Back in November Ivey hosted the Queen’s MBA hockey team to a friendly game. Despite Queen’s brining along a full busload of fans, Ivey was victorious in front of the home town crowd at our own Thompson Area. We did it up for Queen’s, with everything from a ceremonial puck drop by a navy captain to a talented guest performance of Oh Canada to a mascot to get the fans going!
So, when the team travelled to Kingston for a rematch this past weekend, the expectations where high. As expected, Queen’s didn’t disappoint! They hosted us at Kingston’s K-Rock Center, home ice for the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs, and put on an excellent production. Having lost on the road in November, the pressure was on Queen’s to perform at home. However Ivey came out strong, scoring four quick goals in the first period after just 15 shots. But with 40 minutes still to play, Queen’s responded to the challenge and generated a nail biting final few minutes of the game. But in classic Ivey fashion, we recognized the challenge and emerged victorious. Final score 5-4.
While the game divided us along school lines, an evening social event provided an excellent opportunity to network with future colleagues, business partners and friends from one of the other premiere MBA programs in Canada. Ironically, four members of the Ivey team are Queen’s Alumni and had the added benefit of rediscovering old haunts, educating the Queen’s MBA’s on “our good old days in Kingston.”
Reflecting on our year in London, the opportunities we’ve had to come together as a team to learn and improve from each other, will be at least as large a benefit as any academic course. However, the on ice challenges are not quite over yet – in March Ivey hosts the largest MBA hockey tournament in North America, the Ivey Cup, and later the same month will travel to Boston to participate in a tournament hosted by Harvard. GO IVEY!
Robert Clarke is a Professional Engineer, having completed an undergrad Computer Engineering degree at Queen’s University, and has spent the last 5 years in various technology and strategy roles at TELUS Communications in Western Canada. At Ivey Robert is VP of the Business Technology Club, an active member of the Ivey Consulting Club, Wine & Spirits Club and on several sports teams.