Late in the season, teams get a little stale. Writers do too. In my case, I was probably stale long before the Ivies got started, but enough about me.<\/p>\n
Teams have three weeks left in the seasons of a handful, a month for most, and for a lucky quartet, seven more weeks. For just a quick glimpse at where each team is in its league standings, let’s turn to poetry, and I’m using that term loosely. As each league has its own personality, we’ll choose a different style for each conference.<\/p>\n
ECAC<\/strong> Quinnipiac<\/strong><\/em> Clarkson<\/strong><\/em> Colgate<\/strong><\/em> Princeton<\/strong><\/em> Harvard<\/strong> <\/em> St. Lawrence<\/strong><\/em> Yale<\/strong> <\/em> Rensselaer<\/strong><\/em> Cornell<\/strong> <\/em> Dartmouth<\/strong><\/em> Brown<\/strong> <\/em> Union<\/strong><\/em> Hockey East<\/strong> Boston College<\/strong> <\/em> Northeastern<\/strong> <\/em> Boston University<\/strong><\/em> Connecticut<\/strong><\/em> New Hampshire<\/strong><\/em> Providence<\/strong><\/em> Vermont<\/strong> <\/em> Maine<\/strong> <\/em> Merrimack<\/strong><\/em> CHA<\/strong> Mercyhurst<\/strong><\/em> Syracuse<\/strong> <\/em> Robert Morris<\/strong><\/em> Penn State<\/strong> <\/em> Lindenwood<\/strong><\/em> RIT<\/strong><\/em> WCHA<\/strong> Wisconsin<\/strong><\/em> Minnesota<\/strong><\/em> North Dakota<\/strong> <\/em> Bemidji State<\/strong> <\/em> St. Cloud State<\/strong><\/em> Minnesota-Duluth<\/strong><\/em> Ohio State<\/strong> <\/em> Minnesota State<\/strong> <\/em> Late in the season, teams get a little stale. Writers do too. In my case, I was probably stale long before the Ivies got started, but enough about me. Teams have three weeks left in the seasons of a handful, a month for most, and for a lucky quartet, seven more weeks. For just a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":140328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nThe oldest of the leagues deserves a classic form. You know — one that rhymes and maybe even has some sort of meter. Okay, probably just rhymes. Poetic-license style rhyming. Note that we’re not talking Shakespeare here. Nor Poe. Nor Dickinson. Or even Dr. Seuss.<\/p>\n
\nJanuary scampered right past
\nWithout a hint of disaster.
\nThe victories keep coming fast
\nAnd expectations rise faster.
\nA league title looks in the bag;
\nCan we peek ahead to the dance?
\nThe Bobcats aren’t likely to brag,
\nBut they must feel they’ve got a chance.<\/p>\n
\nThose winter nights can be brutal.
\nThey’re typically long, dark and cold.
\nOnce the calendar flips into March,
\nOur thoughts turn to Knights that are Gold.<\/p>\n
\nThe Raiders have won sixteen times
\nDespite sometimes blowing the lead.
\nMick said you can’t get what you want,
\nBut if you try, get what you need.<\/p>\n
\nThe Tigers on a report card
\nDefinitely get a high grade.
\nYet one gets a sense their season
\nTotters on the edge of a blade.<\/p>\n
\nThe season could have been better,
\nIt’s had silver linings at least.
\nThe Crimson won’t catch the Bobcats,
\nBut BC plays in Hockey East.<\/p>\n
\nThe Saints are tricky to predict
\nYear to year, game to game, as well.
\nCan’t always know where they’re going,
\nBut they’ll have great stories to tell.<\/p>\n
\nThe season, it sure started rough.
\nTriumphs, precious, yet all too few.
\nJust didn’t play Brown quite enough,
\nBut remember, they knocked off “Q!”<\/p>\n
\nSelander’s done wonders in Troy.
\nShe’s given the Engineers hope.
\nBut no goals are coming from Wash,
\nMaybe she slipped on the soap?<\/p>\n
\nCornell had a run at the top,
\nI’m not saying it’s over yet.
\nBut life was easier back when,
\nThat trio put pucks in the net.<\/p>\n
\nSkating out to defeat Harvard,
\nA promising start to be sure.
\nWho could have known in October
\nHow quickly it’d turn to manure.<\/p>\n
\nWhen it comes to granting wishes,
\nIt would work out better for Brown,
\nIf planning a comeback season
\nThe Bears didn’t start so far down.<\/p>\n
\nWould one win be too much to dream?
\nSweetness to hold through the summer.
\nEvidently, so it would seem
\nSometimes, life can be a bummer.<\/p>\n
\nThe newest of the leagues — it might not seem that way, but it is — would seem to be best suited to free verse.<\/p>\n
\nAlexander the Great
\nwept with no more worlds to conquer
\nwill that be the destiny of a modern Alex?
\nall other tears would seem to be of joy<\/p>\n
\nOne last Coyne
\nprecious, spend wisely
\nyet to purchase treasure
\nwill exact a higher price than one alone can pay<\/p>\n
\nShe is not coming back this time
\nyou are the cavalry
\nyou are the magic wand waiting to be waved
\nit’s your blade that must carve the path to greatness<\/p>\n
\nlast
\ntied for fifth
\nfifth
\nfourth!
\nhow to move higher when the barriers appear so steep
\nthey who hold these perches glare menacingly
\nat any who would dare to move amongst them
\nbanish such thoughts and climb<\/p>\n
\nwe were that team
\ndecades ago, the team that all knew as champion
\neven recently, your defeat was inevitable should we skate onto your ice
\nis it still within us
\ncan we still crush dreams with a flick of a stick
\nlet’s find out<\/p>\n
\nYeah.
\nThat.<\/p>\n
\nsome of us remember
\nthe joy of that lone playoff win
\nthree OTs
\nso tired, so, so tired
\nbut so alive
\noh to feel such pain again<\/p>\n
\njourneys are composed of single steps
\nmany single steps, each following the one before
\nyes, it would hasten the journey
\nif all the steps were in the right direction<\/p>\n
\nendless, it seemed endless
\nat least at times it did
\nlook how far we’ve come
\nI don’t recognize our reflection anymore
\nwe stand straighter
\nplace our sticks on the faceoff dot with more authority
\nskate into the corners with less trepidation
\nin a year, two years
\nthe thought brings a smile
\nbut we’ve farther to go on this journey that now doesn’t seem that long<\/p>\n
\nThis wacky circuit calls for a good limerick. Would you settle for a half-dozen not-so-good limericks?<\/p>\n
\nThe team from Erie, Pa.
\nAlways wins at the end of the day.
\nThough they seldom do score
\nAnd aren’t ranked anymore
\nA title’s just six games away.<\/p>\n
\nThe Orange came oh so near
\nWith an overtime loss last year.
\nJust one more snipe;
\nNo one will gripe.
\nAnd the banner can hang over here.<\/p>\n
\nThe weeks just keep ticking past.
\nThe Colonials have had a blast.
\nThough young they could shock,
\nBe the kids of the block,
\nAs long as they don’t play half fast.<\/p>\n
\nIn ’15 they got through one round,
\nBut an encore couldn’t be found.
\n‘Lions need scoring,
\nCan’t be so boring.
\nTo have a shot to be crowned.<\/p>\n
\nWith Hensley stationed in net
\nThe Lions won’t be done yet.
\nIf Jasper can tally,
\nThe whole team will cele’
\nAs they pull the latest upset.<\/p>\n
\nIs McDonald planning a theft
\nTo leave his opponents bereft?
\n“Ain’t no way!” they all sing,
\nThough they sang it last spring.
\nThe trophy Tigers surely did heft.<\/p>\n
\nFor the league found closest to the Pacific, let’s borrow an art form found in an island nation on the far side of the ocean. (And for those who wish to point out some flaw in my attempted Tanka, remember that I’m a sports columnist and lower your expectations.)<\/p>\n
\nBadgers rule their league
\nmany ask varied questions
\nDesbiens says “No”
\nonly Fighting Hawks a threat
\nfuture omen for Eagles?<\/p>\n
\nGophers are trailing
\nbreathing Wisconsin’s exhaust
\nunable to pass
\nthough adding Kessel — thrilling,
\nteam defense must improve<\/p>\n
\nthe most intriguing
\nof the teams on the bubble,
\nhighs are very high
\nbut with regularity
\nthese Hawks fly low, lacking fight<\/p>\n
\none bite at a time
\nthe Beavers labor away
\nthe tree soon topples
\nof late the sturdiest wood
\nproves to be impervious<\/p>\n
\nHuskies climb higher
\nthan most would have expected
\nwell done Fitzgerald
\nand Illikainen as well
\navoid the thaw’s avalanche<\/p>\n
\nwho starts in the net?
\nwhat to do while first line rests?
\nBulldogs face riddles
\nstaff sorts possibilities
\nwhile the days pass swiftly by<\/p>\n
\nBuckeyes find offense
\nlast four games bring 20 goals
\nnow comes sterner test
\na squad that has yet to yield
\nas many in its season<\/p>\n
\nMavericks don’t beat
\nWCHA foes
\nkeep eye on Tigers
\nstore up your league victories
\nfor automatic bid time<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"