News

Cambridge Residents Slam Council Proposal to Delay Bike Lane Construction

News

‘Gender-Affirming Slay Fest’: Harvard College QSA Hosts Annual Queer Prom

News

‘Not Being Nerds’: Harvard Students Dance to Tinashe at Yardfest

News

Wrongful Death Trial Against CAMHS Employee Over 2015 Student Suicide To Begin Tuesday

News

Cornel West, Harvard Affiliates Call for University to Divest from ‘Israeli Apartheid’ at Rally

SECOND-STRING MEN ARE GREAT ASSET IN HOCKEY

Much of Crimson Team's Strength Lies in Ability of Substitutes to Replace Regulars.

NO WRITER ATTRIBUTED

The importance to a team's success of a good squad of substitutes is shown very clearly in the case of the small college. Frequently a small college can get together eleven good football players, nine good baseball players, seven good hockey players, and as long as these first teams play against the first teams of larger colleges they often meet with success. The reason so many small colleges have good baseball teams is because in baseball substitutes are seldom needed.

In football, on the other hand, if three or four good men get laid up in practice or in a game, the small college team is severely crippled, while the big college, with many more candidates to choose from and much keener competition for places on the team, can always put in a substitute who is nearly as capable as the regular whose place he takes. Even if the small college players are not injured, they are pretty well exhausted by the time the last quarter comes around and several fresh substitutes are often enough to batter their defence.

The same thing is true of hockey. A fast game of hockey requires more "wind" than any other branch of athletics, except, perhaps, distance running, and a squad of strong substitutes is a great asset to a hockey team. In this lies much of the University's strength in hockey. The seven second-string players as a whole do not, of course, make as strong a team as the regulars. But the calibre of Coach Winsor's substitutes is such that several of them can go into a game at almost any time with practically no loss of power to the team. The substitute squad includes four "H" men: R. Baldwin '17, T. K. Fisher '17, W. O. P. Morgan '18 and T. H. Eckfeldt '17.

Second String Choices Close.

Baldwin has developed this year into the fastest of the second-string men. In the Princeton game last Friday night he showed his ability to fill the left centre position when he took the puck less than a minute after he went in and scored the University's fourth goal. E. B. Condon '18 is fighting it out almost on even terms with Baldwin for this position, although Baldwin has had the call thus far. Condon is also a fast skater and a good shot, but perhaps a little less aggressive than Baldwin, whose development has been rapid during the last few weeks. Condon has also been used occasionally at right centre, but as he shoots left the opposite side of the line is his natural position.

T. K. Fisher '17 is first choice for substitute right centre. He plays a hard, agressive game, and the same tenacious defensive game that helps make E. O. Baker '17 such a valuable man. A. H. Bright '19 is the other right centre substitute. He handles his stick extremely well and with more experience should develop into a strong player.

The second-string wings are W. O. Morgan '18 and R. Kissel '19, last year's Freshman captain. Morgan has already won his "H" and is a fast and very aggressive player, though his light weight makes his work harder. W. W. Rice '18 is another aggressive left wing man, and is also a very good shot. Kissel played right centre on the 1919 seven, and does not handle himself quite as well in the wing position as he did at centre. He generally covers his man well, but has a tendency to lag behind the line slightly, and his passes are often inaccurate. H. M. Bliss '17, who was regular right wing at the start of the season, is on pretty even terms with Kissel. He is a hard worker, but Kissel's slight advantage in speed ranks him ahead at present.

Defence Positions Well Cared For.

T. H. Eckfeldt '17 is taking the regular coverpoint positions while Thacher is laid up. While not as fast on the offence as Thacher, he is a sure defensive man, and uses his stick particularly well in breaking up an attack. H. K. White '19, who has been ahead of Eckfeldt until recently, is an equally hard man to pass, with an added advantage from his long reach. Eckfeldt has had more experience, however, and handles the puck somewhat better than White. W. C. Appleton '17, for two years captain of the second team, is a fast understudy to Captain Morgan at point, and frequently gives a really brilliant exhibition of offensive work. A. W. Gardner '19 is a consistently steady back, but does not carry the puck as well.

The substitute goals, E. H. Martin '19 and G. E. Abbot '17, are both fairly dependable at the net, though Wylde is distinctly ahead of them in this branch of the game. Abbot graduates this year, but Martin gives great promise of developing into a good backstop for next year's team. He makes many excellent stops, although he does not handle his stick in clearing away the rebounds as well as he might. As soon as he develops this knack and learns to keep his feet a little better, he will be an excellent man to fill Wylde's position.

Want to keep up with breaking news? Subscribe to our email newsletter.

Tags