02.11.19
The Weekend Roundup p. 2-3 Mangan took the road less traveled to Dartmouth and the Olympics p. 4
Women’s lacrosse starts season with No. 25 preseason ranking p. 6
Men’s basketball recovers from close loss to split weekend series p. 8
Nef skis World Cup one week, Winter Carnival the next p.5 COURTESY OF TANGUY NEF
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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
The weekend Roundup
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2019
men’s hockey
Compiled by THE DARTMOUTH sports STAFF
track & field The men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in two tournaments this weekend — the Fastrack National Invitational in Staten Island, New York and the Valentine’s Invitation in Boston. At Fastrack, a non-scoring meet, Andrew Palermo ’22 finished second in the weight throw with a toss of 17.13m, while Alec Eschholz ’19 and Parker Johnson ’19 finished second and fifth in the 60m hurdles with times of 8.10 and 8.21, respectively. For the women, Rachel Donner ’22 finished second in the weight throw with a 13.68m toss, Samantha Stevens ’21 finished fourth in the shot put with a distance of 12.02m and Nicole DeBlasio ’19 secured third place in the 200m finals with a 24.77 run.
At the Valentine’s meet, Claire Dougherty ’20 finished 11th overall in the 800m with a time of 2:07.87, while in the 500m, Arianna Gragg ’22, Kathryn Laskoski ’21 and Jacqueline Perron-Smith ’19 all finished in the top 20 out of 46 contestants. The next day, Max Frye ’21 took second place in a field of 63 competitors in the 500m with a time of 1:04.19, Tim Zepf ’21 placed ninth out of 269 competitors in the 800m with a time of 1:49.32 and Thomas Lingard ’22 (2:27.76) finished 11th in the 1000m. The Big Green have a twoweek break before heading to Cambridge, MA for the Ivy League Heptagonal Championship on Feb. 23-24.
SQUASH The No. 7 men’s squash team wrapped up the regular season this weekend with a split, defeating No. 20 Brown University 9-0 on Friday’s senior night at home while falling to No. 6 Yale University 7-2 on Sunday. Against Brown, Brandon De Otaduy ’20, Tucker Martino ’22 and Carson Spahr ’19 all swept their opponents in three games, while four other Big Green players finished off their opponents in four games. On Sunday, Matt Giegerich ’19 and James Bell ’21 bested their opponents in five games, while De Otaduy, Toby Harding ’21 and Max Finkelstein ’22 fell in five-game battles. The Big Green (8-6, 3-4 Ivy League) will play in the men’s national team championships next weekend in New Haven, Connecticut.
The No. 9 women’s squash team also finished their regular season this weekend with a win over No. 12 Brown on Friday, but dropped their final match 7-2 to No. 4 Yale University. On Friday’s senior night at home, the Big Green bested the Bears 5-4, with Anne Blasberg ’20 and Emma Roberts ’19 sweeping their opponents. Brynn Bank ’21 defeated her opponent in four games, while Ellie Gozigian ’21 and Sandra Reiss ’21 won in five. Against Yale, Julia Potter ’20 and Roberts secured wins in five games each, but all seven of the Big Green’s other players lost their matches in three games. The Big Green (5-7, 2-5 Ivy League) will look ahead to play in the women’s national team championships in two weeks in Hartford, Connecticut.
ALEX FREDMAN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Drew O’Connor ’22 tied Quin Foreman ’21 for the team lead in goals with nine tallies on the season.
The men’s hockey team slipped to seventh in the Eastern College Athletic Conference standings after finishing two close games this weekend with a tie and a loss. Facing Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Friday, Dartmouth never led but came back three times from one-goal deficits. After RPI got on the board first, Jeff Losurdo ’22 recorded his first goal in almost three months in the first period off a centering pass from Connor Yau ’19. Dartmouth responded again in the second period when Collin Rutherford ’21 snuck the puck under the pad of the RPI goaltender. RPI took the lead midway through the final period, however. Just when it looked like Dartmouth would face a disappointing defeat, the Big Green pulled its goaltender and Drew O’Connor ’22 came up clutch with a game-tying goal, his ninth of the year. A shot from O’Connor ringed off the crossbar in overtime and the game finished in a draw. The Big Green could not pick up any points on Saturday, losing to No. 20 Union College 3-1 in another close game. Dartmouth had a number
of scoring chances in the first period, but Union goaltender Darion Hanson made all 16 saves. Matt Baker ’21 opened the scoring with a breakaway goal in the beginning of the second period. Baker’s goal was set up by a long pass from Cameron Roth ’19 that was perfectly placed between four Dutchmen, and Baker took care of the rest with a shot over the glove of Hanson. Two minutes later, the Dutchmen answered with a cross-ice pass that found the back of the net off the stick of a Dartmouth defenseman. The score remained even until the final four minutes of the game. Union’s Ryan Walker fired a shot past Adrian Clark ’20 off of a faceoff win. An empty net goal a few minutes later extended the lead to two goals, and the game finished with a 3-1 loss for the Big Green. The Big Green (8-12-3, 7-7-2 ECAC) hit the road next weekend with games against No. 9 Clarkson University and St. Lawrence University before returning for two home games against Yale University and Brown University.
Women’s ice hockey The Big Green lost a pair of games on the road this weekend, falling on Friday to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 5-2 and on Saturday night to Union College, 4-1. Sara McClanahan ’22 scored in the first period and Gabby Billing ’22 netted a short-handed goal in the third against RPI, with Bailee Brekke ’20 and Sydney Hill ’19 picking up assists. Although Dartmouth managed to outshoot their opponents 32-22 and killed off all five RPI power plays, the effort was not enough to prevent the Engineers from scoring five goals to win the game.
The next night, Billing got the team off to a strong start with yet another shorthanded goal in the first period, but the Big Green couldn’t answer four consecutive goals from Union, three of which came in the third period. Billing’s second shorthanded goal was the first time a Big Green player has scored twice shorthanded in one season since 2007-08, and the first time to do so in one weekend since 2002. Next weekend, the Big Green (4-20-1) will take on Clarkson University and St. Lawrence University at home, and then will conclude the regular season on the road at Yale University and Brown University.
Women’s basketball Zachary ZacharyBenjamin Benjamin’19 ’19
Zachary Benjamin ’19 Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief
Hanting Hanting Guo Guo ’19 ’19
Vinay Reddy ’20 Publisher Publisher Interim Publisher
Ioana IoanaSolomon Solomon’19 ’19
2.11.19 Vol. CLXXV CLXXV No. No. 27 131 4.30.18 4.23.18 Vol. 21
AmandaZhou Zhou ’19 Ioana Amanda Solomon ’19 ’19 Executive Editors Executive Editors Executive Editor
Mark Cui ’19 Mark Cui ’19 Alex Fredman ’20 Justin Kramer ’21’20 Samantha Hussey Evan Morgan ’19 Associate Sports Editor Sports Editors Divya DivyaKopalle Kopalle Kopalle’21 ’21 ’21 Divya Michael MichaelLin Lin Lin’21 ’21 ’21 Michael Photography PhotographyEditors Editors Editors Photography Jaclyn Jaclyn Eagle Eagle ’19 ’19 Hattie Newton ’21 Templating TemplatingEditor Editor Editor Templating
This past weekend, the Dartmouth women’s basketball team (10-9, 3-3 Ivy) picked up a pair of wins on the road at Cornell University (7-10, 1-5 Ivy) and Columbia University (6-13, 2-4 Ivy). Friday night’s 63-56 victory over Cornell marked the Big Green’s first in Ithaca since the 2009-10 season. Despite the Big Green leading the Big Red for the majority of the 40 minutes, the game was close down the stretch. The Big Green relied on an impressive 50 percent success rate from behind the arc to counter an aggressive Cornell defense, and Cy Lippold ’19 and Isalys
Quinones ’19 each sunk five 3s en route to their team-leading 21- and 19-point performances. Lippold and Quinones stepped up again on Saturday with 20 and 21 points respectively in a comeback win in the Big Apple. The Big Green did not lead at all in the game until the fourth quarter, despite outscoring the Lions for each of the last three quarters. With Dartmouth down by one with four seconds remaining, Quinones was fouled and sank two free throws to seal the game. The Big Green will be back at home next weekend to host the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University in Leede Arena.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2019
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
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SKIING
EVAN MORGAN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Emily Hyde ’19 tagged Leah Brams ’20 to begin the second leg of the 3x5-kilometer relay. Hyde, Brams and Katharine Ogden ’21 took third, 2.8 seconds behind the other Dartmouth team.
The lasting image of the 2019 Dartmouth Carnival is an unusual one: a snowcat motoring up the slope, pulling a line of ski racers on a tow rope. With the ski lift out of commission due to high winds, race organizers improvised and ski racers rolled with the punches, showing a level of grit and adaptability that was on display all weekend. Skiing through challenging conditions Friday and somewhat improved snow the next day, Dartmouth took eight podium spots at the Skiway and Oak Hill, but the University of Vermont nipped the Big Green 914-913 on the weekend. After the giant slalom hill
glazed over with ice, officials deemed the conditions too treacherous for racing and postponed it for next week. Many of the alpine skiers headed to Oak Hill to cheer on their cross-country teammates as they slogged through a sloshy freestyle course. Rain and temperatures just above freezing added a layer of water to the trails, making for a challenging mor ning. Katharine Ogden ’21 led the charge for the Big Green women, completing the two 5-kilometer loops in just over 30 minutes — good for second place behind UVM’s Lena Sutro, who took the top spot for the fourth time this season. Lauren Jortberg ’20
TENNIS
Men’s tennis split a pair of games at No. 25 University of Minnesota and Drake University, while women’s tennis lost two of three at the East Coast Athletic Conference to finish the tournament in sixth. Though the men beat the Gophers 5-2 last season, this year’s Minnesota team finished off the Big Green handily 7-0 on Friday. Minnesota won the doubles point with wins at No. 3 and No. 1. Among the singles matches, No. 34 Charlie Broom ’20 came closest to a win, taking Josip Krstanovic to three sets. Dan Martin ’21 won his first set before losing the next two. Two days later, the Big Green gutted out a 4-3 win against Drake. David Horneffer ’20 and Broom won 6-3 in doubles before Peter Conklin ’21 and Casey Ross ’21 won a close 7-6 match to give Dartmouth the doubles point. Horneffer and Ross won at No. 2 and No. 6, but Drake came back to tie things 3-3. Then Sid Chari ’22 bounced
had her top finish this season in third place, with Lydia Blanchet ’19 a spot behind her. The rain stopped and the sun came out for the men’s race, slowing down the course even further. Colby College’s Zane Fields became the non-Catamount skier to win a race this season, finishing the 15 kilometers a full minute and a half faster than the next skier. Callan DeLine ’18 was just over two minutes behind, cracking the top 10 with a time of 45:49.3. Rock-hard snow and sunny conditions produced an exciting slalom race the next day. Tanguy Nef ’20 won his third straight slalom by nearly two seconds, and he did so in style, flipping around
back from his loss against the Gophers and prevailed in three sets to give Dartmouth the 4-3 win. The fifth-seeded Dartmouth women’s team came away from the ECAC Indoor Championship in sixth. Brown edged the Big Green 4-3 in the opening match. Despite getting the doubles point and going up 2-0 with a win from Nina Paripovic ’22 at No. 5, the Big Green faded down the stretch, and Racquel Lyn ’20 lost to seal the win for Brown. The team fared better against eighth-seeded Cornell, wining the doubles point easily and taking their singles matches in two sets. Abigail Chiu ’21, Chuyang Guan ’20 and Paripovic provided the decisive wins in a 4-1 victory. Yale then flipped the script on the Big Green in a 4-1 loss. The Bulldogs won at the No. 2 and No. 1 doubles positions, and Jingyi Peng downed her opponent to bring the Big Green within 2-1, but Yale went on to win the match.
on the final bend and coming across the finish line backward. Kalle Wagner ’21 grabbed his second career podium, finishing third, and James Ferri ’19 took fourth. In a strong day for the Big Green, David Domonoske ’20 and Andrew Miller ’22 also finished in the top 10. On the women’s side, UVM’s perennial slalom power Paula Moltzan took the win. Ellie Curtis ’22 surprised the field by skiing into second place from bib 32. Alexa Dlouhy ’19, fresh off a win last week at UVM, finished third, and Claire Thomas ’21 rounded out the Dartmouth trio in fourth. The 3x5-kilometer classic relay provided plenty of excitement
for the spectators Saturday at Oak Hill. Dartmouth’s team of Blanchet, Taryn Hunt-Smith ’19 and Jortberg led from the mass start until the third leg before UVM anchor Sutro pulled the Catamounts ahead to win, with the Big Green behind in second. A second Dartmouth team of Emily Hyde ’19, Leah Brams ’20 and Ogden took third as Ogden came across with the fastest split of the day. After winning the women’s race, UVM crushed the field in the men’s race, effortlessly sweeping the podium. The top Dartmouth team, composed of Gavin McEwen ’19, Adam Glueck ’21 and Deline, settled for eleventh.
men’s Basketball Men’s basketball had an upand-down weekend, dropping a tough game at the hands of Cornell University Friday night but bouncing back to the tune of a blowout victory over Columbia University on Saturday. In the 83-80 loss to Cornell, Chris Knight ’21 scored 27 points and five Dartmouth players scored in double figures. But their efforts were overshadowed by the success of Matt Morgan, the Cornell senior who scored an unbelievable 41 points. Morgan made nine of his 11 3-pointers, scoring a career high and breaking the Leede Arena record for points scored in a single game. With the frustration of Friday night’s loss fresh in their minds, the Big Green came out aggressive and with
something to prove against Columbia. Dartmouth built up a lead early and led by double-digits for the final 28 minutes of the game. Brendan Barry ’20 scored 21 points, four other players scored in double figures and the Big Green picked up its second conference victory. Dartmouth currently stands at 2-4 in conference play and 11-11 overall. The team tied for fifth in the conference and is two games back of fourth place and therefore two games out of the Ivy League tournament, whose winner receives an automatic bid to NCAA tournament. The Big Green will travel to the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University this upcoming weekend with a golden opportunity to make up some ground in the conference.
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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2019
Mangan and Nef bring internation Class: Hometown: High School: Honors:
Career Hi
2019 Buffalo, NY Nardin Academy U.S. Nationals Podium (2018 Slalom, 2017 Alpine Compined & Super G)
World Cup 19th Alpine Combined 2018 Olympics DNF Grand Slalom 2018 Olympics 9th Alpine Team Event 2018 U.S. Nationals 3rd Giant Slalom 2017 COURTESY OF TRICIA MANGAN
Mangan took the road less traveled to Dartmouth and the Olympics B y ANNA May Mott The Dartmouth
Alpine skier Tricia Mangan ’19 didn’t participate in Dartmouth’s Winter Carnival this weekend, but not without good reason — she just happened to be racing at Snow King Mountain Resort in Wyoming. This season, skiing for the Dartmouth team became the latest addition to Mangan’s extensive resume, one that features four years on the U.S. national team and the 2018 Olympic team. Yet this season has been Mangan’s first skiing for the Big Green. For any skier accustomed to the world of national and international racing, where skiing is an individual sport, the team component of collegiate racing is an adjustment. Her results for Dartmouth so far this season were skewed by a concussioninducing fall at her first carnival, but she’s recovered quickly for second and fourth place finishes at the University of New Hampshire and University of Vermont carnivals, respectively. “I’m definitely learning a lot, the style of racing,” Mangan said, “I always want to go fast, and especially when the team is counting on you to do well it’s just, like, a different sort of mindset.” It hasn’t been a complete turn-around from what she’s used to, however, as Mangan is still competing for the national team. She answered questions for this article in a free minute during a weekend of racing for the
Nor-Am Cup, a tour of ski competitions the Dartmouth women’s alpine team. in the U.S. and Canada organized by the In addition to the coaches she had in her International Ski Federation. Competing youth, Mangan sees her brothers and her in all of these events requires Mangan to own competitive spirit as playing a huge commit 25 or 30 hours a week to ski racing role in developing her speed. Growing up, and balancing a full academic load on top she was constantly driven to match and then of that. According to exceed her brothers’ pace. Dartmouth team captain “You need someone else Alexa Dlouhy ’19, this “It’s pretty awesome that’s faster than you to term is actually atypical to see how she’s push you,” Mangan said. for Mangan because the As for how she envisioned three classes she is taking embraced the role of her future in skiing, are fewer than a normal being a new member Mangan said she never term for her. pursued — yet a very experienced specifically “She clearly has a very let alone expected — the strong work ethic and skier. She’s definitely opportunities she’s had good time management someone people go on the U.S. and Olympic skills, that’s for sure,” teams. to for technical and Dlouhy said. “I didn’t know what The success Mangan tactical advice.” World Cup racing was,” has had and the level she said. “I didn’t even her skiing has reached is really know what the U.S. particularly exceptional -ALEXA DLOUHY ’19 ski team was. I honestly given the unconventional just cared about getting path she took to this faster, because I hate point. She grew up skiing on a small losing and I’m super competitive.” mountain in western New York, where she This competitive drive has served joined a racing program with her brothers at Mangan well, allowing her to excel in a the age of 6. In comparison with the other pool of skiers more formally credentialed skiers she was competing against for a spot than she is. She has the mental strength and on the national team, Mangan had limited a strong understanding of the sport that snow time, as she had grown up training compensates for what she lacks in extensive only a few times a week. She also chose not training. to attend a skiing academy, the favored path “I think that there are some people who of most skiers of her caliber and of half of are really perfect skiers and just, like, are
technically better skiers, and that was never me,” Mangan said. “But I make up for that on race day just with my ability to just kind of perform.” According to women’s alpine coach John Dwyer, Mangan combines her natural athleticism with a high ski IQ to create a raw talent and intuitive understanding of the sport. “Where some people it might take them a week or two weeks or even four years in college to figure it out, she’s able to listen to what coaches have to say and execute it pretty easily,” Dwyer said. Despite what initially would seem to be a lack of experience, Mangan is now one of the most experienced skiers on the Dartmouth team, and her teammates benefit from her strong command of the sport. “It’s pretty awesome to see how she’s embraced the role of being a new member yet a very experienced skier,” Dlouhy said. “She’s definitely someone people go to for technical and tactical advice.” Given how well she’s done on the national team, the Big Green is lucky Mangan decided to join the collegiate scene this year in addition to the national circuit. Most skiers will either do one or the other, as both teams are a huge time commitment in their own right. “Being able to do both is a very unique opportunity,” Mangan said. “And actually the best path for my skiing right now to help me get faster.”
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2019
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
nal resumes to Dartmouth ski team
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Designed by Bella Jacoby
ighlights World Cup 13th Slalom 2019 NCAA Championships 1st Giant Slalom 2018 World Cup 11th Slalom 2018 Swiss National Championships 13th Alpine Combined 2016
Class: Hometown: High School: Honors:
COURTESY OF TANGUY NEF
Nef skis World Cup one week, Winter Carnival the next B y Elijah CZYSZ The Dartmouth
Croatia, Switzerland, Austria. For many Dartmouth students, that’s a travel itinerary for a summer break. For alpine skier Tanguy Nef ’20, it’s the countries he’s had World Cup races in since the beginning of January — while taking classes and skiing three carnivals for the Big Green. When he was recruited to ski for Dartmouth, Nef was on the Swiss national C team. This year, he has progressed all the way to the Swiss World Cup team, and he will be competing in the International Ski Federation World Championships this week. Nef originally planned this year to be a transition between Dartmouth and World Cup skiing. At the start of the season, he was practicing with the Swiss Europa Cup team, but an impressive 11th place finish at his first World Cup race propelled him to the World Cup team. Next season, Nef plans to take his senior winter off to fully commit to the World Cup circuit. It will be a transition year into fully professional skiing. But for now, Nef is dividing his time between Europe and Hanover. That means tighter turnarounds between races, sometimes hitting the books instead of following the thorough recovery routines of other elite skiers. “If I had to do [this] freshman year, I don’t this I could have survived,” he said. The biggest challenge in coming back
to campus after a week of adrenaline-filled racing in Europe has been slowing down. He said that when faced with settling down to do school work, he still “want[s] to live at a thousand percent.” Nef has negotiated agreements with the Swiss national team and the Dartmouth ski team so that he can continue to ski for both teams. “He’s been super independent,” men’s alpine head coach Peter Dodge ’78 said. “The Swiss team has been very good, but he’s been handling all the negotiations with the Swiss team.” Nef credits the social support of Dartmouth and his family with helping him balance the challenges that come with racing on two continents. “My father was at all the races, and my little brother — I’m calling him all the time,” Nef said. Nef has found that he has brought a unique blend of American and Swiss styles to the Swiss World Cup team. “In Switzerland now, I’m just this American guy, and in the U.S., I’m just the Swiss guy. But a lot things that I do [are] referred to as, ‘Oh, that’s the American way,’ when most of the time it’s my way, but it’s also some things that I’m learning here … they think it’s exotic,” he said. Nef ’s laid-back personality becomes ev i d e n t w i t h i n a f e w s e n t e n c e s o f conversation, and his coach and teammates say it translates to the ski slopes. Nef won
2020 Geneva, Switzerland Kollegium Spiritus Sanctus NCAA Champion (2018 Slalom) 2x All-America First Team (2018 Slalom and Giant Slalom)
the slalom at Dartmouth Carnival by more than two seconds. To the crowd’s delight, he flipped a 180 as he finished his second run and came across the finish line backward. “His relaxation enables him to really feel and think about his skiing and apply it, whereas some guys get so amped up they can’t feel and see what they’re doing,” Dodge said. Nef has certainly looked relaxed when he has been on the hill for Dartmouth. The reigning NCAA slalom champion has won all three carnival slalom races he has competed in this season and had a margin of almost three seconds at the University of Vermont. “He has really great touch for the snow … in all conditions, he can adapt,” said Kirwood. “Being able to ski with him and watch him ski makes us all better as a team.” Middlebury alpine head coach Stever Bartlett was more technical when he described Nef ’s racing style to the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association blog. “He’s super-balanced. All of his work is in the fall-line,” Bartlett said. “His feet aren’t swinging, getting really lateral. They’re right underneath him. Super efficient. And it looks like it’s easy. He makes it look like nothing.” Nef says his experience competing on a collegiate team, not just individually in World Cup races, has changed his perspective on the sport for the better. In Europe, national teams focus on enabling
skiers to perform well as individuals. At Dartmouth, Nef found a pleasant contrast. “It’s special,” he said. Since everyone’s carnival finish earns points toward Dartmouth’s total, the competitive attitude centers less on individual achievement and more on positive reinforcement. “When I go back to Switzerland, I kind of want it to be like that,” Nef said. We are just seeing the beginning of what could be a long career arc for Nef. According to Nef, the criteria to make the Swiss world championship team are the same as those for the Olympic team. “[Being on the Olympic team] has been a dream since I was, I don’t know, two, or since I knew what the Olympics were,” Nef said. “I don’t think I knew what it was, and I was just already dreaming about it.” Nef will be 25 when the next Winter Olympics rolls around, the age when most skiers reach their maximum potential. Even while pursuing a professional skiing career, Nef has the future in mind. He said he is working on a startup with a friend from Switzerland and pursuing a summer internship. Unlike many at the top of the sport, he will have a degree to aid his transition once he hangs up his skis. Nef will be in Are, Sweden for World Championships next week. Qualifying for the slalom will take place next Saturday, and the final slalom races will take place on the following day.
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Pucks in Deep
with Sam Stockton ’19 Pucks in Deep: Artemi Panarin and the Small Market Free Agency Dilemma Last Friday, Columbus Blue Jackets winger and leading scorer Artemi Panarin announced a change in agents from Dan Milstein to Paul Theofanous. In a vacuum, this would be a horrifically boring announcement, but in context, there is more to the story. Along with the new agent, Panarin, an impending unrestricted free agent, made fully public what had been an open secret since last offseason — that he intends to test the free agency market, where he will surely collect a handsome raise on the $6 million he took home this season. As for the significance of the switch in agents, Theofanous also represents Sergei Bobrovsky, Panarin’s fellow Russian and current Blue Jacket teammate, who just so happens to also become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. That Panarin linked up with Bobrovsky’s agent fueled speculation that the two will be a package deal come July. For the Blue Jackets, things are going
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2019
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
about how you’d expect for a Cupcontending team with two superstars heading to free agency, both of whom have suggested they are unlikely to re-sign in Columbus. Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen now must confront two painful options — either go all-in with his two stars in hopes of a last-gasp Stanley Cup but more than likely lose both for nothing in free agency, or flip one or both before this month’s trade deadline. Before getting deeper into Kekäläinen’s options, I’d like to dwell on Panarin for a bit. Panarin arrived in the NHL marketplace in spring of 2015, signing a two-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. Panarin came to the U.S. by way of SKA St. Petersburg of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League. In his final season in the KHL, Panarin registered five goals and 15 assists in the postseason en route to a Gagarin Cup title for SKA. Coming to the National Hockey League, Panarin had no shortage of suitors. Sure, there is always the risk that a Russian player may not adapt well to the tighter checking North American game played on smaller rinks, but nonetheless, Panarin had superstar potential. In Russia, he showed the ability to score from anywhere in the offensive zone, and even with his dynamic goal-scoring, Panarin was better as a passer. Almost immediately upon arriving in Chicago, Panarin proved that his jitterbug offensive game would translate to NHL play. In his debut season, Panarin scored 30 goals and added 47 assists, earning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. In December of his sophomore campaign in the league, Panarin signed a two-year extension with Chicago. Here, I’d like to stress that Panarin had plenty of options entering the league but chose Chicago, wanting to play for a big-budget team in a major
city. In re-upping with the Blackhawks, Panarin affirmed his previous choice and took a relatively team-friendly $12 million over two years. Panarin grew up in Korkino, a small mining town in the Ural Mountains. He started playing hockey at 5, in a pair of laceless skates so big he wore a pair of shoes inside them and gloves whose palms were patched with leather from a worn out pair of boots. By age 8, he travelled 25 miles, often by himself on the bus, from Korkino to Chelyabinsk to attend Traktor Hockey School six days a week. On the bus, he was so small that he was often mistaken for a 5 or 6 year old. Within 20 years, the undersized kid who could never afford new, or even well-fitting, gear was worth $6 million a year in the best hockey league in the world. Within a year of re-signing with the Blackhawks, Chicago dealt him to Columbus, neither a big budget nor big market team. I say all this because I know how easy it is to decry a player on your favorite team for chasing the sweetest contract in the sunniest city they can find on the open market. Blue Jackets fans, who have never seen their team win so much as a playoff series, are of course devastated as they anticipate losing their twin stars, and I would never try to invalidate that reaction. Instead, in this era when athletes have asserted authority over the billionaires who solicit their services in unprecedented fashion, I bring up Panarin’s history as a reminder that these sports fans follow religiously — and I mean that literally — are played by human beings who are finally approaching the level of control over their own fates that any of us would expect in our chosen fields. Of course, Panarin will receive in the neighborhood of $10 million a season for his services, enough to secure generations of his family’s future, but
again, I’d encourage fans to remember that Panarin earned that money with his talent and production, and he deserves the right to control his future. This is Panarin’s life, and at 27, depending on how long of a contract he chooses to sign, this will likely be his only chance to cash in as a free agent in his prime. With all this in mind, let’s return to Kekäläinen and the Blue Jackets. As I said, Kekäläinen has two options; both of them seeming like a trip to the dentist’s. He could proceed with his team as it is currently structured, perhaps even adding a piece or two at the trade deadline, and head into the playoffs hoping that the final year of his two superstars will be the one where his team finally breaks through and wins a Stanley Cup. That could be enough to persuade one or both to stay, but even if they win a Cup, both Panarin and Bobrovsky appear poised to leave. Then, there is a second option: finding a buyer for one of the two, or even packaging them together. But executing this kind of move would not be easy. The history of American sports suggests that the team giving up a superstar, particularly a superstar in his prime, loses the trade every time. At the time of this writing, the Jackets sit at third in the Metropolitan division and in a playoff spot with relative comfort. This positioning limits potential trade partners, as it would be perhaps even more painful to punt on what is, to this point, a promising season by moving Panarin and/or Bobrovsky for prospects or draft picks who will have no impact on this year’s playoff run. Therefore, the Jackets need to find a team willing to buy at the deadline but also willing to part with pieces that could help their team now. As a kicker, Panarin’s value suffers from the fact that he has made his intention to test free agency well known, rendering
teams reluctant to part with anything of much value for a player they may well lose this summer. In brief, Kekäläinen finds himself in an unenviable position. Kekäläinen’s dilemma tells us two things about today’s NHL. The first concerns the salary cap’s failure to completely level the playing field between the NHL’s richest and poorest teams. When instituted, the cap brought about the promise of economic equality among the NHL’s franchises, but a limit on spending can’t convince a free agent that Columbus is a more desirable destination than New York, Chicago or South Florida. Perhaps more saliently, Panarin’s impending free agency is a reminder that the current generation of athletes is less compliant than the ones preceding it. A GM like Kekäläinen could once trade for a player without much term on the contract with a decent assurance that they could resign that player by offering him something resembling market value. Now, that assurance is gone. Star players recognize their own value and want to take advantage of it on the open market. GMs of small market teams seem to think as though their best option is to offload players like Panarin sooner rather than later, maximizing their return before they lose star-caliber players for nothing in free agency. At the end of the day, as the National Basketball Association has shown, player movement helps drive fan interest, luring fans in for 365-daya-year coverage. At the same time, a consequence of this is that fans of small market teams are more susceptible than anyone else to watching their stars walk in free agency, with minimal hope of re-signing a replacement. Despite the promise of equality with the cap, the NHL remains a world of haves and have nots.
Women’s lacrosse starts season with No. 25 preseason ranking B y Jake JOHNSON The Dartmouth
Only 25 Division I teams in the nation get to be nationally ranked at any given time, and being ranked is a recognition of dominance and skill as a team. After making their first Ivy Tournament in several years last year, it comes as no surprise that the Dartmouth women’s lacrosse team has been given the honor of a preseason national ranking. Entering the season at No. 25 in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association poll and picked to finish third in the Ivy League, the Big Green wants to end this season with another strong finish. “Last season we made it to the Ivy Tournament for the first time in I think eight years, so this season I am really excited to get back there,” said Kathryn Giroux ’19. “We lost in the semifinals last year, which was so disappointing, but I think
that experience will help this year. Our goal has always been to win an Ivy championship.” The path to a ring will not be easy. The Ivy League has some talented teams to start the year. Dartmouth’s biggest conference foes for this season, the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University, are both ranked above them in the national rankings. Penn strapped down a No. 12 ranking while Princeton enters as the top dogs in the Ivy League with a No. 8 overall ranking. When asked about the team’s goal for this season, Giroux said that making the NCAA tournament is the team’s ultimate goal. “Our goal is to win an Ivy championship and get an NCAA bid,” she said. “Making it to the [Ivy League] tournament semifinals last year was exciting, but this year we want to go all the way and I feel so confident in this team.” Every team, no matter how good, has some sort of kryptonite,
and even ranked teams are not game after game, and continuously invincible to weaknesses. Head producing results all season long. coach Danielle Spencer agreed Before the season can get that securing underway, the a top-25 team has some ranking does “We probably have tough decisions not mean the the deepest bench in to make when it team lacks comes to player terms of how many i n a re a s t o personnel. The players we have improve. Big Green will see “ T h i s contributing, which is three first-team year, I would All-Ivy players l i k e t o s e e so exciting.” — Katie Bourque consistency ’20, Ellie Carson from our team ’20 and Kiera -HEAD COACH DANIELLE from game to Vrindten ’20 — game,” said SPENCER return this season, S p e n c e r, in addition to who won Ivy Giroux, who was League Co-Coach of the Year in named an All-Ivy second team 2018. “Less swings from great play selection and Inside Lacrosse Allto mediocre play — I believe that American honorable mention last will be the difference maker for us year. this season.” “We probably have the deepest This team is going to be more bench in terms of how many than capable of beating any players we have contributing on opponent this season — it will the field, which is so exciting,” she come down to rising to the occasion said. “As coaches, we are having a
really hard time coming up with a starting lineup. There are a lot of players we feel deserve playing time right now but only 12 can play at a time, so we are trying to make tough decisions as a coaching staff.” At the same time, Spencer said, the coaches recognize that too much talent is not the worst thing a coaching staff could have to deal with. “I guess that’s a good problem to have!” Spencer said. Although the preseason ranking this year is considerably higher than in previous seasons, the roster is mostly the same from last year’s, meaning that the team has shown significant growth since last season. “There is going to be a lot of experience on the field,” Spencer said. This should be a fun season to watch as a fan, so if you planned to get out and see the women’s lacrosse team this year, expect big things. It will be a good season.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2019
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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
Men’s hockey outshoots opponents in 18 of last 20 games B y ADDISON DICK
The Dartmouth Staff
This weekend, the men’s hockey team registered more shots on goal than both of its opponents, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and No. 20 Union College. This statistic has become the new norm for the team: the Big Green has outshot opponents in 18 of its last 20 games. But the large quantity of shots has not necessarily translated into success in putting the puck in the net. That was the case again this weekend, as the Big Green tied RPI 3-3 on Friday and fell to Union 3-1 the next night despite outshooting both by 12 and 10 shots, respectively. Starting goaltender Adrian Clark ’20 believes the team’s mental drive allows them to outshoot opponents on a regular basis. “It shows tenacity by our players to take pucks to the net and create chances like that,” he said. “When it becomes a part of our team identity, like it has been to put pucks on net every chance we get, the rest of our players on the ice can anticipate what’s going to happen, and they can then drive the net to clean up any rebounds if the first shot doesn’t go in.” Forward and alternate captain Carl Hesler ’18 is happy with the team’s offensive pressure in recent
games. their end, pucks will be going toward “Our team, especially in the past the net any chance we get.” five to 10 games, has played very hard The Big Green has consistently and has done a terrific job of getting outshot opponents this year. While pucks to the net because of our the team ranks only 51st in the hard-nosed mentality,” Hesler said. nation in shots on goal with 728, the “We do a good job of winning puck Big Green has just the second-fewest battles in the shots allowed offensive zone “While getting shots with 594. When and setting adjusted for is important, at the ourselves up g ames played, for chances, end of the day, as Dartmouth sits whether it’s shown by our record in the top 10 of a dirty wrapthe dif ference around or off- overall and in the between shots ang led shot past games where on goal and or a grade A shots allowed. we haven’t been opportunity in At the same the high slot.” scoring much, there’s time, however, C l a r k a lot more to it than opponents have explained outscored the Big why he felt simply outshooting the Green 71-57 on the team has opponent.” the season. done a good D e s p i t e t h i s, job controlling Clark believes the the puck in the -CARL HESLER ’18 offensive pressure offensive zone. has helped the Big “A lot of Green’s defense. our chances are grade A scoring “Knowing that they have come chances and aren’t just perimeter to play and are willing to do their shots. By really attacking their part in the game and get shots and defense and goalie so far, we’ve been hopefully pucks in the back of the able to generate second and third net allows the defensive core to focus chances around the net,” he said. on our game, and motivates us to “Because of this, a lot of our goals match their attention to detail,” come from gritty rebounds or tips Clark said. because guys know when we’re in Outshooting opponents has
quickly become an integral part of the team’s identity. “It’s something we talk a lot about before games and between periods,” Clark said. “One of our team’s process goals for a game is to register 10 shots in the first 10 minutes of a games. It is a high target, but it pushes us to play at our best, and it’s been impressive that we’ve been able to accomplish that numerous times this year.” As a result of the current strategy, Dartmouth has only been outshot in just four of its 25 games this season. While teams might expect to perform better when outshooting opponents, the Big Green went undefeated in the four games when opponents finished with more shots on goal. “While getting shots is important, at the end of the day, as shown by our record overall and in the past games where we haven’t been scoring much, there’s a lot more to it than simply outshooting the opponent,” Hesler said. “We have to find a way to bury the puck, and that just comes from bearing down and focusing on it more in practice. We need to start capitalizing more on our chances.” Hesler wants the team to improve consistency in puck control in addition to continuing the team’s offensive pressure.
“For most of the game we have been dominant, but the moment we let down and let the other team get momentum, we let them back in the game and give them the opportunity to beat us,” he said. “We need to keep the same mentality going forward, as [pucks] are bound to start going in. We also just need to practice shooting more pucks and picking corners to make the most of the grade A scoring chances we get.” Clark said the team needs to maintain their aggressive style of play to have success during the rest of the season. “We’ve come up against some hot goalies who have been able to stand tall against our onslaught of shots and virtually win the game for the other team, but I believe if we continue to outshoot the other team by 10 or 20 shots each night, it gives us the best chance of winning the game,” he said. “There’s no reason to not stick to this mindset that we’ve developed.” The Big Green now stand at 8-123 on the season, with a conference record of 7-7-2. At seventh place in the Eastern College Athletic Conference with six games left to play, Dartmouth will surely want to keep up its rapid pace of shooting — and hope that a few more pucks find the back of the net.
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THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2019
SPORTS
Men’s basketball recovers from close loss to split weekend series
But despite the individual accomplishments, no one on the The Dartmouth Staff team was satisfied with Friday The Dartmouth men’s basketball night’s outcome. team remained in contention in the “These are games that we should wide-open Ivy League, splitting a be winning that we’re not winning,” two-game homestand this weekend Knight said. “We need to get over with Cor nell University and this hurdle and finish these games Columbia University. correctly.” The Big Green dropped an The loss marked Dartmouth’s 83-80 heartbreaker to Cornell on second Ivy League loss by one Friday night, but it recovered with possession and its third Ivy League arguably its best performance of loss by five points or fewer. However, the season in an 82-66 blowout while each of those three losses of Columbia. Currently, the team was gut-wrenching, McLaughlin stands at 11-11 overall and 2-4 in made sure to emphasize just how Ivy League play, tying it for fifth different the team’s position in the place in the conference with Brown conference would be if only a few University and the University of key plays had gone differently. Pennsylvania. “We’re two or three shots away Eager to bounce back from from having a completely different three consecutive losses, the Big conversation,” he said. “Guys Green brought a sense of urgency have to understand that [we’re for most of the first half against no different of a team because Cornell. Dartmouth led for the we didn’t make those three shots]. majority of the half, building up As a coach, you have to show a six-point lead with about seven them the little things that cost us minutes remaining in the half. winning games. You have to give H o weve r, C o r n e l l ’s M at t them confidence so we can turn Morgan took charge late in the the page.” first half, sinking three consecutive It’s not always easy to turn the triples to give the Big Red a 40-34 page after such a difficult loss, but lead. Morgan finished the night the Big Green turned the page with an eye-popping 41 points, and wrote a perfect next chapter including a four-point play and a against Columbia. Dartmouth several other big shots that affected won the Saturday night game 82the game’s 66 and led by as momentum. “We had the collective much as 31 points He made in arguably its best nine of his mentality that we perfor mance of 11 3-pointers needed to come out the season. and set a “I was most aggressive. If we want proud Leede Arena of how ready r e c o r d f o r to have a chance to go the guys were highest point at the Ivy League when they showed total in a up here today,” single game. tournament, we McLaughlin said. “ W h e n needed to have this “It’s not easy to you give a prep for a team p l a y e r o f game.” in only one day, his caliber but the guys were s p a c e a n d -BRENDAN BARRY ’20 dialed in and it t i m e e a rl y really showed on in a game, the court tonight.” h e ’s g o i n g Brendan Barry to continue to find the rim later ’20 led the team with 21 points, on,” Big Green head coach David including eight points in a span of McLaughlin said. “With Matt, we 1:41 midway through the first half gave him easy looks early in the to give the Big Green a double-digit game and that got him going a bit.” lead it would never relinquish. Dartmouth never led in the James Foye ’20 added 14 points second half, but it fought hard while Knight, Ian Carter ’20 and the entire half and nearly erased Ian Sistare ’20 all hit double digits. an eight-point deficit with seven “We had the collective mentality minutes remaining. Chris Knight that we needed to come out ’21 stood out with a season-high 27 aggressive,” Barry said. “If we points, and five Dartmouth players want to have a chance at the Ivy scored in double figures. League tournament, we needed to
By Baily Deeter
ALEX FREDMAN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Ian Sistare ’20 drove into the lane against Cornell on Friday night. He scored 10 points in both games this weekend.
have this game.” In its two losses to Brown and Yale University last weekend, Dartmouth only made nine combined 3s and shot 24 percent from the field in those two losses. On Saturday, it started off cold from long range, missing its first seven 3s. However, Barry and company heated up quickly, making 10 of their last 17 3s to ignite a stellar overall offensive effort. “The coaches were telling us not to worry about missing 3s early because we were getting good, clean looks,” Foye said. “We knew we were going to get more opportunities, and when they came, they came in bunches.” Barry’s dominant stretch gave the Big Green its comfortable lead, but Foye and Sistare both had game-changing shots as well. Foye hit a buzzer-beater right before halftime to increase Dartmouth’s lead to 14, and Sistare opened the second half with back-to-back 3s to essentially put the game out of reach. Those critical shots sent Leede Arena into a frenzy, giving the Big Green a home-court advantage it didn’t always have in its prior home games. “The crowd is huge,” Sistare said. “Playing in front of friends and family makes it that much better for us. I’m an emotional guy,
so having those guys supporting us set up the week accordingly.” makes it that much more exciting.” While Dartmouth is tied for Unfortunately for the Big Green, fifth in the conference, it is just two it now only has two home games games back from fourth place. The remaining on the season. Its next top four teams in the conference will four games will be on the road, make the Ivy League tournament, as it travels south to face Penn whose winner earns an automatic and Princeton bid to the NCAA University tournament. next weekend “We have to get in a Since Dartmouth b e f o r e routine. I just gave is currently tied traveling to them the week’s with Penn and f a c e B row n two games back and Yale the schedule, which I of Princeton, f o l l o w i n g normally don’t do, these next two weekend. games are all the T h e P e n n but I want them to get more important. and Princeton ready. I told them to Overcoming a doubleheader two-game deficit use Sunday to their will be with so many road e s p e c i a l l y advantage and set up games ahead is dif ficult, as the week accordingly.” a tall task. But Dartmouth it’s important to will be facing remember that the past two -HEAD COACH DAVID the Big Green Ivy League could easily be MCLAUGHLIN champions on 5-1 in the Ivy back-to-back League had a nights and will few plays gone have to endure some long, tiring slightly differently, and the team bus rides in order to do so. has proven to be competitive “We have to get in a routine,” throughout conference play. Armed McLaughlin said. “I just gave with those facts, McLaughlin them the week’s schedule, which is certainly optimistic for the I normally don’t do, but I want upcoming road trip. them to get ready. I told them to “We’re leaving on Thursday to use Sunday to their advantage and get two wins,” he said.