M. Hockey Hits the Road for First Time in 2009-10

With three crucial wins under its belt, the No. 3 men’s hockey team heads on the road this weekend for the first time this season to face Ivy League rivals Yale tonight, followed by Brown tomorrow night.

“Going on the road against Yale and Brown is always a tough trip. Last year our game was for first place and at Brown we went into overtime to win … but we have high expectations to go on the road and see what will happen,” said head coach Mike Schafer ’86.

With a combined 11 goals scored in last weekend’s games, the Red (3-0, 2-0 ECAC) has already demonstrated its talent early in the season. After losing to Yale (1-1-1, 0-1-1 ECAC) three times last year, including the game for the No. 1 spot in the ECAC Hockey league, Cornell is determined to change the outcome this time around.

“Guys have been marking this one on the calendar. We’ve been looking forward to getting back and playing Yale. They didn’t have a great weekend last weekend, but they are going to be a strong team,” said senior forward Blake Gallagher.

Yale has had a rough start so far this season; they lost to Rensselaer, 5-2, last Friday before mustering up a late goal on Saturday to tie Union, 3-3. Although the Red holds the all-time series lead with the Bulldogs, 77-52-5, Yale swept all three games last season, including the championship of the ECAC tournament, 5-0. Yet, Cornell has had good luck playing in New Haven, Conn., and has won six of the last seven games played there. Johnny-on-the-spot: Senior forward Blake Gallagher started his season hot with three power play goals last weekend.

Throughout the week in practice, the Red has been working hard on improving its speed to play and skate against an up-tempo team like the Bulldogs. Since Yale has some strong forwards, Cornell’s defenders will have a demanding task of keeping them in line and thwarting any scoring opportunities. In addition, the Red continues to work on its special teams units, which have already played an enormous role in its game. Cornell leads the nation in converting power-play opportunities at 44.4 percent and it is ranked No. 10 in killing off penalties at an 88.9 percent rate.

“It is a tough place to play; they are rated high. As we go on in the year, one of the things that we try to preach is that every game is each of its own … and you can’t afford to have a letdown,” Schafer said.

On Saturday, the Red returns to the ice to face the Bears (0-2-1, 0-1-1 ECAC). With a new head coach in tow, Brown has become a much more competitive team, despite some struggles in the past few years. Cornell skated to two victories against the Bears last season, but the last meeting was a 3-2 overtime win in Providence.

“Judging how they did this past weekend, Brown is a much improved hockey team. We beat them last year in overtime, so we are expecting two tough games this weekend,” Gallagher said.

More than giving the Red another win on its record, the team’s victory against Dartmouth last weekend provides insight into how Brown’s squad might play this weekend. The Bears’ coach assisted the Dartmouth program last season, so the Red will be prepared if he uses similar tendencies with his new team.

“[Yale] beat us last year in the ECAC finals so I think we have some unfinished business and Brown always plays us tough so we have got to try to take momentum into this weekend,” said junior forward Tyler Roeszler.

“Our game plan doesn’t change on the road. We approach every game the same whether we are at home or on the road. Obviously, at home having the crowd makes it a lot easier, but we are looking forward to getting on the road,” Gallagher said.

The Red will take what it has learned from last weekend’s games — both the good and the bad — as it progresses forward throughout the season.

“We played a solid 60 [minutes] on Friday night and we saw the outcome of that. We also found out on Saturday that when we didn’t skate and we stopped working, we fell behind but we found a positive out of it and we found a way to win, which I think is important,” Roeszler said.

Sept. 17, 2009
Skorton: Strategic plan will give faculty flexibility
By Susan Kelley
There's a key reason why Cornell must erase its projected $215 million deficit over the next five years: so faculty members can regain the resources they need to fulfill their academic aspirations.

That was the point President David Skorton made Sept. 16 to about 200 faculty members and others at a forum in Kennedy Hall's Call Auditorium.

"It is not because of pressure from the board of trustees. It is not to make the balance sheet appeal to rating agencies," said Skorton at the second of five forums he and Provost Kent Fuchs are holding through October for staff, faculty and students about the university's strategic planning process.

"It's one reason, and one reason only: To return financial flexibility to the university so that we as faculty members can again pursue the initiatives, hiring and projects that we want to, reaching our aspirations without concern that one more aspiration will require the decrease of spending or activity in another area," Skorton said.

He emphasized that he believes faculty embody Cornell's three defining strengths: liberal arts education, public service and student access regardless of ability to pay. He values each faculty member's opinion, he said, including the faculty who have expressed deep concerns that the strategic plan will dilute those strengths.

Skorton encouraged faculty to continue to communicate with him; he also reviewed actions in the past year to whittle the deficit to $135 million from $215 million. They include FY 2010's 5 percent budget cut, deferring some construction and a 7 percent reduction in personnel -- two-thirds from voluntary retirements and one-third from layoffs.

Fuchs then describe in detail the strategic planning process now under way: the task forces that are looking at ways to reorganize and streamline Cornell's academic side; consultants who are making "recommendations, not decisions," on how to reduce administrative costs; and the provost's office long-term strategic planning. All three groups will circulate public reports in December, he said.

In response to a question in the Q&A period about how decision-makers would resolve potential cross-college conflicts regarding activities and funding, Skorton said each strategic decision will protect the progress and interests of colleges and units -- unless it conflicts with interests of the university as a whole.

Will faculty take on more of the academic work, such as premedical advising, which in recent years staff have been hired to do? That depends on the nature of the work, Fuchs said. "As faculty, are we using our time in a way that contributes to our core business? I think the areas you mentioned are core activities. It's a good point."

Responding to a question regarding innovation vs. efficiency, Fuchs said he and others will take time from October through December to thoroughly evaluate the academic recommendations. Skorton added that in such areas as procurement, the university may simplify, not innovate. He stressed that faculty should not be afraid to posit a hypothesis about restructuring and test it, just as they do in their own research. "Every decision can be reversed," Skorton said. "If we get frozen in doing something one way or another, that's what will defeat us."

Former Dean of Faculty Charlie Walcott urged Fuchs and Skorton to remember that laying off too many support staff would become counterproductive to faculty, and urged them "to preserve the teamwork that characterizes successful departments."

Another faculty member asked if $215 million was a conservative estimate of the university's deficit. Yes, Skorton said, adding that the endowment performed better than predicted in the past six months, and research and tuition revenues increased a bit more than expected as well. "I would rather see us be cautious. But we must also retain enough liquidity to face our challenges (such as making key faculty hires)."

Skorton closed the forum with a moment of silence in memory of Warren J. Schor, the 20-year-old student who recently died of complications related to H1N1 influenza.

A staff forum will be held Oct. 1, noon-1 p.m., in a location to be announced. Student forums will be held Sept. 17 and Oct. 2, both 4:30-5:30 p.m. in Uris Hall Auditorium. All the forums are streamed live and archived at CornellCast.

miss sitting in on classes and learning?  here's your chance to sooth your nostalgia!!!  http://www.cornell.edu/video/viewplaylist.cfm?id=98

 CornellCast > In the Classroom.  

check it out.     Marketing?  Hotel?   Law?  Physics?  

have fun !