For Big Red, Game Day is Just Half the Battle
The following article appeared in the February 3 issue of the Cornell Daily Sun.
BY EVAN RICH
For most of the Lynah Faithful, the words “good evening hockey fans” echoed over the rink’s public address system signal the beginning of the week in hockey. For the members of the Cornell men’s hockey team the starting whistle usually comes in the form of a cup of coffee from Trillium at 9 a.m. on Monday morning.
With a busy class schedule, mandatory twice-weekly weight lifting and yoga sessions, daily afternoon practices and games against the best teams in college hockey, it’s no surprise that head coach Mike Schafer ’86 is simply in awe of his players.
“I don’t think people have a true understanding of the time commitment that goes with [being a student-athlete],” Schafer said. “We leave on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. and we get back on Saturday at 4 a.m. [from a road trip], and that’s a huge chunk of time to be off campus. … These guys are already used to [managing] a hectic schedule … and have [achieved] excellence in both fields.”
