M. Hockey club is best show left

With the Spectrum dark, those looking for a hockey fix in the midst of an NHL strike need only venture across campus to the Class of 1923 Ice Rink, home of the men's ice hockey club, the only organized men's team at the University. The absence of a varsity hockey team, abandoned in the 1970s, has left a void the club has attempted to fill in its decade-old existence. "Our club is pretty serious, and the intensity of the practices is as close to being like a varsity team as it can get," said co-president Jake Glaser, who shares his duties with team captain Andrew Kramar. Examples of the club's desire for success are numerous. Its coach, George Tahan, has played and coached top-level college hockey, the latter involving building the Boston University women's team into a powerhouse. Practices are three times a week, grueling but well attended. Half of those who participated in tryouts were cut from the team, leaving a final roster of 21 skaters and four goalies. So far, practices are the only thing the club can look forward to, but that will change soon. The club hosts West Chester 5:15 p.m. Friday in its opener. Both Penn and West Chester belong to the East Coast Hockey Association, which also includes Lehigh, Towson State, Navy, Maryland and Delaware. Conference play takes up most of the 25-game schedule and is the most important factor in determining invitations to the tournaments leading to nationals. The national tournament, just a dream for most teams, is considered a realistic goal for Penn. Contributing to that feeling is the experience of the players, almost all of whom have played several years of competitive hockey in high school and youth leagues and have been around the game for a while. "The players here are very serious, and all of them have respect for each other and hockey, and love to play," Glaser said. That attitude is invaluable for a successful season which all think is attainable. "This team believes it has a realistic shot at being nationally ranked and advancing to the top levels of competition," Glaser said. · On the other side of the sports spectrum, where the desired playing surface is water molecules of the liquid variety, the sailing club season is well under way. Beginning with a second-place finish in the eight-team Penn Women's Regatta the first weekend of classes, the club's 30-member co-ed squad has since participated in weekly competitions. Last weekend, the club duplicated its initial success, finishing second in the Watergate Regatta at Georgetown University. A regatta consists of 10 to 20 races of about 30-minutes each, after which point totals based on finishes are tallied. In the 12-team affair at Georgetown, two divisions of boats from each school contributed to the final placements. Penn's second best result was engineered by boat captain Alex Abell and crew member Vivian Chang in Division A. In Division B, Penn's entry was captained by Warren Prelle, and attended by Jessica Hayden and co-captain Jason Hyatt. Although showings have been impressive, entry into the prestigious sectional and regional tournaments are not likely. The club competes in a section, which according to Abell, contains the nation's top sailing clubs. Top finishes in the section are necessary for entry into the regional tournaments. "Every weekend we are sailing against the top 20 teams in the country, so the regattas become very competitive," Abell said. Nevertheless, most of Penn's club members participate for the fun and experience, rather than the competition.