Coaches' Corner ...

EDDIE JEREMIAH: On November 23, 1959, my preseason newsletter to the hockey alumni stated, "My feeling about this team is that it should have the best defensive record in the Ivy League with the All-Minnesota schoolboy goalie Tom Wahman in the nets and two excellent All-Ivy first team defensemen, Captain Rusty Ingersoll and Ryan Ostebo. Anyone penetrating that trio will certainly have to earn his way, believe me. The offensive punch won't be excellent but could be adequate in view of this strong defense, provided we get our share of the breaks."

Our season got under way excellently, with fine spirit and hustle, and in our first nine games we enjoyed an 8-1 record. That lone loss was to Boston College which scored the winning goal in the last twelve seconds with two Dartmouth men in the penalty box. However, in our last three games the team has undergone a slump and has played without a win (Army 2-2), (Boston University 3-4), (Harvard 1-3). Our Harvard loss was the first Ivy League loss in 14 games. (Ed: The team bounced back by defeating Harvard, 5-1, in the return game at Cambridge, February 13.)

I From a coach's point of view, the main problem is lack of depth in quality personnel. I have a good six-man first team but beyond that the personnel is very average. If you think I'm stretching the point, than please study the following facts. In twelve games to date, the first line has 32 goals and 32 assists; the second line has 6 goals and 9 assists; the third line has 5 goals and 10 assists. In bald facts, the second and third lines have averaged half a goal a game, which means that our strong defense must hold off the enemy until the first line returns to the offensive. In our last three games against Army, B.U. and Harvard, the opponents outscored us 9 goals to 6 and our first line got five of those six goals.

Actually, my second and third lines hustle like fools. I have gone on record and publicly stated that my third line is nothing but guts. During practice one day, one of my players said, "Jerry, individually those third-line guys are not worth a plugged nickel but collectively they are worth their weight in gold."

DOGGiE JULIAN: Dartmouth's varsity basketball team is by no means home free in the 1959-60 Ivy League race. Six important league games remain, with four on the road, all tough contests at Princeton, Penn, Yale and Brown. We also play Princeton and Penn at home in the next two weeks. Two years ago, Dartmouth led the league with a perfect 8-0 mark with these same six foes remaining. We lost three out of the next four and had tough sledding to take the title. This year could see just as much trouble.

Princeton poses the big problem at the moment, for that is the next game. Coach Cappy Cappon has again gotten together a team that has thrived on tough play, with five men doing the major share of the work, led by all-Ivy Jim Brangan. And, as you can guess, none of the others will be breaking their backs to make it easy for us. With a Dartmouth team that has won three titles in four years (we missed the other time by but one game), we are, of course, proud of the record, but the opposition is certainly pointing for us. For some, the salvation of an entire season may be tied up in knocking off the Big Green^

Now briefly, we would like to talk of some of our players: Chuck Kaufman, Walt Sosnowksi, Dave Farnsworth, Bryant Barnes, Gary Vandeweghe who have been with me for the past three seasons, plus boys like George Ramming, Bob Brower and Dan Berry who have contributed this year. Without doubt, you couldn't find a better set of guards than Kaufman and Sosnowski, and their work against Cornell at Hanover over Winter Carnival weekend was one of the best all-around exhibitions of heads-up play that I have witnessed. Vandeweghe is scoring and rebounding as he should, and Barnes and Farnsworth have added much in team play.

We don't know what the next two weeks will hold for us, but we do know that the Dartmouth team will be in each game, and it'll take a mighty fine team effort to beat us.