Almost
The Oxford versus Cambridge ice hockey Varsity Match is the oldest fixture in the sport with the original match taking place in St Moritz in the Swiss Alps in 1885. Subsequent matches took place in 1895 on the lake at Blenheim Palace outside of Oxford and in 1900 at the newly formed Prince’s Skating Club in London, with a 7-6 win for Oxford. The early Varsity Matches had a profound impact on the game of ice hockey; developing the sport in Europe from the late nineteenth century game, ‘hockey on the ice’, to what we now know as the modern-day game of ice hockey.
--The Varsity March (Oxford Hockey page)
This is the one game a season that Oxford hockey really, really wants to win.
This year, they didn't.
Eli 20.7 had quite a game, though. 59 saves on 62 shots. His team was outshot over 3-1, but he kept them in it until the very last.
He got piled on in the third period, in an awkward position, and hurt his back, but he woke up feeling fine today. So no injuries, and that's always a relief.
There was a livestream of this game (the only one all season), and the announcers must have said his name 150 times. After so many years of not getting the attention he deserved, it was nice to see him get it all in one night.
Also, it was the most saves for an Oxford goalie in the Varsity Match in over seventy years.
Eli's hockey career didn't always go in the direction he expected, but he wound up in a special place.
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