This weekend, the Penn men's ice hockey club team tried to maintain its high standing against local rival teams from Saint Joseph's, Temple and Villanova at the Liberty Bell Invitational, held at the Class of 1923 Rink this weekend.
While the Quakers failed to regain the title of tournament champions, they did score 10 goals in two games and proved that Penn's competitive teams are not only found at the varsity level.
Although hockey is not a varsity sport on Penn's campus, the Quakers have gradually become recognized as one of the strongest ice hockey programs in the Philadelphia region. Last year, they earned a national ranking by the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association for two consecutive months.
"Most people don't realize how big the games get at our level," coach R. Whit Matthews said. "We have our traditional rivals just like the varsity teams do. This tournament allowed us to play our Philly rivals."
The Quakers do not play most of their rivals in the Ancient Eight since the University decided to suspend varsity ice hockey 25 years ago.
Teams like Harvard and Cornell have since grown into nationally renowned programs that rank sixth and eighth, respectively, in the USA Today preseason media poll. In fact, Cornell employs the same ticket-purchasing strategy as Penn basketball for its ice hockey tickets, requiring fans to wait overnight in "The Line."
Penn, meanwhile, plays in the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association, facing other club teams on the East Coast while playing its home games in a stadium on the western edge of campus.
The Red and Blue have grown into one of the most successful teams in their league, winning the MACHA championship two years ago and losing in the semifinals last year.
"This year our goal is to get back to the championship game," Matthews said. "It's going to be harder because we're known now as one of the better teams."
What would make this year's accomplishments even more remarkable is the lack of senior leadership on the Quakers' roster. A junior captain and three sophomore assistant captains will try to lead Penn to its third playoff appearance in three years.
"We are a very young team this year, with most of our guys still learning to play together," junior captain Micah Cohen said. "That's why tournaments like this are important -- we learn from every game."
The Quakers got off to a good start last weekend, losing a heartbreaker in the first round against Saint Joseph's but coming back to win the consolation game against Temple, earning a third-place overall finish.
"While we didn't finish as well as we did last year, when we won the thing, I think we are a better team," Cohen said. "We are passing the ball better and scoring more goals."
In Saturday's first-round game, the Quakers failed to hold on to a two-goal lead against the Hawks, giving up the tying goal with just seven seconds left in the game. Penn went on to lose in an overtime shootout, 3-1.
"That was a very difficult loss," Matthews said. "Our guys played really well, but to have it come down to the end like that, we wish we could have that one back."
The Quakers, however, came out more determined after a 6-3 victory over Temple.
Led by a two-goal performance from sophomore Caleb Spaulding, the Quakers jumped out to a 4-0 lead -- a lead they never relinquished.
"Our offense really showed up today, jumping out to that early lead gave our team a great boost," Spaulding said.
While Temple cut the lead in the second period to 4-2, the Penn defense, led by sophomore goalie Mark Tyson, would not let the Owls come any closer. Spaulding tallied his second goal and sophomore Rob Rennert scored on a power play to put the game out of reach at 6-3.
"This was a huge win for us, because it gives our team confidence heading into the rest of the season," Matthews said. "It sharpens us up to play our more intense rivals."
The Quakers will begin playing MACHA games next weekend when they take on the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. Besides UMBC, the Quakers also will take on club teams from Montclair State, Princeton and Rider -- all teams that the Red and Blue defeated in their 2001-2002 championship run.
"Our games will only get harder as the season goes on," Matthews said. "That's why it is nice to see our players clicking at such an early point in the season."
