10 memories of Colgate Athletics
Over the summer, I sat down to think of some of the more memorable moments in my 3 years here at Colgate. I compiled a list, and the natural next step would be, ranking that list. I divided it into three catergories; stuff the teams did, stuff I did, and stuff that happened at the game that weren't centered on me or the teams. For the sake of lenght, this article is limited to the on the field occasions. This list, is what I consider to be, the best of the best. These are the moments that will stand out in my mind forever, and to me, represent what Colgate athletics is all about.
10) Mens Hockey at Yale and Princeton, February 9th + 10th 2001
I found that quite a few of the events I remembered were while on the road. Maybe it’s a change in venue that makes these things seem special, but in this case, the fact that Colgate had not gotten a 4 point weekend on this road trip in nearly 10 years was enough to make this special. Colgate was in the midst of a losing battle to make the playoffs, and badly needed to pick up some points at the two venues we can never seem to pick up points in. Yale was the first stop, and the Colgate contingent to show up in New Haven was quite sizable and loud. The team was playing well, but Yale, who was in a playoff battle of their own, would not give up ground very easily. Both teams had talent, and the game was very good. The difference came late in the second period, when Bob Vandersluis was hit from behind into the boards. He lay motionless on the ice for a few minutes, and a 5 minute major was assessed on the offending skater. The powerplay started off somewhat slow, causing one Red Raider fan to remark, “This power play is brought to you by the State of California Power and Energy Commission.” But, no sooner that those words were spoken, a shot flew threw the air and into the back of the net. Cory Murphy was the one who pulled the trigger, after being set up perfectly by his teammates. Just 17 seconds later, Mike O’ Malley took a shot from near the blue line. The Yale goalie, Dan Lombard, was screened, and didn’t see it as it went in through the bottom corner. Colgate was swarming now. We were camping out in the offensive zone, and Yale couldn’t touch our set up passes. When the time came to shoot, it was done without hesitation. Bryan Long was the next Red Raider to take advantage of the powerplay, sending a shot at the net that deflected off of Lombards blocker and in. Period two would end with Colgate scoring 3 times in 4 minutes of powerplay. And the Colgate fight song filled the belly of the whale many times over during that stretch. The Colgate fans were jubilant, and for a few brief moments, the struggles of the season were forgotten. Yale would close the gap to 4-2 early in the third, but that’s as close as they got. David Cann was maturing rapidly in net for Colgate, and he was the major reason we held onto the lead as Yale rallied. The Colgate fans also used a bastardized version of the “It’s all your fault” cheer on Lombard, acknowledging the 5 minute major and Colgate offensive awakening with a “It’s mostly your fault” cheer. Colgate would hold out 4-2 that night. The next night we were at Hobey Baker rink at Princeton University, where we had not won since 1993. The arena itself was really nice, but the Princeton pep band wasn’t around, hurting the atmosphere a lot, and also allowing us to become the dominant noise makers in the rink. Boy, you shoulda seen the face on some of the Princeton regulars when we did our traditional “Hi Kirk, you SUCK!” cheer during introductions. The Princeton/Yale trip is a very awkward one to pull off, so most bands with only a limited travel budget don’t make this one very often, meaning they are not used to a large number of people supporting the other team. The action on the ice was great, as both teams went after the first period hard, Princeton would score twice, with Colgate closing the gap both times in about 2 minutes. Prior to this weekend, I had made the bold prediction that Colgate would get 4 points, even backing that up with a top ten list for why we should win each game. At the end of the first period, we were tied at two, but the Tigers were getting the better of the offensive chances and defensive stops. Things did not look great, but Colgate was refusing to give up. When the teams came out for the second period, Colgate took control of the game. Etienne Morin scored just 34 seconds in to give Colgate their first lead of the game. Colgate had begun to take some of the momentum away from the Tigers as well, and Sean Nolans goal later in the period would be the game winner. While this was the end of the game, fun time was just beginning. Colgate proceeded to take over the place. In the stands, the pep band was taking care of things, getting the Colgate crowd going, and supporting the team. While on the ice, Colgate began to put on a clinic. David Cann was really doing his job well, but the defense was doing their job better, allowing just 25 shots on the night. Colgate was moving the puck well, and we took over the neutral zone. Two rapid fire goals early in the 3rd helped upgrade this from “convincing victory” to “blowout”. First, Scooter Smith put one in with the help of Morin. Then, just 40 seconds later, Dan Stay scored his first collegiate goal with a shot from in front of the crease! Towards the end of his senior season, Stay finally earned a puck he can keep. And his teammates couldn’t have been any happier for him. Later in the period, Bob Vandersluis, who was the one who needed medical attention in the previous nights game, scored the final Colgate goal with about 9 minutes left, bringing the score to 7-2. This is when it was really fun to be in the stands; you get to use cheers like “Yale was better” “This is our house, FINALLY” “Hey Stathos, we talked to your mom last night, you know what she said? YOUR MEDIOCRE!” (Some parents were sitting near us with their kids and politely asked we stop with the “Sucks”. And later in the game, as things got chippy, there were about 7 people in the penalty box with just a few minutes left, so for them, “Party in the box!” It was great for the team to finally be able to celebrate on Hobey Baker ice, and they got the most they could out of their only 4 point weekend of the season. It was also a great experience for any Colgate fans who were there.
9) Bizarre win over Maine Football, September 4th, 1999, Andy Kerr Stadium
The 1999 football season that would culminate in a NCAA tournament bid would have a rather auspicious beginning. It was a very hot day, with several players suffering from heat exhaustion. Colgate scored on their first drive, Maine scored in the second quarter, and that was it until the 4thquarter. The Colgate offense was allowing a lot of turnovers, but our defense was very strong that day. Maine scored first in the final quarter, then Colgate put together 2 drives to take the lead by a touchdown. That’s when things got weird. With about 4 minutes left, Colgate was beginning a drive from deep in their territory. Any sort of drive should have been enough to clinch the game. But, on second down, from our own 17 yard line, Ryan Vena’s pass is deflected. Colgate’s center, Kevin Bolis, makes an attempt to catch the ball, but never really makes the full catch, being a lineman and all… But, the officials rule that he caught it and fumbled it. In the frenzy, a Maine cornerback grabs the ball and runs it in for a touchdown. Maine ties the game, while Colgate protests what looked to be a very bad call. On top of that, Colgate throws an interception early in the next drive, giving Maine the ball at the Colgate 30. Now Maine is going for the win, while Colgate is just hoping to force overtime. There’s about a minute left as Maine runs the first play of the drive, just trying to gain a little ground before going for a game winning field goal. The first play is a 4 yard pass to Dwayne Wilmot. However, Brandon Tinson gets to him at the same time the ball does, and he’s hit hard just as he touches the ball. Again, it looked like he never had possession of it, but Tinson figures we’re owed something by the officials, and grabs it. Before anyone can stop him, he runs 66 yards for the game winning touchdown. A pair of offsetting bad calls gives Colgate the 28-21 win.
8) 3-2 Overtime Mens soccer win over Syracuse, October25th, 2000
I know soccer is not the most popular sport for the readers of this site, but as a ten year veteran of youth soccer, it’s a sport that I enjoy tremendously. Our mens soccer team has a very strong NY state schedule, including many tough out of league opponents. This past year, even though the team did not make the league playoffs, we had some really great battles both in and out of the league. One of these games came right near the end of the season, against the central New York powerhouse, Syracuse University. It was a cold night at Van Doren Field. But I had a pretty nice seat sitting up behind the microphone in the press box. Van Doren field is a great facility if you ever get to take a good look at it. The bleachers are normal bleachers, but the field is very well maintained, and the location is great, with the majestic stones of the Stanford Field House providing the backdrop on one side. As usual, the Orangemen are highly ranked, and are right at the top of the New York State polls. This game was really good, with high emotions on both sides, and neither team willing to lose easily. Colgate struck first. Brendan Skonieczki took a pass right in front of the goalie, and lifted it into the net. But, there would be no sigh of relief, as Syracuse got a series of shots, culminating in their first goal a minute later. Jon Brunell, a freshman, looking to make a name for himself, was strong in net, making several key saves. However, his acrobatics would cost him, as he would be forced to leave the game at half-time with a sore ankle. Will Martin, another freshman, would be his replacement for the remainder of the game, he was winless thus far in his collegiate career. Tim Gerges would put Colgate up again, his touch in was the culmination of a great offensive attack by the Red Raider’s, who passed the ball through the Orange defense and finally set up the perfect shot. Once again, Syracuse answered almost instantly, scoring just 19 seconds later with a header past Martin. Martin did make several key saves though to preserve the tie as Syracuse pressured Colgate as regulation was wearing down. With 5 minutes left, defensemen and free kick specialist, Josh Viel, was forced out of the game with a sore knee. Josh was strong on defense, and had a knack for making a big goal when we needed it the most. Losing him was not a good thing. But Colgate battled on, and the action was fast and furious. This game went to overtime, making it the third straight overtime game in a row for the Red Raider’s. As great as regulation was, overtime was better. In the 11th minute, Conor Harrison took the ball upfield and passed it to Michael Henes, who took a few steps, then blasted a shot from 35 yards out. And, have you ever had one of those moments where it seemed like you were watching something happen in slow motion? Well, this shot was one of them. The ball flew through the air, straight at the top of the Syracuse net. The goalie had just enough time to react, but this shot was a real rocket, and it went in right above the netminders head as he jumped up to intercept it. The ball shook the net, and the Colgate crowd responded by going nuts! As the Raider’s celebrated on the field, the Orangemen could only stand or sit motionless, before leaving the field dejected. It was an amazing, hard fought win. There would have been no dishonor in losing to Syracuse that night, but the Red Raider’s pulled off what might have been the most impressive victory of the season.
7) Womens Lax over Lafayette, April 25th, 1999
The 1999 womens lacrosse season came to an exciting close as the Red Raiders met the Leopards in the regular season finale at Tyler’s field. Both Colgate and Lafayette were undefeated in the league heading into that game, so by coincidence, this would be the league championship game. Colgate was having a great season, we would go 11-3 overall. This game at Tylers field would be the last game for Hilary Meyer, one of the best goalies Colgate has ever had for any sport. It would also be the last game for Cathy Foto, who was stepping down as the women’s lacrosse coach after 10 years. Now, Tyler’s field is a great place to watch games from. It’s a new facility, with an astro turf field. There are bleachers on one side, with a great view of the playing field from every seat. And on the other side of the field, there is a small hill, which has an atmosphere of all it’s own on game day. Colgate and Lafayette fought hard all game, both teams looking to capture the trophy. In the end, Colgate prevailed 7-6! Because of the timing of this game, we were able to celebrate on our field with the trophy. It was really a great moment, to see this team finally capture the title. Colgate had not won the Patriot League title since the league was formed, and this group had finally persevered and reached that goal.
6) Women’s Soccer over Navy, November 7th, 1999
While on the topic of winning Patriot League championships, this was a memorable one. Colgate was on their way to a 10-8-2 season, when we met the Midshipmen at Van Doren Field. This would be the final home game for players like Andrea Licari, who provided both a scorers touch, as well as a mean streak on the field that often left the opposition on the ground. Kelly Tyrrell was also finishing up a stellar career. Kelly was another amazing netminder to pass through the Red Raider’s system. And her spectacular saves will not be easily forgotten. It was a cold November day, and as the highest seed, we were hosting the tournament. We had dispatched of Holy Cross the day before, winning by shutout. Navy is our biggest PL rival, and they were not making it easier to like them. Ruining a display set up by the teams parents before the game. It was Andrea Licari who scored first. Colgate would go up 2-0, as Navy seemed to be a bit cold in upstate NY. Tyrrell would preserve the shutout, to put Navy in it’s place. Colgate added to it’s already impressive list of league titles, and Tyrrell got to close out her Patriot League career with two playoff shutouts. Once again, it was Colgate celebrating on it’s own field with the cup.
5) Sean Nolan’s natural hat trick to beat Yale, March 10th, 2000
Colgate’s spectacular run nearly hit a roadblock when the Eli’s of Yale skated into Starr Rink for what should have been a routine elimination in the preliminary series. However, Yale, who was probably still upset that we had crushed them in the only playoff upset the year before, would not go down easily. In fact, they took a 3 goal lead early in the game! Yale was playing defensively, and capitalizing on Colgate mistakes. The post season seemed to be in jeopardy. Even though Colgate was on spring break, over 2,000 showed up for this first game. A Colgate loss would have placed Colgate in a very bad situation, and would have also hurt our chances of getting an at large bid to the NCAA tournament. Colgate pushed back to a 3-2 deficit, before Yale made it 4-2. Colgate was in trouble. That’s when Sean Nolan stepped up to bat for the Red Raiders. 4 minutes into the third period, he took a pass from Scooter Smith, and made a great move to beat the Yale goalie, and we were down 1. About ten minutes later, Colgate was on the powerplay, and Cory Murphy fired a shot from center ice. Nolan tipped it just inside the blueline, and it managed to find it’s way into the net. The game was now tied at 4, and Colgate held off some great Yale attacks to send the game into overtime. Early in the overtime period, Cory Murphy fed the puck to Andy McDonald. Being Andy McDonald, and having the puck, he attracted the attention of the Yale defenders, leaving Nolan open, as he high tailed it towards the Yale zone. McDonald fed a perfect pass to his streaking teammate, and Nolan was off to the races. He converted on the breakaway, to end the game less than a minute into overtime. Colgate would ride this momentum to a more convincing game two and series victory. Sean Nolan stepping up was one of the many highlights of this season. This was a team that just refused to lose, and the 3 goal comeback was one of the most impressive of the season.
4) Come from behind victory over Lehigh football, November 6th, 1999.
Speaking of great comebacks, this is one that led to a Patriot League championship one cold November afternoon. Colgate and Lehigh were both considered favorites for the league title, and after an early season loss to Bucknell, Lehigh was in the drivers seat. Two fumbles and an interception gave Lehigh a 17-0 first quarter lead. And not many people would expect a team the caliber of the Mountain Hawks to give up a lead like that. But Colgate did not give up. In fact, we put together a 63 yard drive in the second quarter to show that we were still in this game. But, Lehigh was still threatening, and with less than a minute left, they attempted a field goal that would have put them up 20-7. The kick was blocked, and Colgate recovered the ball. Despite being 70 yards from the goal, with just half a minute to play, we decided to go for it. The drive seemed almost impossible, but with Ryan Vena at the helm, anything was possible. 4 passes in a row were caught for first downs, and Colgate was really rolling. With just three seconds left, he threw a 23 yard touchdown pass and the game would be much closer going into the locker room. However, Lehigh extended its lead once again with a third quarter drive downfield. It was their first and only touchdown not the result of a Colgate turnover, but it still gave them a 11 point lead heading into the final quarter. Colgate made a 35 yard drive and scored on a two point conversion to narrow the gap to just 3. With just 5 minutes left, Colgate scored again on a 45-yard drive. At one point, Colgate faced a 4th down situation on the Lehigh 10 yard line. Instead of kicking the field goal to tie, we went for it, and would eventually score. It was moments like that that turned this into one of the most exciting Patriot League football games in recent years. Lehigh had one last chance to reclaim the lead, but Colgate intercepted the ball and finally ran out the clock. It was a very exciting win, and a hard fought contest.
3) Colgate beats Cornell at Lynah Rink, January 29th, 2000
There are few fan groups as hostile as the Cornell hockey fans. They are loud, organized, passionate, and often times, real jerks. But there are few rinks with a home ice advantage like Lynah rink. They have the fan support, as well as, lets just say, unique boards, including the notorious zambonie door, where the road goalie needs to play for two periods. Colgate was embattled in a tough game against the Big Red after shutting them out 4-0 the night before at Starr rink. Colgate scored first, but Cornell had the next two to pull ahead. The Big Red were also outshooting Colgate nearly 2-1, but Shep Harder just wasn’t letting anything past him. The Cornell shots were not all that great, most were about chest high, unscreened. Colgate only had 16 shots on the night, but Underhill was being pretty generous. In the stands, the Colgate fans and pep band also had a take no prisoners attitude, being a lot more aggressive than usual after just letting their fans pick on us the year before. We even played over the Swannee River cheer, which invites the visitors, among other things, to “Die” and “Drop dead”, but more on this rivalry later in the next article. It was the third period, and the teams were deadlocked at 2. The pressure was slowly rising, and Shep responded to the new challenges, stopping shot after shot. With just about 4 minutes left, Andy McDonald got a rebound and placed it in the net to put Colgate up 3-2. Moments later, Shep would make an amazing save, to preserve the win, and frustrate the Big Red. Etienne Morin would pound in his own rebound a minute after the McDonald goal, and Colgate now had the game won. The Big Red goons were not happy though, and Shep continued to frustrate them. At one point, Shep came out of the net a little bit, made a save against his chest, and then got elbowed from behind by a Cornell skater. As Shep went down, and a pile of skaters entered the fray. No punches were thrown, but there was pushing and yelling everywhere. One Cornell skater tried to bait McDonald into a fight, but he would have none of it. As things were getting sorted out, Shep was still being held down by a Cornell player. He was briefly freed by the official, but then cheap shotted the Cornell guy! There would be no protest of his game DQ. At some point, Andy would try to help his goalie, only to be cheap shotted by two Cornell goons. The Cornell fans showed their class by cheering the players kicked out of the game, while Shep took the opportunity to pose for the Cornell fans as he left the ice, and rub it in just a little more. His work was done, there were just 20 seconds left, and Colgate had swept the series. It was the first time we swept Cornell in 5 years, and to be there for the win at one of the hardest places to play was really great. The team would go on to beat Cornell 4-0 at Lake Placid later in the year to add a little more insult to injury.
2) Field Hockey over Providence, October 22nd, 2000
If I got a few raised eyebrows for having some soccer highlights on this list, you must be really surprised at seeing this one up here. The Field Hockey team had one of their worst seasons on record, but sometimes having a losing record makes you appreciate the wins just a bit more. Colgate would win just 3 games all season, and suffer some pretty bad losses along the way. However, we made our last stand at the final home game of the year. Given some of the teams that had beaten us, the Friars should have been able to make short work of the Red Raiders. But they weren’t. Colgate was playing a team game. It wasn’t always pretty, but we were holding our own, and not giving up. Colgate scored first, and the celebration was the equivalent of any game winning I’ve seen. This team was fired up! Providence would even the score, and pull away, but Colgate would stick with it. Devon Graham, who played hard all year, scored her first goal of the season to even the score at three, and send the game into overtime. The home crowd was into it. It was senior day, and many of the team members parents were in the stands, cheering their daughters on. They even commandeered a garbage can to help them make some noise in the stands. In overtime, the teams leading scorer, Kristine Thomas, would come through with the game winner. I was standing right near the goal line, when she found the ball in a crowd in the front of the net and slipped it past the goalie in another slow motion moment. As the ball hit the back of the goal, the celebration began. And what a celebration, you would have thought they had won the title. There was a pile of players in front of the goal, screaming and yelling. Across the field, the teams parents were equally ecstatic, and they had their own on field celebration. It’s rare to see a team this excited over anything, but to see it over a seemingly meaningless out of conference opponent is even rarer. But the event held great meaning. A team that had lost battle after battle all season, had finally come through in a tough game, and picked up the victory. The mood that day was amazing, with Coach Foto picking up the Colgate career record for victories. As several of the team parents celebrated on the field, this priceless line was uttered amidst the players celebration, “Um, my dad is hugging your dad”.
1) Shep gets the shutout, pukes, October 23rd, 1999
This game lands itself at number 1 for so many reasons. It was the first time the 1999-2000 mens hockey team showed signs of greatness. It was an amazing road trip, having such a strong alumni presence and the pep band at the games made this a lot of fun. And it was also a great hockey game. The previous night, we had battled the Colorado College Tigers, a young and very talented team, to a 6-3 loss. Colgate played well early, but the atmosphere and errors finally caught up with us. Colorado College had a sign hanging up above their football field claiming, “Where the air is rare”, and at the base of the Rocky Mountains, this was certainly true. We had not been treated well the first night by the Colorado College fans, several joining us in the Colgate section to taunt us personally or throw stuff at us, this continued in the parking lot after the game. It is still rated by the band as the number 2 most hostile place to play right behind Cornell.
We would have a chance to avenge this loss the next night. The Red Raiders had team meetings in the day to talk about what went wrong the night before, and what needed to be done to correct it. Shep Harder would be the goalie for the Red Raider’s, getting his second start of the season after Jason Lefevre handled the netminding duties the night before. Now, a lot of time a team can determine what it’s weaknesses were, but this team had the talent to correct them. Colgate would block 17 shots in this game, as opposed to 2 the previous night. The very tight defense frustrated the young Tiger team, and despite CC controlling the puck most of the first period, it was Colgate who scored first. Chad MacDonald was working his way towards the Tigers net, when both defenders collapsed on him, leaving Sean Nolan wide open on the other side of the ice, quick pass, quick backhander, Colgate is up 1-0. Colorado continued to apply pressure, but Shep was on top of his game, making 12 saves that period, including a few point blank shots. With about a minute left in the period, the CC defenders were slow getting to a loose puck in front of their own net, and Kevin Johns picked up a quick goal on the Tigers confusion.
In the second period, Colgate would face another challenge, namely the guys in the stripes. I’ve only seen two or three games at the college level where I can honestly say I thought the officials were biased, and this was one of them. They just did not call the game evenly, something that was a penalty for Colgate, was not called on Colorado College. When there was shoving after the whistle, they would call a retaliation hit on Colgate, but not the initial call, then they would call the initial hit by Colgate, but not the retaliation. Matching minors were called when they shouldn’t have been and several times the Tigers got away with something when a matching minor was in order. The Tigers had Colgate on their heels during the second, taking 11 shots, most of those on power plays. The Tigers would have 6 during the night.
But Colgate persevered, scoring their third goal when Kevin Johns intercepted a clearing pass gone astray and beat the goalie one on one as no one came back to cover him. Now, the game was settled, but it would not end easily. The Tigers were very frustrated by all the time they spent in the Colgate zone, but without a goal. Losing at the World Arena was rare for the Tigers, but being shut out was almost unheard of. The crowd of 6,000 plus was getting out of it, only cheering when violence erupted. So, the Tigers, acting out of frustration and desire to give the crowd what they wanted, started to goon it up. 14 penalties were called in the third, as the Tigers desperately tried to get on the board. They had chances too, but Colgate continued to block shots and break up plays with great defense. Anything that did get through was saved by Shep, who was playing brilliantly.
This is where the story gets even more interesting. With about 10 minutes left, the game was over, but Shep wanted that shutout. The Tigers continued to close in, getting a bit too close, and they started to bump Shep any chance they got. But Colgate could not get a call to protect the goalie. He would be bumped to the ice, there would be a few shoves, and only a Colgate player would go to the box. Now I will be the first to say Shep has been known to make a mountain out of a molehill when he has been bumped, but he was really being hit hard out there. To the point where he needed medical attention on the ice once or twice. But each time he got back to his feet, and convinced Coach Vaughan to leave him back in the game, even as Jason started stretching. Shep would go on, each time getting up to chants of “shep…shep…shep, SHEP! SHEP! SHEP!” from the Colgate section of the stands. Finally, with about 6 minutes left, Shep is rammed so hard, the refs finally take notice, and send the Tiger to the box for 5 minutes. Shep was ailing though, with a few minutes left, he began to rest himself against the net to recover when the puck was at the other end. He got hit again, and ended up vomiting in his net before play could resume. But Shep refused to give up, and the Colgate crowd gained a whole new sense of respect and pride in him that day. A lingering sense of disrespect still remains for Colorado College though. "Oh, looks like we have some more incidental contact with the goalie down at the Colgate end.” “That Shep Harder is one tired puppy right now” the Tigers announcers remarked. "We battled to the very end, to the point where the goalie got sick he was getting so much work," was Colorado Colleges coaches remarks on the end of the game. “14 penalties chopped up the third period, and the less than enthusiastic World Arena crowd of 6,252 let out its biggest cheer of the night when Tiger LW Jesse Heerema laid out Harder and was given five minutes for hitting the goaltender at 6:05.” Was the quote in the WCHA arena reporters take on the third period antics as reported on USCHO. These classless statements and acts are still remembered.
But, none of the negatives could take away the joy of counting down the final ten seconds of Colgate’s first shutout of the year. Going into that game, Colorado College was ranked in the top ten, a position Colgate would hold before the end of the season. As the team celebrated and left the ice, they did not forget the fans who were perched up high above the ice who had come to see them. Following the game, there was a post game reception sponsored by the alumni. As the fans celebrated as enthusiastically as I can ever remember. Anyone who was there will never ever forget the sense of accomplishment and pure joy we felt at that moment. As each elevator load of hockey players entered the party, the fight song was there to greet them as they joined the celebration. It was simply a night to never forget.
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