Colgate University Athletics

Entry by Jarrett Abelson - Associate Director of Athletic Communcations

It’s been a busy couple of days for the Raiders now that they have completed the playing portion of their European Tour. Wednesday saw the travel party take a day trip to the wonderful city of Venice. One of Venice’s many nicknames is the city of water, and the city more than lived up to that moniker on Wednesday as a steady rain that soaked the travel party for nearly the entirely of their stay.
 
The gloomy weather might have damped everyone’s clothing, but not their spirits, as the group made the best of the situation and took in as much of the sights and sounds of the city before returning to Bassano Del Grappa in the evening.
 
The team’s last night in Bassano featured an amazing dinner at Restaurante Trevisani, located in the old city wall tower. The dinner was a little bittersweet as it meant the departure of one of our tour guides, Ellie. The team was able to thank her of all of her hard work during the trip with a card and a toast in her honor once dinner was complete.  
 
Thursday served as another travel day, with the team making its way to the final destination of the tour, Rome. It was an uneventful trip until about 30 minutes outside of the city when a mechanical issue forced the to the side of the road. After about 45 minutes of hard work, our bus driver, Remo, (with an assist from trainer extraordinaire Steve Chouinard) was able to get us back on the road.  
 
The team finally arrived around in Rome around 7:30 p.m., more than enough time to get some dinner and prepare for what will be a busy Friday. The team is scheduled to take a walking tour of the city in the morning before having the afternoon to explore all the Roma has to offer. 

 

Entry by Evan Peterson '18

The Raiders journey throughout the beautiful country of Italy went northwest to Camogli on Monday. We tackled the amazing Mediterranean Sea by boat and saw some unbelievable yachts during the cruise. After a quick pit stop on a hidden beach off the coast of Camogli, the boys took to the water for some swimming. The softest player on the team, Darcy Murphy ‘16, was stung by a small jellyfish and feared for his life. Thankfully, he was able to grind it out and continue.
 
After re-loading the cruiser boat, we then stopped off in Camogli and took to the villas for shopping and lunch. The day was far from over as the team loaded up the bus, with no bathroom, for another “three hour” bus ride to Bassano del Grappa. After a quick pasta dinner and a few chirps from the waiter, directed mostly towards Sebastian Weberg ’18, the night came to a close.
 
As the sun came up Tuesday morning, the team was finally able to air out their equipment that had been sitting in hockey bags for days and had been rained on the previous night. It was once again game day for Colgate. My roommate Tim Harrison ’17 and I took to the cultured town of Bassano del Grappa for a morning stroll, being the tourists that we are. After taking a few selfies by the river and firing up Instagram, we made our way back to the hotel for pre game meal. To no one’s surprise, it was pasta yet again!
 
After loading the bus to head for Cortina, Italy, we realized we were short a bag. Mike Panowyk '18 surprisingly left his equipment in Champrey, Switzerland and could not play. Down a man, SG6 (Spiro Goulakos) made his return to the starting lineup. Playing with heart and passion in his final game wearing the Colgate sweater, he took to the ice and led the Raider charge. The boys finally came out on top, beating SG Cortina, 8-0. Even Gudge (Daniel Gentzler) chipped in, potting two goals to help the squad. After a quick post-game meal in Cortina, we loaded up the bus and headed back to the hotel. A bright morning approaches as we head for Venice in the morning!

Entry by Mike Borkowski '16

After a tough day of travel and hockey, the boys enjoyed a well-deserved day off on Sunday. After enjoying a nice breakfast at our hotel in Como, we departed by boat to Bellagio, a small town located about two hours from Como. On the way, we were able to see some of the world’s most famous Italian Villas on Lake Como. The guys were extremely excited to see George Clooney, and Richard Branson’s prestigious and luxurious waterfront properties.
 
After docking in Bellagio, our tour guides, Ellie and Lou, gave us a quick tour of the small city. Afterwards the team was able to explore the city and experience activities such as fresh-made Italian cuisine, and beaches to swim in. What is particularly clear with this team is that we always seem to find a way back to each other after we split up. This group is truly comprised of twenty or so best friends. We scattered at first, but after a while apart, we were able to end up at the same exact restaurant to enjoy all that this little Italian city had to offer.
 
Some fun facts from the trip:
-Best at speaking Italian: Anthony Sanniti and Emilio Audi
-Michael Phelps Comparison: Derek Freeman (thinks he can swim across Lake Como in 30 minutes.)
-The Boys are certainly staying in shape playing with three lines and four defensemen while playing on an Olympic ice sheet.
-Italian food is definitely something to write home about!
-Finally, despite popular belief, the drive from Como to Champéry is NOT 3.5 hours.
 
Until next time

















 

Entry by Jarrett Abelson - Associate Director of Athletic Communcations

It was a busy day for the Raiders on Saturday as they played the second half of a back-to-back stretch with an evening contest against Switzerland National League B squad EHC VISP.
 
The game was held in the mountain town of Champrey, Switzerland, meaning a mid-day departure for the team from the hotel and then a five-hour drive to the arena. The team was able to enjoy a fantastic pregame meal on the way, thanks to our tour guide, Sergio, and one of his many connections (we’re all trying to figure out if there is anyone that Sergio doesn’t know in Italy).
 
As for the game, the Raiders once again made a valiant effort despite the numerous obstacles facing them, but came up short against a solid EHC VISP squad in a 4-1 setback. Derek Freeman was responsible for the lone Colgate tally with a rebound goal in the third period and the game might have been even closer if not for a pair of potential Raider goals waved off by the officials later in the final frame.
 
Once the game was complete, it was time to a quick post-game meal with the opposing team (apparently it is a tradition in Europe for both teams to eat a meal together after the game has been played. Not sure how well that would go over in the United States) and then back on the bus to drive back to Como. A big thanks to our bus driver, Remo, who delivered us back to the hotel just a little after 3 a.m. local time.
 
After a busy couple of days for the Raiders, it will be time once again to enjoy the sights and sounds of Italy. The team has a day trip to nearly Bellagio planned that will also include a boat tour of beautiful Lake Como. Ciao!
 

Entry by Tim Harrison '17
Today was our first full day of enjoying all that beautiful Europe has to offer. Starting off in Como, the boys woke up early (much to our dismay) and enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the Metropole Suisse Hotel with many European/American cuisines! After breakfast, the boys hopped on the bus to head for Zurich, Switzerland. 
 
Surprisingly, when we arrived at the border for the Swiss wonderland, they didn’t ask to see our passports. It worked out well to save time, however it seemed like a risky move considering the number of Canadians and Bostonians on board. After entering the heart of Switzerland we stopped at a rest area to get some grub and stretch out the legs. The food turned out to be really tasteful but the stop didn’t prove to be relieving for those who had to use the facilities due to the 1 franc charge that most of us were not willing to abide by. Some of the guys may have entertained the idea of watering the plants out back of the rest area, but opted out.
 
On to Zurich…We arrived at the rink in Zurich and were immediately reminded how different every country is even when talking about a sport we all love. The opposing team had advertisements all over their jersey’s and equipment, something that as college players, we are not particularly accustomed too. As I am part of a group of injured players, the “Tragically hip” gentlemen were thrown into the gauntlet by Chewy for a grueling hour-long workout. Luckily I survived and am able to be writing for this blog.
 
Continuing on with the day, the puck dropped at 4 p.m. local time and the boys worked hard throughout the first two periods but unfortunately found themselves down by a deficit of 3-0. However, after an encouraging locker room speech from myself, the boys went out on the ice for the third period with some fire under their rear-ends and clawed back to tie the game and send it to overtime! My buddy Brett scored his collegiate goal, which all the guys were pretty excited about. It was in a different country, so we are not entirely sure it counts as “collegiate,” but we will let it slide.
 
After a scoreless five minute overtime period, the game was sent into a shootout. We came out just a goal short as the Zurich team had some pretty slick moves that proved to be the deciding factor in this jet-lagged game for the boys.  It was a hard fought match and it is always exciting to watch a comeback.
 
After getting washed up, we enjoyed a nice pasta dinner and got back on the bus for a scenic ride back to Como.
 
It is extremely interesting to see how the other side of the world lives. It has only been two days since arriving in Europe and I have already experienced many things that I would never have experienced back in the States. From the beautiful views, the intricate languages, and the delicious food, this trip has already proved to be a once in a lifetime opportunity. We are excited for many more adventures throughout the rest of the trip!  Arrivederci!!!