Editor’s Note: The Cornell Hockey Beat is dedicated to covering men’s and women’s ice hockey within The Cornell Daily Sun’s sports department. Writers who join will be responsible for covering both teams.
You can apply to join The Cornell Hockey Beat here.
Eli Kwait
There came a point during the spring semester of my freshman year when the mushy snow seemed as though it would never leave. Fighting freezing gusts of wind while walking to the dining hall, I wondered: “Why did I ever convince myself I liked winter?”
Well, of course there is hockey during the winter. I mean, Cornell is a hockey school. And what kind of hockey school has warm weather in the winter?
I had been enjoying my time so far as a writer for the Cornell Hockey Beat, standing in the press box at Lynah Rink during games and interviewing players and coaches postgame. It gave me something to look forward to as I sludged through General Chemistry.
But, I needed to reconnect with winter. Because at that moment, it was kicking my butt. As I thought ahead to the upcoming weeks, I saw light at the end of the tunnel.
Lake Placid.
Two-time hosts to the Winter Olympics and the birthplace of the “Miracle on Ice,” Lake Placid was in my future.
The Cornell women’s hockey team was preparing to play in the ECAC Women's Hockey Championship on the ice of the historic Herb Brooks Arena. Then senior editor Eli Fastiff and I were slated to make the trek northeast to cover the tournament.
Despite taking a wrong turn and almost ending up in Canada, the trip was a nice diversion from college life. Touring the Olympic training centers, the museums and covering the tournament reminded me of what I love about winter: hockey and the Cornell Hockey Beat.
The beat has been an amazing addition to my experience at Cornell, not only giving me a productive role outside of STEM, but also allowing me to engage with the sport I love.
Posters from the Lake Placid Olympic Museum's Olympic Art Exhibit. (Photo courtesy of Eli Kwait)
A “Foul Puck” from the ECAC Women's Hockey Championship. (Photo courtesy of Eli Kwait)
Memorabilia from the Historic 1980 “Miracle on Ice." (Photo courtesy of Eli Kwait)
Tyler Goldberg
“Why not?”
That was the comment I made before opening the hockey beat application. I never foresaw myself being anything more than a hockey fan, but when I saw a @cornellsunsports Instagram story advertising the application, I ran with it and never looked back.
I applied at the behest of my friends and family, who no longer wanted to be the recipients of my game breakdowns and rants about hockey and its relationship to Cornell.
I applied with no formal writing experience, as a pre-vet Animal Science major who retired from hockey, only reaching the peaks of the third line on the B team of an Upstate New York hockey club.
When I left the Mann Library Cafe after my interview for the beat, I was confident of one thing: I wanted to be a part of this team
One year in, this experience has been one of the greatest in my life. It has given me opportunities, friendships and memories that I never could have imagined when I clicked “apply” that day.
One of those memories ended at 2 a.m. in New York City. As I stepped out of Madison Square Garden, I reflected on what I had just experienced.
Not only was I leaving from a back press entrance that I had no prior knowledge of, but I had just gotten to see the historic press room while representing my school at Red Hot Hockey. I had sat in a press cubicle, imagining the many great events that had been chronicled in that very room. I interviewed NHL first-round draft picks and stood by the tunnel while Cornell took the ice.
The hockey beat rinkside at Madison Square Garden. (Photo courtesy of Tyler Goldberg)
The view from the press bridge at Madison Square Garden. (Photo courtesy of Tyler Goldberg)
Preparing for the press conference after Red Hot Hockey. (Photo courtesy of Tyler Goldberg)
However, what I truly reflected on was my conversation in the press box with a fellow Cornellian about our Organic Chemistry problem set, the normal, mundane conversations about school life and how to properly spend the thirty-dollar MSG meal stipend.
As I finally arrived home, I once again thought about the “why not” question. What I remember from my first year with the Cornell Hockey Beat is how easily the extraordinary became normal, and how quickly strangers became colleagues and friends.
The Cornell Hockey Beat is, at its heart, dedicated to providing the Cornell community with accurate, in-depth coverage of both the men’s and women’s hockey teams. In practice, that means a team of reporters and creatives writing stories, capturing photos and recording videos of every game, every award and every unique detail.
That’s where you come in. As you may have noticed from our stories, we (Eli and Tyler) are just two people. For the hockey beat to be successful, a team is needed. We want people who are passionate about hockey and who bring creative ideas to light.
Take a chance and apply to the Cornell Hockey Beat. Why not?
Applications are due at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13.
Eli Kwait is a staff writer for the sports department. He is a member of the Class of 2029 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. You can follow him on X @EliKwaitand reach him at ekwait@cornellsun.com.
