The No. 11 Elis (2–1, 0–0 Ivy) started off their game against No. 6 Penn State (4–1, 0–0 Big Ten) strong last Saturday, finishing the first half with a 9–2 lead. The Nittany Lions, however, made a comeback to tie the Bulldogs 14–14 by the end of regulation play, leading to a four-minute overtime period during which Penn State tallied an additional goal to secure the win.

The Bulldogs started out the game with a 6–1 lead in the first frame. Midfielder and team captain Patrick Hackler ’24 started off the scoring just seven seconds into the game off an assist by face-off man Machado Rodriguez ’25. Assisted by midfielder Carson Kuhl ’25, attackman David Anderson ’27 scored under three minutes later.

Hacker, assisted by attackman Matt Brandau ’24, tallied another point to close out the first five minutes of the game at 3–0, and midfielder Max Krevsky ’25 scored unassisted at 9:35. Nittany Lion attackman Jeb Brenfleck put Penn State on the board off an assist by attackman TJ Malone less than a minute later.

Anderson, assisted by midfielder Johnny Keib ’25, resumed Yale’s offensive onslaught with another goal at 3:24 remaining in the first frame, and Krevsky scored once more to close out the quarter.

The Bulldogs also saw success in the second quarter, leading 3–1 and finishing the half with a seven-point lead. Krevsky opened the scoring 35 seconds into the frame, and Brandau tallied another goal five minutes later, assisted by Keib, to raise the score to 8–1. 

Malone made an unassisted goal under four minutes later to decrease Yale’s lead to six, but attackman Peter Moynihan ’27 closed out the half with another Yale goal, assisted by Brandau, with just under two minutes left in the period. 

The Nittany Lions started the second half of the game on a roll, with a five-point scoring streak over the course of six minutes. Malone scored the first two goals, and after that midfielder Ethan Long, midfielder Mac Costin and attackman Will Peden also scored. 

Anderson broke this streak with an unassisted goal with 7:37 remaining in the period, which Penn State midfielder Matt Traynor answered less than a minute later with another goal. Yale then reaffirmed their lead with three more points, the first by Krevsky and the second two by Anderson, both assisted by Kuhl. 

To close out the third quarter, Malone scored for Penn State, assisted by Long, and the Nittany Lions continued scoring into the final quarter. Costin tallied an unassisted goal 1:03 into the period, and 1:02 later, Long scored on a man-up. 

Kuhl raised Yale’s lead to 14–11 just over a minute later, but the Nittany Lions entered another scoring streak of three goals — by Malone, Traynor and Costin — to close out regulation in a 14–14 tie. 

During the golden-goal overtime period, Yale led 5–1 in shots, including one by Brandau that hit the goal post and one that Penn State goalkeeper Jack Fracyon saved. With 59 seconds remaining in the four-minute overtime period, Malone assisted Penn State attackman Jake Morin in sealing the win for the Nittany Lions.

While the Elis ultimately fell to Penn State by a mere point in overtime, each team’s season records reflect something different. While the Nittany Lions fell 13–12 to Colgate in their season opener on Feb. 3, the Elis triumphed 21–11 over Colgate on Feb. 21.

Yale also saw strong offensive play in the contest. Anderson led the game with five goals, followed by Krevsky with four and Hackler with two. Brandau, Kuhl and Moynihan also each tallied one goal during the game.

The Elis led the game 56–44 in shots and 31–30 in shots on goal. Yale also led the game 20–13 in faceoffs, with Rodriguez and face-off man Nick Ramsey ’24 winning 12-of-19 and 8-of-14 faceoffs, respectively.

Goalkeeper Jared Paquette ’25 played the entire game in goal, making 15 saves over the course of the contest. 

The Elis also led in turnovers, 16–13, and 42–21 in ground balls. 

The Bulldogs hope to regain their momentum next week when they travel to Colorado for their next game. 

Yale will face No. 10 Denver University (5–0, 0–0 Big East) in Denver, CO on Sunday, March 10 at 2 p.m. EST. The game will stream live on Altitude.

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The No. 11 Bulldogs (2–0, 0–0 Ivy) trounced the Raiders (3–3, 0–0 Patriot) in a 21–11 contest Wednesday night. The Elis had three separate series of unanswered goals throughout the game — nine from the first to the second frame, five from the second to the third and another five from the third to the fourth. 

Colgate midfielder Hunter Drouin started off the scoring Wednesday night less than two minutes into the matchup. Yale answered back four minutes later with a goal by midfielder Johnny Keib ’25, assisted by attackman Matt Brandau ’24. 

The Raiders then took the lead with three more goals scored in the first quarter, by faceoff specialist Kyle Rummel, Drouin and attackman Michael Minicus. The Bulldogs, however, didn’t let this affect their play, taking the reins and scoring the next nine consecutive goals in 12 minutes.

Brandau assisted attackman David Anderson ’27 in his first goal of the night, followed by two more goals by Brandau, the first unassisted and the second assisted by midfielder Carson Kuhl ’25. Kuhl then tallied two goals of his own, the first assisted by Brandau and the second unassisted. 

Less than ten seconds into the second quarter, midfielder Patrick Hackler ’24 assisted a goal by defenseman Jack Stuzin ’25, and 3:27 later, Brandau scored again. Just 1:40 later, Brandau earned another unassisted goal for the Bulldogs, and in the next two minutes of play, Brandau assisted Anderson to raise the score to 10–4. 

Colgate attackman Jack Turner and midfielder Ben Trumble each scored later in the second quarter to reduce Yale’s lead, but Yale answered back with five more goals. Brandau assisted Anderson in the first two, followed by an unassisted Kuhl score and two more Brandau goals — one of the two assisted by Hackler.

Raider midfielder Colin Ruppenstein made one unassisted goal 6:20 into the third frame in an attempt to turn around the scoring, but the Elis yet again went on a scoring spree with five more consecutive goals. Midfielder Thomas Bragg ’24 made an unassisted goal with 7:56 remaining in the quarter, followed by three goals by midfielder Max Krevsky ’25, two of the three assisted by Brandau and Bragg. 

Attackman William Sheehan ’26 also scored unassisted in the fourth quarter, before Colgate tallied two points, the first by midfielder Jacob Sposita and the second by Minicus with 7:34 remaining in the game. Midfielder Nicolas Boudreau ’26 answered back 1:21 later with an unassisted score.

Colgate closed out the contest with two more goals, by Trumble and midfielder Liam Connor, but still ended in a massive 10-point deficit. 

Brandau had a strong performance throughout the game, setting a school record with 13 total points, coming from his six goals and seven assists. Anderson, Kuhl and Krevsky also had successful games, scoring four, three and three goals, respectively. 

Face-off specialists Machado Rodriguez ’25 and Nicholas Ramsey ’24 also dominated the contest faceoffs, going 9-of-15 and 11-of-16, respectively. 

On Feb. 19, defenseman Patrick Pisano ’26 was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week, after completing the game with three caused turnovers and 10 ground balls. 

Goalkeeper Jared Paquette ’25 was in goal for the Bulldogs for the first 52:26 of the contest and made 14 saves with nine goals allowed, donning a 0.608 save percentage. Goalkeepers Hugh Conrad ’26 and George Northup ’27 both saw time in the goal during the final 7:34 of the game. 

The Elis lead 47–38 in shots and 37–25 in shots on goal. The Yale men’s lacrosse team also led 50–42 in ground balls.

Yale will look forward to continuing their winning streak into their next away game of the season. 

The Bulldogs will travel for their next contest on Saturday against Penn State (3–1, 1–1 Big Ten) at noon in University Park. 

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The Yale men’s ice hockey team (10–14–2, 7–10–2 ECAC) lost to the Raiders (13–13–4, 10–6–2 ECAC) on Friday in Hamilton, NY, and tied the Big Red (16–4–5, 11–4–3 ECAC) on Saturday in Ithaca, NY. The loss and shootout loss took a hit to the Bulldogs’ record, ending their four-game streak of regulation and shootout wins. 

The Elis entered the Friday matchup after a weekend of strong play against Brown, where Yale tallied a 3–1 win on Feb. 9. Colgate had previously lost 3–2 against Brown on Nov. 3, but the day following their contest against Yale, they dominated the Bears 4–2. Cornell also had just logged a 3–0 win against Brown on Feb. 16. 

In its game against Colgate on Friday, the Elis started off scoring with a shorthanded goal in the first period. Assisted by forward Henry Wagner ’24 on the penalty kill, forward Elan Bar-Lev-Wise ’26 entered from the blueline and shot past Colgate goaltender Carter Gylander’s glove side for the first Yale goal of the night.

Under ten minutes into the second period, Colgate forward Daniel Panetta passed to defenseman Dom Foglia in the Raiders’ defensive end. Foglia then made a long pass to forward Jack Schneider who netted Colgate’s equalizer. 

Only 22 seconds later, Colgate defenseman Nick Anderson passed to forward Ross Mitton, who one-timed the puck into the goal to put Colgate in the lead. Three minutes later, Mitton passed to forward Simon Labelle in front of the goal, who launched the puck and raised Colgate’s lead to 3–1. 

In the final frame, Raider forward Ethan Manderville received a cross-crease pass from Panetta and secured another point for Colgate. Answering back off the faceoff and on the powerplay, forward David Chen ’26 passed to defenseman Rhys Bentham ’27, who sent the puck over Gylander and into the net. 

Colgate then tallied one more goal with 8.1 seconds remaining in the matchup, when Panetta, assisted by forward Brett Chorske and defenseman Reid Irwin, sent the puck into an empty net. 

Goaltender Jack Stark ’27 made a total of 25 saves during the contest, in comparison to Gylander’s 16, and Bar-Lev-Wise went 6-of-9 in faceoffs. 

On Saturday in their contest against Cornell at Lynah Rink, the Bulldogs tied Cornell 1–1, bringing the game to a shootout, where Yale fell 2–1.

Just over 16 minutes into the first period, Wagner shot on goal, which was blocked by Cornell goalie Ian Shane and picked up by forward Will Richter ’27, who slotted the puck into the goal. The goal was Richter’s first at Yale in his collegiate career and was the first allowed at even strength for Cornell since Feb. 2. 

Under two minutes later, Cornell answered back with a goal by forward Tyler Catalano. Defenseman Hoyt Stanley attempted a shot during a 3-on-1, which hit the right post and was rebounded by Catalano to even the score. 

While there were attempts to tally another goal by both teams throughout the game, neither squad secured another goal, leading to a shootout period. The first three shooters — Cornell forward Dalton Bancroft, Yale forward Will Dineen ’25 and Cornell forward Seger — each scored.

Chen and Catalano had unsuccessful attempts, as well as forward Ian Carpentier ’24, which ended the shootout with a Big Red 2–1 advantage. The win secured Cornell the Ivy League title for the 2023-2024 season, its fifth title in the last six seasons. 

Cornell now has a 14-game unbeaten streak, which leads Division I men’s ice hockey. This is Cornell’s longest streak without a loss since the 2004-2005 season.

During the contest, Stark made 22 total saves in goal, and Wagner tallied his third assist of the season, logging points in both games last weekend. 

The Bulldogs look forward to earning a win next weekend when they return home to New Haven to face another Ivy League opponent.

The Blue and White will next face Princeton (8–14–3, 6–10–2 ECAC) on Friday, Feb. 23 at Ingalls Rink. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. 

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The Elis (10–13–1, 7–9–1 ECAC) defeated the Bears (8–13–2, 6–8–1 ECAC) in a home game at Ingalls Rink with 1,637 fans in attendance. The win marks Yale’s seventh conference win this season, which ranks Yale at seventh in the ECAC and second in Ivy League schools, trailing three wins behind Cornell. 

The Bulldogs entered the matchup coming off of a successful weekend, logging a 3–1 win against Union College (13–13–2, 7–7–2 ECAC) on Feb. 2 and a 1–1 tie with a 1–0 shootout win against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (8–17–3, 5–9–2 ECAC) on Feb. 3. The Bears also faced both teams that weekend, tallying a 3–1 loss to RPI and a 4–4 tie and 2–0 overtime shootout loss to Union. 

Yale had also previously faced Brown, where the Bulldogs earned a 3–2 overtime win for its first game of the 2023-2024 season on Oct. 27. 

Just over eight minutes into the first period, forward Elan Bar-Lev-Wise ’26 took a wide shot on goal that hit the back wall and was picked up by forward and team captain Reilly Connors ’24, who beat Brown goaltender Lawton Zacher, finished off the short-handed goal and earned Yale its first point of the night. 

The goal marked Connors’ first of the season and his second career shorthanded goal. 

The rest of the first period remained scoreless, but 6:54 into the second period, Brown tried to take back the reins by netting an equalizer. Brown forward Ryan Bottrill forced a Yale turnover in the offensive zone and passed to forward Tyler Kopff, who hit a one-timer from the top of the right circle.

To re-establish the lead for the Elis, under two minutes later, forward David Chen ’26 took a failed wrap-around attempt by defenseman Kieran O’Hearn ’25 and forward Niklas Allain ’24 and shot the puck from the top circle and raised the score to 2–1. Chen’s goal was his team-high ninth of the season. 

While the remainder of the second period and the majority of the final didn’t see any scoring, with less than ten seconds left in the game, forward Will Dineen ’25 launched the puck into Brown’s empty goal for the game-ender. Dineen was assisted by forward Ian Carpentier ’24 and forward David Andreychuk ’27. 

The final goal of the contest was Yale’s sixth shorthanded goal of the season. This ties Yale for first in the ECAC conference in shorthanded goals during the 2023-2024 season. 

Over the course of the game, goalkeeper Jack Stark ’27 made 19 saves in goal. This marks Stark’s eighth win of his first season on the team. 

While Brown led the game with five power plays, in comparison to Yale’s two, the Bulldogs dominated in shooting 30–20. Yale also prevailed in the faceoff dot, edging the Bears 33–21. 

Dineen and Chen led Yale’s shooting with four shots on goal, followed by Bar-Lev-Wise and forward Briggs Gammill ’25 with three shots each. Not a single Brown player had more than two shots on goal. 

Dineen also led the Bulldogs in faceoffs, tallying 16 wins and five losses, while the Brown player with the most faceoff success, Bottrill, saw nine wins and 13 losses. 

The game also marks the Bulldogs’ first time since 2018 going unbeaten for four consecutive games. In the 2018-19 season, the Elis went undefeated for six straight contests, logging five wins and a 1–1 tie with Union on Nov. 23. 

While the Elis have had strong performances since their win against Sacred Heart on Jan. 27, they will need to prepare for two big conference opponents next weekend, both of which Yale fell to earlier this season. 

The Bulldogs will next face Colgate (11–13–4, 8–6–2 ECAC) on Friday, Feb. 16 in Hamilton, NY and No. 13 Cornell (15–4–4, 10–4–2 ECAC) on Saturday, Feb. 17 in Ithaca, NY. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+. 

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Last weekend, the Elis logged a decisive 3–0 win against Union and a shootout win after a 1–1 tie with RPI the following night. Yale men’s hockey hopes to extend its three-game winning streak this weekend with a singular contest against Brown.

“On Friday we had the lead and came out in the third and added another goal and completely shut them down with an aggressive defensive structure,” head coach Keith Allain told the News earlier this week. “On Saturday we were behind going into the third, again came out with an attack-mindset, scored the tying goal and had them on their heels for most of the period.”

The Elis have already faced Brown this season and look to tally an outright win rather than the overtime win that finished off the last weekend. 

Since 2004, the Bulldogs have met Brown 39 times, leading the series 26–13. The Elis have won three of the past four contests and, notably, seven of their 10 most recent matchups. 

In their last contest on Oct. 28 this season, the Yale men’s hockey team won in overtime, securing a 3–2 victory over Brown. Yale began its scoring in the second period, when forward David Chen ’26 scored his first goal of the season off an assist by forward Niklas Allain ’24 and defenseman Bayard Hall ’26. 

“I think it is always important to get off to a winning start,” Allain said after the game. “Beating a tough opponent on the road, having to come from behind then giving up a late lead to finally secure the victory in overtime are all valuable experiences as we begin to write the story of this team. Our men earned a hard-fought W.”

Chen then assisted forward Briggs Gammill ’25 at the start of the third period, which was eventually answered back by Brown forward Tyler Kopff later in the period. Beginning overtime on the penalty kill, Gammill passed to defenseman Rhys Bentham ’27, who made a backhand shot to earn Yale the win. 

Yale goalkeeper Nate Reid ’24 was in the net for the entire game and made 23 total saves. 

“Coach [Rob] O’Gara [’16] has done a great job with our kill, and the boys have taken a lot of pride in making sure our penalty kill is a strength of our team,” forward Will Dineen ’25 said. “Scoring shorthanded goals is a big team effort. It comes from all four guys doing their respective jobs well structurally and positionally. With that, it opens up opportunities to capitalize on the other team’s power play mistakes.”

Last weekend, Brown faced RPI and Union, tallying a 3–1 outright loss and a 4–4 loss in overtime after a 2–0 shootout, respectively. 

In their Friday contest, the Bears lost but had strong individual performances. Forward Thomas Manty and defenseman Brett Bliss both had career-highs of seven and six shots on goal, respectively. Forward Ryan Bottrill also made his 11th assist of the season. 

“It was not our night, no excuses but we have a lot of regulars that are out and sick and it doesn’t make it easy,” Brown head coach Brendan Whittet said to Brown Athletics after the RPI game. “That being said, we had 39 shots on net, a lot of Grade A’s and really good chances, we have to find a way to score. We have good enough players to score.”

On Saturday, Brown fell behind in shots on goal, trailing Union 46–25. Brown goalkeeper Lawton Zacher, however, made 42 saves over the course of the game. 

Brown started off scoring in the first period when defenseman Nick Traggio deflected a Bottrill rebound, and Brown added another point on the power play in the second period, when forward Mike Cataldo redirected a shot by defenseman Ethan Mistry. In the final period, both Bottrill and Kopff added points, but ultimately, it wasn’t enough to secure the Bears the outright win, as Union won the shootout for the extra ECAC point.

“We’re dealing with a lot of injuries to guys that play a lot of minutes for us so we were a little short,” Whittet said to Brown Athletics. “That being said, we need guys to step up and play the right way. We’re very young, there are going to be inconsistencies in what we do. We’re going to have to play better than we did tonight next weekend.”

The Bulldogs look forward to defending The Whale and defeating the Bears for the second time this season.

On Friday, the Bulldogs will face Brown at 7 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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After falling 1–0 to Quinnipiac in the first round of the Connecticut Ice Tournament, the Bulldogs finished out the weekend on a high note, tallying a 3–2 win against Sacred Heart in the consolation round. The Elis will travel home to face two conference opponents, Union and RPI, this weekend on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday at 7:00 p.m., respectively. 

“I think our win against Sacred Heart was fueled by our team’s penalty kill, our ability to score timely goals and solid goaltending,” head coach Keith Allain ’80 said. “We need to build on those things against two tough opponents this weekend.”

On Feb. 1, ECAC Hockey named Bulldog goalkeeper Jack Stark ’27 the Bitcoin Rookie of the Month. Stark was named ECAC Rookie of the Week twice in a row — on Jan. 8 and Jan. 15 — making 334 saves throughout this season and earning a .905 save percentage. 

Stark was also named to the Hockey Commissioners Association Tim Taylor Rookie of the Year “Watch List” on Feb. 1. The list includes 32 first-year NCAA men’s hockey players, four of whom are goalies, that may receive the Tim Taylor Award for National Rookie of the Year at the end of the season.

“Jack has been very good for us in goal,” Allain said. “Jack has done a nice job of giving the group that confidence, he has shown great poise in net for us.”

The Yale men’s ice hockey team has already met this weekend’s opponents earlier this season, logging wins against both.

Since 2004, the Elis have faced Union 38 times. Union leads the series 19–15–4, but in the past seven games, Yale has seen five wins and two losses, one of which was an OT shootout loss on Jan. 14. 

In their last matchup on Jan. 6 this season, the Bulldogs edged the Garnet Chargers by two goals, securing a 4–2 win. At the start of the second period, forward Briggs Gammill ’25 assisted forward David Chen ’26 with the first goal of the night, which was answered back by Union twice in the third period. 

In the final four minutes of the game, the Bulldogs tallied three goals to earn the win. Forward Niklas Allain ’24 tipped in a shot by defenseman Connor Sullivan ’25, and 51 seconds later, forward Teddy Wooding ’24 tallied another point during a backdoor opportunity. 

With less than two minutes remaining in the final period, forward Ian Carpentier ’24 added Yale’s fourth and final point with his empty net goal. 

“Carp is a big driver for our offense, and I believe he is due for a big scoring outbreak,” forward Will Dineen ’25 told the News after the Bulldogs dropped a game to St. Lawrence. “He is an elite skater.”

Since 2004, Yale has met RPI 36 times, leading the series 23–13. The Bulldogs are currently on a two-game winning streak and have won 12 of their past 13 contests. 

Yale most recently faced RPI on Jan. 5 this year, when the Elis secured a 2–1 victory. In the middle of the second period, Chen earned Yale its first point when he split four defenders entering the offensive zone to fire a shot from the slot. 

The Engineers answered back 16:11 into the third period when Rensselaer defenseman Jimmy Goffredo scored off an assist by forwards John Beaton and Ryan Brushett. Forty seconds later, however, Wooding passed to defenseman Ryan Conroy ’24, who shot the puck past RPI goalkeeper Brett Miller for the game-winner. 

“I think that [last weekend’s] game was great for my confidence individually but for our team as a whole as well,” Stark said. “Knowing that as a group we have what it takes to go toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the country gives us a lot of confidence as we head into the final stretch of the season.”

Last weekend, Union faced RPI in the 2024 Capital District Mayor’s Cup, logging a 5–3 win over the Engineers. The Garnet Chargers dominated the game with a 31–25 lead in shots, as well as a 5–1 lead in power plays, one of which resulted in a goal by Union forward Ville Immonen in the third period. 

Union defenseman Cullen Ferguson led the game in points, with a goal and two assists, and Union forward Josh Nixon had two assists. Union goalkeeper Kyle Chauvette made 22 saves during the contest.

RPI was able to secure the lead early in the second period, after a goal by forward Tyler Hotson in the first period and Brushett in the second. In an effort to regain their lead later in the second period, after Union scored twice in five minutes, RPI forward Dovar Tinling added the Engineers’ final goal of the night. 

Playing in front of a goalkeeper with a .948 save percentage for the month of January, the Elis are ready to face their next two opponents and add two more wins to their record. 

“Overall improvement as a team defensively is a factor [in our successes] as well,” Allain said. “Hockey is the ultimate team sport.”

On both Friday and Saturday, the puck is slated to drop at 7:00 p.m., and each game will be streamed live on ESPN+.

The post MEN’S HOCKEY: Bulldogs prepare for Union, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute games appeared first on Yale Daily News.

The Bulldogs have had an exciting couple of weeks following their victory over the Crimson during The Game on Nov. 18, naming their Team 151 Captain and earning a variety of honors to close out the 2023 season. 

“I am most proud of how this team came together when it mattered the most,” Team 150 captain and defensive back Wande Owens ’24 said. “We had a rocky start, but we kept at it, found our identity, and latched onto it. The season is never easy, and I am very proud of our resilience and ability to withstand the rain.”

The Blue and White saw success on both sides of the ball during the 2023 season. Offensively, Yale finished second in the Ivy League in scoring offense. Quarterback Nolan Grooms ’24 led the league in passing touchdowns (22) and passing efficiency (149.6), while wide receiver Mason Tipton ’24 ranked first in the league and 10th in the FCS with 10 touchdown receptions as well as third with 786 receiving yards. 

Yale ranks first in the FCS in blocked punts (5), second in blocked kicks (6), fourth in 3rd down conversion percentage (.490), 13th in kickoff returns (23.00) and 18th in team passing efficiency (148.36).

Defensively, Yale had 129.8 yards per game of rushing defense, an average of 19.90 points per game in scoring defense. The Bulldogs rank 24th in the FCS in team passing efficiency defense (117.38) and had a total of 22.0 team sacks this season, ranking sixth in the FCS in tackles for loss (75.0). 

“I’m really proud of the team,” head coach Tony Reno said to Yale Athletics. “It wasn’t an easy season. We had to fight through so many things, and when we finally got a foothold, it was like we exploded.”

The annual postseason banquet was held on Sunday Nov. 19 following The Game at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center. The team’s 26 seniors were honored at the Banquet, in addition to the announcement of the team captain of Team 151 and the team awards.  

Linebacker Dean Shaffer ’25 was elected captain of Team 151, which will play next year in the 2024 season. Shaffer has served as a leader within the linebacker group throughout his time at Yale and now will lead the entire team, following in Owens’ footsteps. 

“Dean has been a great leader for us as an underclassman,” Reno said to Yale Athletics. “There isn’t a better person than Dean to bring Team 151 together. I’m excited to see his growth as a captain.”

The Charles Lotus Award, awarded to the most valuable first-year player, was given to defensive back Osize Daniyan ’27, both the James Keppel Award for offensive players and the Jordan Olivar Award were given to wide receiver Mason Tipton ’24 and the Greg Dubinetz Award for linemen was given to defensive lineman Clay Patterson ’24 and offensive lineman Jonathon Durand ’24. 

Linebacker Joseph Vaughn ’24 and running back Spencer Alston ’24 earned the Chester J. LaRoche Award, offensive lineman Jonathan Mendoza ’24 and wide receiver Aidan Maloney ’24 earned the Frederic Woodrow “Woody” Knapp Memorial Trophy and kicker/punter Jack Bosman ’24 earned the Ledyard Mitchell Award for proficiency in kicking. 

Offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie ’24 received the Ted Turner Award for interior linemen. 

“The moment this season that stands out to me as the most important was the week following the Cornell loss,” Owens said. “Personally, I was stressed about the team’s lack of success, and did some soul-searching with Coach Reno and the other leaders of this team to turn the season around both mentally and physically.”

Other awards given to players were the Hammer, Yale Football Captains, Special Teams, D-Line and Edwin Foster (“Ted”) Blair Awards, given to linebacker Jermaine Baker ’24, Owens, wide receiver Joey Felton ’24, Patterson and Vaughn, respectively. 

On Nov. 20, Vaughn was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week for the second week in a row. During The Game, Vaughn had an interception and forced a fumble, in addition to a team-leading 10 tackles, which included seven solo stops and 1.5 for loss. Vaughn completed the season with 88 total tackles. 

Vaughn ranks first in the Ivy League with an average of 1.3 tackles for loss per game and ranked third with an average of 8.8 total tackles per game. Vaughn’s contributions and the efforts of the rest of the Bulldog defense limited Harvard to only 73 yards of rushing offense. 

“We had so many guys contribute,” Reno said to Yale Athletics. “There are names you don’t even know that made amazing contributions to this team whether it was on the scout team on a Tuesday or blocking a kick or running down a kickoff. That’s who we were.”

Defensive lineman Zion Dayne ’24, who blocked a punt for the second consecutive game, Daniyan, who broke up a pass and made four tackles and running back Joshua Pitsenberger ’26 who rushed for 99 yards were also listed on the Ivy Honor Roll. 

On Nov. 21, 14 members of Team 150 received All-Ivy recognition, with seven earning First Team All-Ivy, two earning Second Team All-Ivy, four earning Honorable Mention All-Ivy and one earning Academic All-Ivy recognition. 

Offensively, Amegadjie, Mendoza, Tipton and Grooms all earned First Team All-Ivy. Patterson,Vaughn and Owens all were named as First Team All-Ivy defense. 

“I am most proud of the resiliency that Team 150 showed throughout the season,” Shaffer said. “Starting off a season with two consecutive losses is a very disheartening way to kick the season off, but the team was able to bounce back and put together a championship season. A very impressive feat that took a lot of dedication and hard work from our guys.”

Tight end Jackson Hawes ’24 and Pitsenberger were named Second Team All-Ivy Offensive players, and offensive lineman Michael Bennett ’26, defensive lineman Alvin Gulley, Jr. ’25, linebacker Hamilton Moore ’24 and defensive back Sean Guyton ’25 received Honorable Mention All-Ivy recognition. Durand was also selected Academic All-Ivy. 

On Nov. 27, the New England Football Writers Association announced their 2023 All-New England team, which honors the best Division I players by position in New England every season. They recognized Vaughn, Owens and Tipton. Owens ranks second on the team in tackles, behind Vaughn, with 55. 

“I am looking forward to discovering what the identity of Team 151 will be,” Shaffer said. “Each team at Yale has a life and history of its own, so as we close out Team 150 it is important that we begin to uncover what Team 151’s identity will be as we begin our off-season.”

The Yale football team’s most recent accomplishment was on Nov. 28, when Grooms was named a finalist, alongside Brown wide receiver Wes Rockett, for the Asa S. Bushnell Cup as the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year. Grooms received the honor last year, and winning the award this year made him the second player in Yale history and the sixth in league history to do so. 

During the 2023 season, Grooms ranked first in the league with 22 passing touchdowns and had a total of 2,451 yards of offense — 1,863 yards throwing and 588 rushing. 

The Bushnell Cup recipient is determined by the Ivy League’s eight head football coaches and is given to the player who demonstrates leadership, competitive spirit, team contribution and accomplishments in play. 

“Team 151 feels motivated and ready to begin our journey,” Shaffer said. “I am extremely excited to help lead this team into our off-season training.”

The Ivy League Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year will be announced at the New York Athletic Club on Dec. 11 at a press conference and reception co-hosted by the National Football Foundation (NFF) and the Ivy League. 

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The Bulldogs earned a 36–28 win against Princeton (4–5, 3–3 Ivy) in their nail-biting double overtime game last Saturday. The score was tied four times throughout the contest, until Yale’s offense took the reins in the second overtime period, edging the Tigers by a touchdown and a two-point conversion. 

“I’m just really proud of where we were and where we are now,” head coach Tony Reno said. “Just as a team, nothing to do with wins and losses, it’s just how we’re functioning, how we’re playing, how we’re playing together.”

The Yale football team leads the all-time series 69–61–8 against Harvard, and the Elis have won four of the past six games. The last time the two met was on Nov. 19, 2022, in Cambridge, when Yale earned a 19–14 victory and won the Ivy League Championship. 

Despite trailing the Crimson 14–13 early into the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs went on the offensive and tallied their second touchdown of the afternoon with 6:29 remaining in the contest. Yale’s defense made three strong stops to secure Team 149 the championship. 

“The two things you can expect in this game are adrenaline and adversity,” Reno said. “For us, that’s really like every Saturday.”

The five-yard pass thrown by Grooms to tight end Jackson Hawes ’24 into the endzone after a seven-minute, 75-yard, 13-play drive in the final period gave Yale the game-determining lead. Running back Tre Peterson’s ’24 1-yard run in the first quarter and 20-yard and 41-yard field goals by kicker/punter Jack Bosman ’24 during the second and third quarters, respectively, tallied Yale the 13 points they needed to stay in the game. 

The Elis led the game with 363 yards of total offense and 219 rushing yards, holding the Crimson to only 59 rushing yards throughout the contest. After Yale’s final touchdown and 40 minutes of offensive dominance, the Bulldogs’ defense limited Harvard to only one first down for the remaining six minutes of the game.

Linebacker Hamilton Moore ’24 ended Harvard’s final drive and the game itself by intercepting a pass by Crimson quarterback Charlie Dean from the Harvard 25 with 42 seconds remaining on the clock. 

“For us, we’re going to approach [The Game] like we have the last four games,” Grooms said. “I think it’s going to be the quickest week … going to soak it all in and hope things turn out the way we want them to on Saturday.”

The Game last year determined who would take home the Ivy League Championship title, as Yale was tied with Princeton for the lead of the league, with a 6–1 conference record. As Yale won and Princeton fell 20–19 to Penn, Team 149 was the sole winner of the Ivy title. 

In its game against Princeton last week, the Yale football team battled to the very end, ultimately defeating Princeton 36–28. The Blue and White led the game in total yards, 429–397, and rushing yards, 197–154, in addition to outperforming the Tigers in third down conversions — Yale was 8-of-16, in comparison to Princeton’s 4-of-17.  

“Really proud of the team,” Reno said. “The team had overcome a lot on Saturday to win that game. We feel strongly that we build guys who can handle adversity, and really the guys just took the game over.”

Grooms completed 23 of his 30 passes for 232 yards, and running back Joshua Pitsenberger ’26 tallied three touchdowns and his career-high of 131 rushing yards. Linebacker Joseph Vaughn ’24 made a team-high 12 tackles, five of which were for a loss, broke up one pass and was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week last Monday. 

Other highlights of the game included a 12-yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Joey Felton ’24 early in the fourth quarter and a pass break-up by team captain and defensive back Wande Owens ’24 to close out double-overtime. 

“They did an amazing job,” Reno said. “I’m just really proud of how the senior class has really evolved as leaders, but even more importantly how the team is really coming together.”

Coming off of an exciting victory and winning six of their seven past games, the Bulldogs are ready to take on their ultimate rival, Harvard, back on their home turf.

Harvard has had a strong season to date, only suffering a singular loss and ranking first in the Ivy League. 

In non-conference play, the Crimson won 43–13 against the University of St. Thomas on Sept. 16, 38–28 against Holy Cross on Sept. 30 and 48–7 against Howard University on Oct. 14. In Ivy League play, Harvard won 34–31 against Brown on Sept. 22, 41–23 against Cornell on Oct. 6, 17–9 against Dartmouth on Oct. 28, 38–24 against Columbia on Nov. 4 and 25–23 in triple overtime against the University of Pennsylvania on Nov. 11.

Harvard’s sole loss on the season was to Princeton in a 21–14 game on Oct. 21. 

“We’re fortunate for the opportunity we have on Saturday and play our game,” Reno said. “It’s a great opportunity to see how good can Team 150 be … our focus is on each day.”

In its game against Penn last weekend, the Crimson closed out the first half in a 10-point deficit but made a comeback by the end of the fourth quarter to tie the game at 20–20. In overtime, both teams scored field goals, tying the score yet again at 23–23. 

Harvard managed to finally close out the contest with a successful pass from quarterback Jaden Craig to wide receiver Scott Woods II, who tossed the ball to wide receiver Cooper Barkate, who then found Craig in the endzone, tallying a two-point convention and securing Harvard the win. 

“First of all, never a dull moment,” Head Coach Tim Murphy told the Harvard Crimson. “We had so many opportunities that we didn’t necessarily cash in, but at the end of the day, our kids showed their character. ‘Never give up, never ever give up’ has always been our mantra, and obviously today was the epitome of that. So proud of our kids, so proud of our coaches — it was just a great day for Harvard football.”

The win tallied Harvard’s eighth of the season, making their nine-game record the best in school history since 2015. The Crimson led the contest 384–341 in total yards, 253–232 in passing yards and 131–109 in rushing yards. 

Craig completed 23-of-36 passes for 253 yards, a two-point conversion reception and three touchdowns — one passing and two rushing — which set his career high in pass completions. Crimson running back Shane McLaughlin had 27 carries for 88 yards, and Barkate caught eight passes for 125 yards. 

Defensively, defensive lineman Thor Griffith led the team with 10 tackles — his career high — and 2.0 tackles for loss, and defensive back Damien Henderson made an interception. Linebacker Matt Hudson had nine tackles, while safety Ty Bartrum tallied eight tackles and a sack.

“Both [Princeton quarterback Luke Collella and Barkate] are really good receivers,” Reno said. “Both have good speed, both smooth in space … Barkate has been a guy that can play inside and outside, as can Collella, both really good players.”

The win granted Harvard, at minimum, a share of the Ivy League Championship, the 10th earned by Crimson head coach Tim Murphy, which ties Yale’s former head coach Carm Cozza for most in Ivy League history. 

When comparing both Yale and Harvard’s conference records, Harvard has seen only one more win. While Harvard has conquered each of its Ivy opponents except for Princeton, Yale defeated Princeton but dropped games against Cornell and Penn. 

Despite trailing the Crimson by a conference win, the Bulldogs are amped up and ready to defend the Yale Bowl and vie for a share of the championship title. 

“You have got to come ready to work every day,” quarterback Nolan Grooms ’24 said. “That’s what decision we made, we saw it in practice and we’ve been on a roll ever since.”

Yale ranks first in the Ivy League and 15th in the FCS in passing efficiency (153.4), as well as number one in the league and ninth in the FCS in kickoff returns. Yale also leads the league in third down conversion percentage, ranking sixth in the FCS. 

Wide receiver Mason Tipton ’24 leads the Ivy League in receiving yards (755) and touchdowns (10), ranking 25th and third in the FCS, respectively. Grooms leads the league in passing efficiency (155.0), ranking 14th in the FCS. 

“It’s easy when I’ve got Mason Tipton out there to get the ball to him,” Grooms said. “Things have been great.”

Defensively, Vaughn leads the league in solo tackles for loss (11) and interception return yards (121), which ranks Yale first in the Ancient Eight with a total of 200 interception return yards. 

The Game is set to kickoff at noon this Saturday at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut. The contest will be nationally televised on ESPNU. 

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The Bulldogs have had a strong season, especially of late, as they enter The Game with a three-game winning streak. Yale is sitting in second place in the Ivy League standings, and a win against the first-place Crimson would tie the two teams at five conference wins and give Yale a second consecutive Ivy League title.

Following the start of the Bulldogs season, which saw them lose their opening two games to Holy Cross and Cornell, few outside of the team would have seen them competing for first place in the Ancient Eight. Nevertheless, the Bulldogs felt confident that their luck would change. 

“We felt like it was still sort of controlling our own destiny,” quarterback Nolan Grooms ’24 said. “It was a decision the team made that Monday, that Tuesday. You got to come ready to work every day, that’s where decisions were made. We saw it at practice, and we’ve been on a roll ever since and we’re in this place we are in now because of it”

Indeed, the Bulldogs did go on a roll, as the Elis ripped off three straight wins after the loss to Cornell. The Bulldogs were dominant in the three-game stretch, winning the three games by a combined score of 107–30.

The win streak came to an end in a hard-fought loss to Penn, marking Yale’s second conference loss of the season. Once again, the loss didn’t hang over the team, as they have again gone on a three-win streak. 

“We’ve reinvented ourselves three times this season,” head coach Tony Reno said. “Defensively early on we lost Brandon [Benn ’24] and Dathan [Hickey ’24], and then offensively, we walked out of Dartmouth and we had four linemen … a lot of that we had to reinvent was what we were looking at with Nolan too, because he’s had to kind of change gears twice this season. He’s done a great job with it, and we’re really proud of him and obviously, you see the evolution of our offense, our defense and offense.”

The Bulldogs won handily against Columbia and Brown before winning in dramatic fashion against Princeton in double overtime.

Entering The Game, the Bulldogs have shown an ability to win many different styles of games. 

Offensively, Yale has been explosive, having been held under 20 points only once. Quarterback Nolan Grooms, last season’s Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, is the engine behind it all, as his ability to run and throw stresses defenses every week. 

Grooms leads the Ancient Eight in passing touchdowns with 20 on the year and in completion percentage at 66.5 percent. However, throwing is only part of how Grooms can affect a game, as he’s also a threat on the run. The Eli quarterback ranks fourth among all players in the Ivy League with 576 rushing yards on the season.

When the quarterback needs a break, running backs Joshua Pitsenberger ’26, Tre Peterson ’24 and Spencer Alston ’24 have proven to be a lethal platoon. Pitsenberger is the lead man with his eight rushing touchdowns ranking second in the Ivies. 

Through the air, the main story for the Bulldogs has been star wide receiver Mason Tipton ’24. The senior wideout has exploded for 755 receiving yards and ten touchdowns on the season, both top of the Ivy League. His ten touchdowns are also good for third in all of FCS football.

“For me personally, it’s been very eerily similar to last year, the last four games this season were my best games of the season, it’s kind of the same this year,” Grooms said. “I made a decision to be myself, and it’s easy when I’ve got Mason Tipton out there, get the ball to him and everything’s been great.” 

On defense, the Bulldogs have rolled out a strong unit despite early season injuries to the secondary. Up front, Clay Patterson ’24 leads the way with 4.5 sacks on the season, third in the league.

Behind him lies the linebackers in the heart of the defense led by seniors Joseph Vaughn ’24 and Hamilton Moore ’24. The duo has combined for 125 tackles, three forced fumbles and four interceptions on the season. 

Following the early season injuries, the secondary has found continuity in the cornerback duo of captain Wande Owens ’24 and Sean Guyton ’25. The bruising 209-pound Owens often plays to the boundary and isn’t afraid to make a tackle — the cornerback ranks second on the team with 51 total tackles. Guyton meanwhile is often put in a space where he can use his speed to shut down opposing teams’ number-one wide receivers.

What has set the Bulldogs apart from other Ivy teams this season has been their ability to dominate in all three aspects of the game, as special teams have been a strength because they are typically coached by Tony Reno. The Elis are first in the Ancient Eight with an average of 24.6 yards a kickoff return. The team has also blocked three punts this season. 

The Bulldogs have won two of the last three Ivy League championships.

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The game was pivotal for Yale; if the Bulldogs win next weekend against Harvard (8–1, 5–1 Ivy), the two teams will share the Ivy League Championship title. It is also possible for Dartmouth to share the title with Yale and Harvard if they win their upcoming game against Brown. 

The Bulldogs began the scoring first on Saturday when quarterback Nolan Grooms ’24 made a 24-yard run into the endzone, capping a 13-play, 75-yard drive. Kicker/punter Jack Bosman ’24 added the extra point. 

Princeton answered back just over five minutes later with a 5-yard run by running back John Volker, who rushed a total of 90 yards in the contest, and kicker Sam Massick added the extra point, evening the score at 7–7. 

The remainder of the first quarter and the entire second quarter went scoreless until Princeton resumed its offensive at the start of the second half.

Just over two minutes into the half, Princeton backup quarterback Blaine Hipa entered the game and punched in a 1-yard run, ending a 6-play, 75-yard drive, which gave Princeton a seven-point lead.

Seven minutes later, however, Yale retook lost ground when running back Joshua Pitsenberger ’26 secured a touchdown on a 1-yard run, tying the score yet again.

Under four minutes into the fourth and final quarter, Grooms threw a 12-yard pass to wide receiver Joey Felton ’24 in the endzone to reestablish Yale’s lead. The play finished off a 64-yard drive.

Less than ten seconds later, Princeton had an impressive turnaround. Quarterback Blake Stenstrom launched a 75-yard pass off a flea-flicker to wide receiver Luke Colella for a touchdown to immediately level the score for the third time in the contest. Colella finished the game with a total of seven catches for 121 yards. 

Four minutes later, the Elis went back to work on offense, making a 7-yard drive into Tiger territory after getting possession of the ball in a favorable field position. Pitsenberger converted a 21-yard run into the endzone to cap the drive and put Yale in the lead.

With 18 seconds remaining in the game, to the Bulldogs’ dismay, Princeton added another touchdown when Hipa completed his first career pass to Colella and tied the game at 28–28, forcing the game into overtime. 

On Princeton’s first drive in overtime, Team 150 captain and cornerback Wande Owens ’24 made a pivotal play, breaking up a 4th-down pass by Stenstrom to Colella at the Yale 2 and giving Yale possession of the ball.

Needing a score to win the game, the Bulldogs drove the ball to the Princeton 18-yard line to set up a potential game-winning field goal. However, the field goal sailed just wide and the teams went into a second overtime session. 

While the first overtime period remained scoreless, Yale regained momentum in the second. For his third touchdown of the afternoon, Pitsenberger put Yale in the lead, tallying his final trip to the endzone on a 3-yard run.

After the touchdown, the Elis went for the two-point conversion and got it, with a successful pass to wide receiver Mason Tipton ’24, giving Yale an eight-point lead. 

Despite the Tigers’ offensive effort at the end of double overtime, Owens secured Yale’s win, breaking up a 4th-down Stenstrom pass at the Yale 12 intended for tight end Tyler Picinic.

Yale’s win marks the sixth in its past seven contests and its third consecutive victory, giving the Bulldogs the opportunity to compete for a share of the Ivy League Championship. 

The Elis finished the game with 429 yards of total offense, compared to Princeton’s 397. Yale edged Princeton 197–154 in total rushing yards and led in first downs and offensive plays. 

The Elis also went 8-of-16 in third-down conversions, in comparison to Princeton’s 4-of-17. 

Pitsenberger had one the strongest games of his college career Saturday afternoon, tallying 131 rushing yards and three touchdowns, both career highs.

Grooms went 23-of-30 for 232 yards and had one touchdown, his 20th of the season. Tipton also tallied 10 receptions for 130 yards.

Defensively, the Bulldogs also had key contributors make big plays throughout the afternoon. Linebacker Joseph Vaughn ’24 led the Elis with 12 tackles, and defensive linemen Ezekiel Larry ’26 and Mitchell Tyler ’24 tallied two sacks and one sack, respectively. 

Yale’s overtime victory has given them the momentum they need to face Harvard, which is also coming off of a conference win, next weekend. Harvard secured a 25–23 overtime win of their own against the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday to guarantee themselves, at minimum, a share of the Ivy Championship. 

The Bulldogs will return home to the Yale Bowl this Saturday for The Game against Harvard, which will start at noon. The Game will be nationally televised on ESPNU.

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