6 | March 27, 2019
FEATURES
ultravires.ca
Fall Recap: U of T Law Hockey Wins Jennings Cup Law hockey ends 16-season championship drought SPENCER PAVECK (2L)*
TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT: SHIMON SHERRINGTON (2L), MATT BROOKER (1L), MIKE JANKOWSKI (2L), OMAR SAEED (2L), MICHAEL CAIN (2L), WILL EBERLEE (2L), CODY KOBLINSKI (2L), MATT MAICH (1L), PATRICK PINHO (1L), KEVIN MADDEN (1L), CHRIS KOWAL (2L). MIDDLE, LEFT TO RIGHT: JONAS MUTUKISTNA (2L), D’ARCY WHITE (2L), NIC MARTIN (3L), SPENCER PAVECK (2L), ROBBIE MARKS (2L). BOTTOM: COLIN ROMANO (3L).
The Men’s Law Hockey team completed their successful run to the intramural championship in the Fall 2018 season. Matched up against one of their greatest r ivals, the Facult y of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy ( P T/OT ), the Law team eked out a close-fought 4 –2 v ictor y. In a game that came down to the f inal minutes, the Law team showed their teamwork, their focus and, above all, a work ethic evocative of their dedication to academics w ithin the Facult y of Law. Law opened the scor ing w ith a goal from William Eberlee (2L , no relation to the exOilers w inger of the same name). Eberlee per fect ly placed a shot from the high slot that evaded the outstretched glove of the goaltender. Not long after, M ichael Cain (1L , no relation to Bruce Wayne’s but ler) added to Law’s lead w ith a thr illing indiv idual ef fort. Cain f lew down the r ight w ing, snatched the puck away from an unsuspecting P T/OT defender in the corner, and then tucked the puck in short side. The P T/OT team were dangerous w ith their speed all night, creating a number of
odd-man rushes. At the beg inning of the f inal per iod, P T/OT capitalized on a 2-on1 break and cut the Law lead in half. Fortunately, the Law defence regrouped around star goaltender Colin Romano (3L), and this renewed intensit y stif led the potent P T/OT of fence for the duration of the game. In particular, special recognition should go to the fearless fan favour ite Omar Said. He saved a sure goal by putting his body in harm’s way w ith a heroic dive to block a w ide-open slapshot. M inutes later, he repeated the feat in spectacular fashion dur ing a crucial penalt y k ill. Standout rook ies Kev in Madden (1L) and Matt Brooker (1L) collaborated to notch Law’s pivotal third goal. With under four minutes remaining, Brooker danced past an unsuspecting defender and f ired a how itzer of a shot on goal. W hile the goalie made a beautiful save, the puck bounced out direct ly onto Madden’s stick, and he made no mistake in f ir ing the puck of f the post and into the net. P T/OT temporar ily got w ithin one goal of Law, as they pulled their goalie for an
extra attacker. A long shot from the point was inadvertent ly tipped tw ice on its way to the net, and Romano stood no chance of seeing the puck. Thank fully for Law, Brooker quick ly responded w ith a beautiful empt y net goal w ith under a minute remaining to put the game out of reach. A s the buzzer sounded, the sold-out Varsit y A rena erupted w ith cheers and an ovation, interspersed w ith the jubilant outcr y from Law. Law and P T/OT respectfully shook hands and exchanged w ishes of congratulations w ith compassionate remarks of “good game” and “ better luck next year.” Needless to say, P T/OT w ill be busy rehabbing their bruised egos dur ing the of fseason. A fter P T/OT cleared the ice, U of T Intramurals Commissioner Barr y Gettman presented Law w ith the fabled Jennings Cup. The Jennings Cup is preeminent among hockey histor ians for being the longest consecutively-awarded ice hockey trophy in the world. Awarded annually to the top U of T hockey facult y since 1898, it
out lasts even Lord Stanley’s Cup, which was not awarded in 1918–1919 due to the Spanish Inf luenza pandemic. A s each member of the Law team tr iumphant ly lifted the Jennings Cup above their heads, the raucous crowd stamped their feet and cheered until their throats were hoarse. The celebration continued in Law’s dressing room w ith the g uzzling of champagne from the r im of the Jennings Cup. A lthough unconf irmed, rumours abound of a prolonged celebration at Heming way’s until the early hours of the morning. One can only assume that Law was busy re-hydrating for their arduous training reg imen over the of fseason. The Facult y of Law’s championship represents the culmination of a long and haphazard rebuilding ef fort for the stor ied franchise. Falling into disrepair since their last v ictor y in the 2010 Winter season—the controversial “Feathered Snail game”— Law has f inally crawled its way back to car ve its place in intramural histor y. *Spencer Paveck (2L) is on the Men’s L aw Hockey Team.
