhat larger and
more academically diverse (and more "prestigious"?) than Dartmouth, makes it
easier for the Big Red and the Crimson to get the players they need to stay...
--- end of quoted material ---
 
   Actually, I think the real problem Dartmouth has in competing for recruits
with Cornell and Harvard is the school colors - red is so much more cheerful
and inspiring than green! :)
   Harvard might be more "prestigious" than the rest of the Ivies (you'll get
many different opinions on this depending on how you rate "prestige"), but it
also is in Boston.  Boston is a *city* (Dartmouth is in Hanover, with a
population of 10,000) that has a rich hockey tradition and might prove
attractive to many players.  Cornell also has an Agricultural School that I
have been told makes it attractive to some players.
   This kind of comparison about advantages of one school over another is
pretty useless and must be resolved on an individual basis by the potential
students - each will have his own needs and desires.  ALL (yes, every single
one!) of the Dartmouth players I have asked, said they came here because they
liked "Dartmouth" - the academic programs, the location, the professors, the
students, the "Friends of Hockey" group, etc.  There was never any question
about which school was their first choice.
   It might be interesting to ask players at other places why they chose their
particular school.
 
                                  - Bob