Another coaching move:  Cornell University assistant coach Mike Schafer is
leaving the Big Red for an assistant coaching position with Bill Wilkinson
at Western Michigan of the CCHA, and he will be joining the Broncos' staff
on August 18.  Schafer has been with the Big Red hockey team since 1982, as
a solid defenseman and, upon graduating in 1986, as an assistant coach.
 
This is potentially a big loss for Cornell, and conversely a big gain for
Western Michigan.  Schafer has a reputation as a top-quality recruiter, and
he has gotten (and deserves) a great deal of the credit for persuading
several NHL prospects to play at Cornell.  Players such as forwards Joe
Dragon, Kent Manderville, and Ryan Hughes, defensemen Dan Ratushny and
Etienne Belzile, and goalies Corrie D'Alessio, Jim Crozier, and Parris
Duffus, all NHL picks, plus a number of other top players, all enrolled at
Cornell during Mike's four years as assistant coach.  Head coach Brian
McCutcheon and his other assistant, Don Vaughn, were also involved in
recruiting, of course, but McCutcheon credits Schafer with "doing the
legwork" and "covering the bases".  It's tough for any school to get all the
players they want, and even with the winning tradition, great fan support,
and all the other wonderful factors in Cornell's favor, it must be pretty
hard to convince a possible pro prospect to join the Big Red, what with the
ECAC's academic and recruiting restrictions and the lack of athletic
scholarships.  In fact, Schafer mentioned that while leaving Cornell will be
very difficult for him, "it's real exciting to go to a scholarship school
and work with a guy like Bill Wilkinson..."  Well, anyway, congratulations
and best of luck to Mike Schafer in his new post at Western Michigan.
Cornell is sure gonna miss the big guy.
 
Bill Fenwick
Cornell '86
LET'S GO RED!!
 
"Did you ever stop to think that when you go to court and face a jury, you're
 putting your life in the hands of twelve people who aren't smart enough to
 get out of jury duty?"
-- Norm Crosby