Whoever thinks the Tuesday before Thanksgiving is not the busiest travel day of the year is just not being realistic. After sitting in good deal of traffic, I finally arrived at The Whale or as it is also known, Ingalls Rink.
I've been to over 65 games at the Whale, none since the renovation, and I must say Yale did a fantastic job. It was a little hard trying to view the building with an objective eye, yet it wasn't hard to marvel at what Yale had to offer. The school recently completed a $23 million renovation to the 52 year old structure. I found myself more times observing the building than the game. Renowned Finnish architect Eero Saarinen designed the rink and it has served as a model of architecture since its completion. The building looks great.
The school has replaced the old banners that hang from the building's arched roof, each one representing each ECAC school. Also, a new banner hangs above the scoreboard denoting each of Yale's championships. A very nice touch. The snack bar and restrooms also were a nice upgrade from the previous ones.
Yale came into the game ranked 3 in the country facing a Sacred Heart team that has only 1 win this season. 10 minutes in, Yale's Chad Ziegler opened the scoring. The Bulldogs finished the period leading 3-0 and it looked as if this game's fate was sealed.
However, Sacred Heart's Patrick Knowlton fluttered a puck past Yale's Ryan Rondeau about 5 minutes into the 2nd. The comeback would end there as Yale pumped in 2 more goals, the last one on a nifty backhand by Jimmy Martin.
Because the rules of the game declare a 3rd period must be played, both teams traded a few scoring chances in the final frame but no goals were scored. Yale puts on a clinic 5-1. Special recognition to Pioneers goalie Steve Legatto who stopped 39 shots and had many spectacular saves.
Yale clearly had the upper hand in this one. They dominated from the drop of the puck and came out with a nice win before the short Thanksgiving break. Next up is Harvard/Merrimack on 11/30 in Cambridge.
CPF
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