ITHACA, N.Y. -- The 2008-09 Cornell men's hockey season officially began on Friday with the team's first official practice of the season. Seven newcomers join 20 returing players as the Big Red gears up to make its return to the NCAA tournament after a two-year absence. Cornell will waste no time getting the newcomers into the fold, as the Big Red will take on the U.S. Under-18 National Team on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Lynah Rink. Fans can follow the action through live stats at CornellBigRed.com, while no audio or video of Saturday's game will be available.

The 2008-09 Outlook
Championship hockey teams tend to be similar in many respects. Obviously, various styles of play and different individual talents come into play, but teams that win titles nearly always have similar characteristics: veteran leadership, potent goal scorers, experienced defensemen, clutch special-teams units and outstanding goaltending.

If one were to use those traits as a checklist for measuring the 2008-09 Cornell men's hockey team, a very large X should be by each of those qualities as the Big Red appears primed to bring an ECAC Hockey championship back to Ithaca for the fifth time in the 14-year tenure of head coach Mike Schafer.

The Big Red returns all but five players from last season's squad that advanced to the semifinals of the ECAC Hockey tournament, including three of its top five point scorers. Cornell also returns six defensemen who saw regular minutes last season to go along with a plethora of talented options in goal. Additionally, the Big Red power play returns one unit completely intact from last season and also needs to replace only two skaters on the penalty-killing units that successfully ended better than 86 percent of all power plays against the Big Red a year ago.

On top of what the Big Red has coming back, the addition of seven talented newcomers, eager to showcase their skills, will provide tremendous depth and competition for every position. When you add all those elements, it's easy to see why expectations are set high once again for the Cornell hockey program.

“We're really happy with the depth we have this year,” Schafer said. “It's just a matter of finding the right guys to fit the right spots with the right linemates and finding out who adapts to what roles. That depth allows the guys to try to find their spot in the lineup, and it's our job as the coaching staff to figure out that chemistry on the ice.”

Goaltenders
For a program like Cornell, which has a lengthy and storied history of great goaltenders, the Big Red has almost an embarrassment of riches in between the pipes, with three returners with collegiate experience and a promising newcomer primed to push for playing time.

The incumbent starter is junior Ben Scrivens, but like every other position on the roster, the starting job will still need to be earned. Last year, Scrivens led all ECAC Hockey goalies in both goals-against average (2.02) and save percentage (.930), and was named honorable mention All-Ivy League for his play against Ancient Eight foes. Additionally, his goals-against average was the lowest by an ECAC Hockey netminder since Dave McKee's stellar 1.24 average in 2004-05 and marked the fifth time in the last seven seasons that a Cornell goaltender posted the top goals-against average in the league. 

Scrivens also thrived in front of the Lynah Rink crowd, recording a home shutout streak of 163:03 as a sophomore, posting back-to-back home shutouts over Massachusetts and Niagara.

First in line to push Scrivens for the number one goaltender job is senior Troy Davenport, the top goaltender in 2006-07. Davenport appeared in just four games last season, but as a sophomore, he had a 2.41 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage as the top option for the Big Red. Of Davenport's four appearances last season, three came in relief, twice coming on and holding the opposition without a goal.

Another returner back for his senior season is Dan DiLeo, who was the squad's third goaltender in each of the last three seasons. DiLeo made his collegiate debut in the ECAC Hockey consolation game last season, making a trio of saves in the closing minutes of the contest.

“If you look at the last couple of years, Troy had a good year two years ago and Ben had a great year last year,” Schafer said of his two returning goalies with starting experience. “I think it kind of emphasizes that with our program, you're judged on how you prepare and how you're playing that particular year. The goaltending position emphasizes that there's no sense of entitlement as to what's been done in the past, but rather what you're doing right now.

“The goaltending position is wide open right now from that standpoint. Ben had a real good year last year, but that's the same thing that we said about Troy the year before. Regardless of who it ends up being, whether it's the number one guy or two guys ending up being equal, I know our goaltending is in great hands. The decision's in their hands, and I know that because of the competition, we had one of the best goaltenders in the league last year, and that will again be a strength for us this year.”

Adding to that competitive atmosphere surrounding the netminders is freshman Mike Garman, who guided the Nanaimo Clippers to the British Columbia Hockey League regular season title last year, collecting a 30-16 record with four shutouts and a 2.78 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage.

“He's solid in his movements, and I think he will remind people a little bit of David McKee and David LeNeveu,” Schafer said of Garman. “Not to compare his abilities to those two guys, but his style of being technically sound in the net would probably be close to those guys. Obviously, if he can translate that into performance, he'll have a tremendous career.”

Defensemen
Much like the goaltending situation, the Big Red returns a number of skilled, experienced defensemen and welcomes a pair of talented newcomers eager to break into the lineup. Balance is the key word among the defense, with two defensemen in each class comprising the eight-man defensive corps.

“I think this is the strongest defensive unit we've had in three or four years,” Schafer said of his blue-liners. “We've got outstanding depth from one to eight, and I'm really excited about that. The competition for playing time will be intense.”

Leading the way for the defense are seniors Jared Seminoff and Taylor Davenport. Seminoff, selected as an alternate captain, has been a key member of the defensive corps for each of his three seasons, lining up against the opposition's top line nearly from his first day on campus. Last season, he appeared in every game for the Big Red, posting a goal and four assists, while appearing in 94 contests so far for his Cornell career.

“Seminoff had a very good campaign last year,” Schafer said. “We'll count on him heavily to lead us and play against the other team's top line, something he's done since his freshman year. He's done a tremendous job with that, in addition to being a great penalty killer and competitor.”

Davenport, meanwhile, has developed into a regular in the starting lineup and has also provided versatility, twice skating on a forward line due to various injuries to the attack last season. He posted +7 rating as a junior, second on the team only to Brendon Nash's +10. He chipped in offensively with a goal and two assists last season, and showed a knack for staying out of the penalty box, being whistled for just 10 minutes in penalties.

Juniors Brendon Nash and Justin Krueger bring added experience and an ability to get up the ice and join the rush. Nash, who missed the first eight games a year ago while recovering from off-season surgery, still managed to lead all defensemen in scoring with 16 points on two goals and 14 assists. A former ECAC Hockey All-Newcomer team honoree, Nash truly found his stride late in the season, scoring 13 of his 16 points in the final 18 games, adding a three-assist game against Dartmouth on Feb. 29 and scoring both of his goals in the ECAC Hockey tournament.

Krueger also had an outstanding season as a sophomore, appearing in 35 of the team's 36 games and scoring nine points on four goals and five assists. He also showed a bit of a flair for the dramatic, scoring a pair of game-winning goals on the year.

“I think Brendon had a great year, averaging almost a point a game on a bad leg, so his accomplishments were tremendous,” Schafer said. “He showed a lot of mental toughness just to get back into the lineup. With him and Justin, we've got two big, mobile defensemen that can get involved in the offense and get up the ice. They're really excited and again will bring leadership to the lineup.”

Sophomores Jordan Berk and Mike Devin both posted significant minutes last season and give the Big Red another two solid options on the blue line. Devin, an ECAC Hockey All-Newcomer team honoree last year, was a key member of the power-play unit in just his first season of collegiate hockey. He recorded 15 points on four goals and 11 assists, striking for a pair of power-play goals with a deadly accurate shot from the point. Of his 15 points, eight came while the Big Red had the man advantage, while his four total goals were tops among Cornell defensemen.

Berk, meanwhile, appeared in 25 games a year ago, effectively working into a rotation with Taylor Davenport and Brendon Nash as the latter worked his way back into game shape. Berk scored his lone goal in his second career game, tallying a power-play strike in the win over Quinnipiac on Nov. 3.

“With Berk and Davenport splitting time on defense last year, I know both of those guys are really anxious to prove themselves and become a regular in the lineup every night,” Schafer said.

Joining the six returning lettermen are a pair of talented freshmen in Keir Ross and Sean Whitney. Ross played his junior hockey last season with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League, helping that team to the league title. Whitney, meanwhile, spent last season playing in the New England prep school ranks at Cushing Academy, scoring 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points in just 29 games.

“Ross was a leader on that team [in Omaha] in plus/minus, he gets up the ice well, and he's very good defensively and very competitive,” Schafer said. “Whitney has a good hockey sense, a long reach, and the ability to move the puck, but also has the ability to defend well using his size and reach.”

Forwards
The offensive corps blends proven goal scorers, potent playmakers and physical hitters, giving the Big Red the necessary mix of players and abilities needed to make noise not only within ECAC Hockey, but across the nation as well.

“I think you can look at our team up front and split it into guys who have proven capabilities offensively, guys who want to prove themselves at this level, and the physical role players, the guys who have been so vital to our success in the past,” Schafer said. “I really like the balance we have up front.”

When discussing Cornell's offensive abilities, the names Riley Nash, Colin Greening and Michael Kennedy immediately pop into mind, as the trio each found themselves among the team's top five scorers last season. Greening, a junior, and Kennedy, a senior, will serve as co-captains this season, while Nash looks to throw his name to the top of the list of elite offensive players in college hockey.

While Kennedy, Greening and Nash garner the headlines, they're not the only established offensive threats the Big Red has. Players like senior Evan Barlow, junior Blake Gallagher and sophomore Patrick Kennedy have all put up outstanding numbers and will again seek to shoulder the bulk of the offensive load for the Big Red.

Greening led the offense with 33 points last season, tallying 14 goals and 19 assists, with the goals and assists numbers leading the team. He earned a spot on both the ECAC Hockey and Ivy League second teams and was selected to the 2008-09 ECAC Hockey preseason all-league team by the conference's coaches. Last season, Greening had eight multi-point games, including Cornell's first hat trick since 2005 with a three-goal performance over Dartmouth on Feb. 29. A physical yet durable player, Greening has appeared in all 67 of the Big Red's games since stepping on campus prior to the 2006-07 season.

Michael Kennedy, meanwhile, had a breakout season as a junior, nearly doubling his career scoring output alone. Entering the campaign with 14 career points, he exploded for 10 goals and 16 assists, with 24 of those points coming in the final 27 games of the season. He also was named the national player of the week by Inside College Hockey after picking up a six-point weekend in the sweep over Niagara.

Nash needed no adjustment to college hockey, earning both ECAC Hockey and Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors after finishing second on the team with 32 points on 12 goals and a team-best 20 assists. He also led the team with 10 multi-point games, while his 32 points were the most by a Cornell freshman since Kyle Knopp had 33 in 1995-96.

Complementing those three are Barlow, Gallagher and Patrick Kennedy, each of whom spent time on one of the top two lines last season. Barlow posted career highs in both goals and assists as a junior, collecting a career-best 17 points on the season. He also had his first career three-point game with two goals and an assist against Niagara on Jan. 4. Gallagher, meanwhile, continued his playmaking prowess, scoring 17 points on six goals and 11 assists, while remaining one of the team's top face-off men. Gallagher also emerged as a key cog on the power play, recording four of his six goals with the man advantage. Kennedy came on strong toward the second half of the season after finding a home on a line with Nash and Greening, and recorded 10 points on four goals and six assists, with seven of those points coming in the final 18 games. He really began to click in the post-season, scoring two goals and two assists in the seven playoff games.

Additionally, senior transfer Derek Punches was an established offensive threat at Wayne State last season, tallying 10 goals and nine assists for 19 points. He should be able to contribute additional leadership after serving as an alternate captain for the Warriors in their final season before the program was discontinued.

With the departure of Topher Scott and Raymond Sawada to graduation, space is available for younger players to step up to replace their production. Seeking to step into those slots are players like sophomores Tyler Roeszler and Joe Devin and freshmen Sean Collins and Locke Jillson.

“I think we've got a group of guys who are capable of stepping up and playing the kind of roles that Ray and Topher filled,” Schafer said.

Devin found himself in the lineup for 23 games as a freshman, scoring three goals, while Roeszler battled injuries for much of the season and appeared in just nine contests. Both players have a proven track record for scoring after prolific junior careers and will seek to emerge as consistent scoring threats in their second seasons. Meanwhile, the two freshmen, Collins and Jillson, also showed the ability to score on the junior level and will try to carry that over to the college ranks.

A hallmark of successful Cornell teams of years past has been outstanding defensive forwards, and the Big Red has a number of those this season. Senior alternate captain Tyler Mugford, junior Joe Scali, sophomore Dan Nicholls and freshman Jordan Kary each bring the needed physical element to match up against some of the top lines in the league.

The Schedule
While ECAC Hockey is annually one of the most even conferences from top to bottom, the quirks of the schedule have the Big Red facing what could be its most difficult non-conference slate in years. A pair of games at North Dakota and a trip to Massachusetts are on the slate, as is a matchup at the Florida College Classic with St. Cloud State and two home games against Niagara, both of which advanced to the NCAA tournament last season. Ultimately, it should result in a Cornell team that has been thoroughly tested when postseason play rolls around.

“With the schedule, you're left to the mercy of trying to figure things out several years down the road,” Schafer said. “With North Dakota, Massachusetts, St. Cloud, Maine, Colgate and Niagara, every one of those teams were ranked in the top 15 or 20 in the country last season, so our non-conference schedule is extremely difficult in many different venues. UMass has an Olympic ice sheet, North Dakota is probably the premier facility in the country. It's great preparation to supplement our league, but to also see where we stack up against the best teams across the country.”

The Big Red has the added difficulty of opening up at the reigning league champions, Princeton, while also facing an NCAA tournament team from last season in Clarkson before Christmas. Four of the Big Red's first eight league games are against teams picked to finish in the top half of the conference in the preseason coaches poll, making a strong start imperative for the success of the season.