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