Cornell's 1974 Hockey Squad Isn't So Fearsome

Cornell comes to town today at 7:30 p.m. But it's not quite the same Cornell that has descended on Cambridge to terrorize Watson Rink in past years.

It is not the Big Red squad of Ken Dryden, Brian Cropper or Dave Elenbaas. There are no goalies minding the Cornell nets with averages under 3.00. There is no undefeated record.

In fact, after losing 4-6 to Brown and 2-5 to Yale, as well as tying St. Lawrence 5-5, one might say that this year's Big Red team is almost human. There are indeed chinks in that armor that guards the goal mouth, to the tune of 38 goals-against in ten games this season. (For you non-math majors, that's nearly 4 goals a game.)

And while Cornell sports an impressive 7-2-1 record, after you break it down to the nitty-gritty it isn't quite as awesome. Only four of those victories came in ECAC Division One. And three of those wins came at the expense of the division's cellar dwellers, Brown (3-6-0) and twice against last-place Colgate (2-8-1).

The other victory was over B.C., and the tie resulted from a tangle with struggling St. Lawrence. The rest of the record is padded with non-division wins against Western Ontario, Waterloo and Colorado College.

You Guessed It

Cornell's problem, as you might have guessed, is goaltending. Coach Dick Bertrand started the season with Brian Rainey, a senior that had seen little action behind Elenbaas the past two years. Rainey has played in eight games this season, winning five and tying one in the first six outings.

But Rainey's two most recent contests were against Brown and Yale. Suddenly his average slipped to 4.03, and he found himself on the bench. Bertrand has replaced him with junior Steve Kelleher, the top freshman goalie two years ago. Kelleher has played in the Big Red's last two games against Colgate and Boston College, allowing six goals for an average this season of 3.14 in seven and one-half periods.

Protecting Kelleher up front are Bill Murray (who made last year's first team All-Ivy) and George Kuzmicz in the top pairing, and Gunar Skillins with Steve Bajinski as the second pair.

The top line features veterans Dave Peace centering Bob Murray and Doug Marrett. The line has accounted for 18 goals this season.

And in case you're wondering about your vision, or you fans in Section 18 feel you've a little too much to drink while watching Cornell's third line, there is no cause for alarm. Numbers 22 and 23 are not the same person. They are identical twins, Bill and Dick Weber.