Game 12: Cornell vs. St. Cloud State
Face Off: Wednesday, December 29 • 4:00 p.m.
Site: Germain Arena • Estero, Fla.
2010-11 Records:
    Cornell - 4-6-1, 2-4-0 ECAC Hockey
    St. Cloud State - 5-11-2, 3-8-1 WCHA
Series Record: Cornell leads, 1-0-0
Last Meeting: Cornell won, 3-2, on 12/27/08, in Estero, Fla.

Game 13: Cornell vs. Miami or Maine
Face Off: Thursday, December 30 • 4 or 7:30 p.m.
Site: Germain Arena • Estero, Fla.
2010-11 Records:
    Cornell - 4-6-1, 2-4-0 ECAC Hockey
    Miami - 10-5-3, 8-4-2 CCHA
    Maine - 8-4-4, 6-3-2 Hockey East
Series Record vs. Miami: Miami leads, 2-1-0
Last Meeting vs. Miami: Cornell won, 4-2, on 3/22/97, in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Series Record vs. Maine: Cornell leads, 7-5-2
Last Meeting vs. Maine: Maine won, 6-3, on 12/30/06, in Estero, Fla.

Media Information
Live Audio: www.cornellbigred.com/showcase
Live Stats: TBA
Live Video: www.b2livetv.com

Game Notes in PDF Format

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Following a three and a half week break for exams, the Cornell men's hockey team will return to the ice for the annual Florida College Classic, to be held on Dec. 29 and 30 at Germain Arena in Estero, Fla. The Big Red will be playing in the tournament for the 11th consecutive season and seeking its fourth championship in the tournament's history. Cornell enters the tourament with a 4-6-1 overall record and will begin the two-day event against St. Cloud State in a 4 p.m. contest. Both of Cornell's games in the tournament can be heard in the Ithaca area on WHCU 870 AM, with live streaming audio available through the Cornell Redcast subscription service. Additionally, B2 Networks will have live video of all of the tournament's action on a pay-per-view basis.

ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell comes out of the break with a three-game unbeaten streak, righting the ship after a three-game losing skid. Cornell scored a 4-3 victory over Colgate on Nov. 27, then earned a 3-1 win and a 2-2 tie against Alabama-Huntsville on Dec. 3 and 4 to improve the record to 4-6-1 on the year. In the series against the Chargers, senior Joe Devin and sophomores John Esposito and Greg Miller each picked up a pair of points, with Devin recording two assists in the win on Friday and Miller picking up a goal and an assist in Saturday's tie. Esposito, meanwhile, scored a goal on both nights to raise his season-leading tally in that category to four. Mike Garman got the win on Friday night, stopping 24 shots, while Andy Iles took the tie on Saturday, making 18 saves. On the year, Miller leads the team in scoring with eight points on two goals and six assists, while Esposito has seven points on four goals and three assists. Devin and Nick D'Agostino both also have seven points on three goals and four helpers on the year. In goal, the tandem of Garman and Iles has been solid, with Iles posting a 2.38 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage, and Garman recording a .902 save percentage to go along with his 2.76 goals-against average. The Big Red has been improving on both special teams units as well, as the penalty killing squad has successfully ended 46-of-53 opponents' power plays (86.8 percent, eighth nationally) while the power play has converted on 15.1 percent of its chances (8-of-53, 38th nationally).

ABOUT ST. CLOUD STATE
A preseason top-five pick in both national polls, the Huskies have had a nightmare of a first-half of the season, entering the Florida College Classic with a 5-11-2 overall mark. Despite a roster dotted by 10 NHL draft picks, the Huskies have managed just 2.50 goals per game (42nd nationally) and are allowing 3.33 goals per contest, tied for 46th in the country. The Huskies and the Big Red have a pair of common opponents this season in Clarkson and Quinnipiac, with Cornell going 2-0 against those two teams and St. Cloud State going 1-2 against them. St. Cloud State's offense is led by junior Drew LeBlanc, who has six goals and 12 assists for 18 points in 18 games. Senior Garrett Roe and freshman Nick Jensen both have a pair of goals and eight assists to rank second on the team with 10 points. In goal, sophomore Mike Lee and senior Dan Dunn have split time, with Lee posting a 3.29 goals-against average and a .890 save percentage and Dunn recording a 3.36 goals-against average and a .883 save percentage. St. Cloud has also struggled on special teams, converting on 17-of-110 power-play chances (15.5 percent, 37th nationally) while killing off just 82.7 percent of the penalties against (67-of-71, 28th nationally).

THE SERIES WITH ST. CLOUD STATE
Cornell and St. Cloud State have met just once previously in men's hockey, with Cornell claiming a 3-2 victory in the opening game of the Florida College Classic on Dec. 27, 2008. In that contest, the Big Red got three straight goals in the second period to take a 3-1 lead into the second intermission, and held on for the victory despite a Ryan Lasch goal midway through the third period. Joe Devin had a pair of goals in that contest, while Mike Devin and Sean Whitney both added an assist on the night.Ben Scrivens made 36 saves for the victory in goal, while Dan Dunn took the loss for St. Cloud State, stopping 23 shots.

ABOUT MIAMI
Entering the tournament ranked sixth in both major polls, the Redhawks boast the nation's second-ranked scoring offense behind Yale, averaging 3.83 goals per game. Defensively, the Redhawks are also strong, allowing just 2.28 goals per contest, 11th in the nation. Miami has struggled into the break, however, going 5-3 in its last eight games and alternating wins and losses over the last five. The Redhawks have one common opponent so far this season with Cornell, splitting a pair of games against New Hampshire to open the season. The Redhawks are led by the national scoring leader, Carter Camper, who has 35 points on 13 goals and 22 assists in 18 games on the year. Fellow senior Andy Miele is second on the team in scoring with 31 points on eight goals and 23 assists, while Reilly Smith has 12 goals and 10 assists for 22 points. In goal, the Redhawks field a platoon of juniors Cody Reichard and Connor Knapp, with Reichard posting a .88 save percentage and a 2.60 goals-against average and Knapp posting a 1.81 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. Miami's power-play unit has been strong in the early part of the season, converting on 19-of-84 power-play chances (22.6 percent, 12th nationally), while the penalty killing unit has ended 84-of 94 opponents' power-play chances (89.4 percent, third nationally).

THE SERIES WITH MIAMI
Miami holds a 2-1 lead in the all-time series against Cornell, though the two teams have not met since the 1996-97 season when Cornell and Miami met twice. The Redhawks won the series opener, 4-1, on Dec. 28, 1989, in Cincinnati, Ohio, as part of the Riverfront Invitational. Then, in 1996-97, the second year of coaching for current Cornell head coach Mike Schafer, the Redhawks visited Lynah Rink for a single game, won by Miami by a 5-4 margin on Nov. 30. The two teams met again later that year in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Grand Rapids, Mich., with Cornell claiming a 4-2 victory on March 22.

ABOUT MAINE
The Black Bears enter the Florida College Classic ranked eighth in the country in the USA Today/USA Hockey poll and ninth in the USCHO.com poll. Maine comes into the tournament with an 8-4-4 overall record after splitting its last two contests, dropping a 4-3 contest to New Hampshire on Dec. 10 before beating Massachusetts, 4-1, on Dec. 12. Maine has once against a common foe of Cornell's, dropping a 4-3 contest to New Hampshire, a team that Cornell lost to, 7-4. Juniors Spencer Abbott and Gustav Nyquist lead the Black Bears offensively, with Abbott scoring 11 goals and 10 points for 21 points in 16 games and Nyquist recording six goals and a team-best 14 assists for 20 points in 16 contests. Freshman Dan Sullivan has played the most time of the three goaltenders to see action this season for Maine, posting a 2.44 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage. Sophomore Shawn Sirman has played in five games with a .911 save percentage and a 2.61 goals-against average. Maine's power-play unit has converted on 17-of-103 chances this season (16.5 percent, 34th nationally), while the penalty-killing unit has successfully ended 68-of-83 opponents' power plays (81.9 percent, 31st nationally).

THE SERIES WITH MAINE
Maine and Cornell have met 14 times previously in men's hockey, with the Big Red holding a 7-5-2 lead in the all-time series. Cornell's lead in the all-time series is boosted by a 6-1 mark against the Black Bears when the two teams were part of the ECAC in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with the last regular meeting taking place on Nov. 22, 1983, a 6-3 win at Lynah Rink. Since then, the two programs have met sparingly, and nearly entirely at neutral sites, with the last four contests all being played as part of the Florida College Classic in Estero, Fla. In the four games played at Germain Arena, the Black Bears holda  3-1 mark, with Cornell's only win being a 4-3 victory in the consolation game on Dec. 29, 2004. In the most recent meeting, the Big Red dropped a 6-3 contest to Maine in the championship game of the tournament on Dec. 30, 2006.

RED & WHITE, AND NOW BLUE
Cornell will be without freshman goaltender Andy Iles for both games at the Florida College Classic, as the Ithaca native has been named to the roster for Team USA for the 2010-11 World Junior Championships, which will be held from Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Buffalo, N.Y. Iles is one of two netminders selected to the team, which is coached by Yale head coach Keith Allain. In his absence from the Big Red, Mike Garman, who has split time with Iles this season, will get the starts both nights in Estero, Fla.

ON A ROLL
Kirill Gotovets and John Esposito both carry multi-game point-scoring streaks into the Florida College Classic. Gotovets has scored one assist in each of Cornell's last four games, and his six points on the season rank him second on the team in scoring among defensemen, trailing only sophomore Nick D'Agostino by one point. Esposito, meanwhile, has moved into a tie for second on the roster in scoring with seven points with his three-game point scoring streak, having tallied a goal in each of Cornell's last three games. Esposito now has seven points on three goals and four assists this season.

ONE MILESTONE REACHED...
Cornell's victory over Colgate on Nov. 27 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., gave head coach Mike Schafer the 300th victory of his coaching career. Schafer became the 46th coach in NCAA Division I history with 300 career wins, and is just the 14th active coach to reach that mark. He ranks third in ECAC Hockey in career victories among active coaches, trailing Joe Marsh of St. Lawrence (458) and Rand Pecknold of Quinnipiac (309), with Dartmouth's Bob Gaudet (286) and Colgate's Don Vaughan (287) both closing in on 300 victories themselves.

ANOTHER MILESTONE NEARS
The Big Red's 3-1 win against Alabama-Huntsville on Dec. 3 at Lynah Rink marked the 990th all-time victory in the history of the Cornell program.  Cornell ranks 17th all-time in wins by current NCAA Division I programs, trailing Dartmouth by 16. Cornell needs 10 more wins to become the 17th program to record 1000 all-time victories. The Big Red also ranks fifth in ECAC Hockey in victories, trailing Clarkson (1,311), Harvard (1,293), Yale (1,127) and Dartmouth (1,006).

OUT IN FRONT
Cornell is 3-1 this season when scoring the game's first goal, but has lost five of the seven games that it has given up the opening tally of the contest. Cornell has also gone 2-1 this seasonwhen leading after one period.

A BALANCED ATTACK
While Cornell's offense has accounted for 31 goals through 11 games, the Big Red has benefitted from a wide balance in scoring among the 81 points recorded on the year. In fact, only three players – Joe Devin, Nick D'Agostino and Greg Miller – have more than one  multi-point games this season, with Miller leading the way with three.

CAREER YEARS
With the Big Red just about a third of the way through the 2010-11 season, five different players have either tied or broken their single-season highs for points already this season. Senior Dan Nicholls has equaled his career high of four points, set as a freshman, while junior Jordan Kary has doubled his career point output, tallying four points this season after entering the year with just two career points. Sophomores Greg Miller and Braden Birch both surpassed their totals from last season already in 2010-11. Miller has eight points this year after finishing his freshman campaign with five, while Birch has four points on the season after tallying two a year ago. Another sophomore, Vince Mihalek has one point on the season after not seeing any game action a year ago.

TAKE YOUR PICK
Entering the season, head coach Mike Schafer felt very confident in his goaltending options with junior Mike Garman and freshman Andy Iles, and with both netminders having played three league games, the numbers back up the quality Schafer has in both players. With the duo having split the six ECAC Hockey contests to this point, their numbers are nearly identical; both players have allowed six goals, with Iles holding a slight edge in number of saves. Iles has a 2.00 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage, while Garman has a 2.02 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage. Iles and Garman rank third and fifth, respectively, in save percentage, while ranking third and sixth, respectively, in goals-against average in league games.

PUT IT IN NEUTRAL
When Cornell and Colgate met at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Nov. 27, it marked the 22nd time that the two programs have played at a neutral site among the 138 contests played between the two schools. In those 22 games, the two teams are split evenly, with Cornell holding a 10-10-2 record in those games. Prior to the game at the home of the New Jersey Devils in November, the last neutral site game between the two programs came on March 22, 2008, in the consolation game of the ECAC Hockey tournament, a game won by Cornell, 4-2.

ANOTHER MILESTONE WILL HAVE TO WAIT
Cornell needs another 10 victories at Lynah Rink to post the 500th win at the storied venue, a feat that will have to wait until the 2011-12 season to be reached. Cornell has just seven guaranteed home games the rest of the season, and even with hosting a playoff series, the Big Red could only reach 499 wins at Lynah Rink. The Big Red claimed win number 490 on Dec. 3 against Alabama-Huntsville, a 3-1 victory.

RISK/REWARD
Cornell has had some success playing with the extra attacker this season when trailing late in games. While the Big Red has allowed four empty-net goals – one in each of the first three games of the year and one against Yale on Nov. 19 – Cornell has also scored three times with the extra attacker. The Big Red also scored a delayed penalty goal on Nov. 20 against Brown

ANOTHER LONG AWAITED DEBUT
A pair of sophomores this season have made their collegiate debuts after being scratched for every game last season. Vince Mihalek made his debut on Oct. 30 against RIT, collecting an assist in that contest. Meanwhile, defenseman Jarred Seymour made his first career appearance on Nov. 13 against Princeton after Nick D'Agostino and Mathieu Brisson were sidelined. Every skater on the Cornell roster has appeared in at least one game in his career, and every player but sophomores Chris Moulson and Omar Kanji have played this season.

NOT THE RIGHT KIND OF STREAK
Cornell has posted a pair of three-game losing skids this season, something that hasn't happened since the 2006-07 season. That year, Cornell dropped three straight from Dec. 30 through Jan. 12, before closing out the season with four straight defeats.

WORKED WELL LAST TIME
Cornell opened the 2010-11 season with three straight defeats, something that hasn't happened since the 1979-80 season. While Cornell finished that season with a 16-15 record, the Big Red peaked at the right time, winning the ECAC championship and advancing to the Frozen Four for the first time since 1973.

BALANCED ATTACK
When Cornell got its first win of the season on Nov. 6 at Clarkson, it came by way of a balanced offensive attack. A total of 13 different skaters collected at least one point on the night, with four players – Jordan Kary, Kirill Gotovets, Locke Jillson and Dan Nicholls – collecting a pair of points.

SHORT-HANDED
John Esposito's goal against New Hampshire on Oct. 29 marked the first short-handed goal for a Cornell player in a span of 59 games since Riley Nash scored short-handed against St. Cloud State on Dec. 27, 2008, in Estero, Fla.

THE FIRST ONE'S OUT OF THE WAY
Freshman Andy Iles picked up his first win of his career on Nov. 6 at Clarkson, picking up 35 saves in the victory. Iles is now 2-3-1 on the year and has seen action in seven of the Big Red's 11 games this season. Mike Garman, meanwhile, scored his first victory of his career when he stopped 23 of the 24 shots he faced on Nov. 12 against Quinnipiac at Lynah Rink and has a 2-3 record this year.

NOT BLANKED OFTEN
Cornell's shutout loss at St. Lawrence on Nov. 5 marked the first time that the Big Red had been shut out since falling to Yale in the 2009 ECAC Hockey championship game in Albany, N.Y., by a 5-0 margin. Cornell went both NCAA tournament games that season, all of last season and the first two games of 2010-11 without being blanked, a span of 38 games.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB
All six members of the freshman class made their collegiate debut during the season's opening weekend on Oct. 29-30 against New Hampshire and RIT. Dustin Mowrey, Rodger Craig, Kirill Gotovets and Andy Iles saw time in both games, while Mathieu Brisson and Armand de Swardt both played in one game apiece, with Brisson appearing in the RIT game and de Swardt playing against New Hampshire.

THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN HERE
When New Hampshire scored seven times against the Big Red in the season opener on Oct. 29, it marked the first time that an opponent scored seven goals at Lynah Rink since Providence did so on Jan. 5, 1999, in a 7-3 Friar victory. It's been even longer since Cornell gave up seven in a season opener - in fact, it's never happened since Lynah Rink has been open. The last time the Big Red gave up seven goals in a season opener came in the 1947-48 season when Cornell lost, 9-0, to Army.

ALLOWING A DOZEN
Traditionally one of the nation's top defensive teams, Cornell allowed 12 goals in the first weekend of the season on Oct. 29-30 against New Hampshire and RIT. The Big Red hadn't given up 12 goals in a weekend since Feb. 6-7, 1999, at Yale and Princeton. That weekend, Cornell dropped the opener, 11-0, at Ingalls Rink in New Haven, Conn., before rebounding the following night with a 4-1 victory at Princeton. The last time Cornell gave up at least 12 goals in back-to-back losses came in Brian McCutcheon's final games as head coach, losing at Clarkson on March 6-7, 1995, by 6-2 and 7-2 scores.

0-2 OPENERS
The last time Cornell began a season 0-2 was the 2007-08 season, when the Big Red dropped contests to RIT and Princeton to begin the year. The Big Red rebounded in the third game to record a 5-3 win against Quinnipiac to avoid going 0-3 to begin the season. Cornell concluded that season with a 19-14-3 record and a third-place finish in the ECAC Hockey tournament. The Big Red last began a season 0-3 in 1979-80, falling twice to Notre Dame and at Brown before picking up a victory in game number four at Yale. In spite of the start, Cornell wound up winning the ECAC Hockey championship that season and finished fourth at the NCAA tournament.

THREE RIVERS RECAP
Cornell answered a lot of questions about its offensive abilities with a five-goal first period in its exhibiton opener against Quebec at Trois-Rivieres on Oct. 21. Joe Devin and Tyler Roeszler both had a pair of goals in the first period, with Roezler tallying three points in all on the evening. Freshman Armand de Swardt had a goal and an assist, while Braden Birch and Greg Miller both had a pair of helpers. Mike Garman got the start in goal, posting 23 saves for the victory.

USA! USA! USA!
Cornell's offensive outburst continued in the second exhibition of the season, defeating the U.S. U18 National Team, 6-0, on Oct. 23. Joe Devin had a pair of goals and a pair of assists for a four-point night to lead the way for the Big Red. Junior Sean Collins had a goal and two assists, while John Esposito and Keir Ross both had a pair of assists. Kirill Gotovets had a goal and an assist, with Rodger Craig and Tyler Roeszler both adding a goal. Andy Iles posted 30 saves in his unofficial Cornell debut to record the shutout.

A SOUTHWEST FLAVOR
Cornell's roster in 2010-11 features a trio of players from the state of Texas, in juniors Locke Jillson and Keir Ross and freshman Armand de Swardt, with all three calling the Dallas area home. Cornell has now had four players from the Lone Star State, as the trio joins David McKee in hailing from Texas.

INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE
Freshman Kirill Gotovets got a taste of the big time in May when he was selected to represent his native Belarus in the 2010 IIHF World Championships – not an age group World Championships (though he did play for Belarus at the U20 World Championship as well) – but playing against some of the best players the world has to offer. He played in three of Belarus' eight games at the World Championships, recording two shots and two minutes in penalties, helping his nation to a 10th-place finish. Gotovets has been in the United States for the last two years while attending school at Shattuck-St. Mary's in Minnesota.

BROTHERLY LOVE
A pair of Cornell players have older brothers who are currently on rosters of NHL clubs, with four players having older brothers playing professional hockey at some level. Junior Sean Whitney's older brother, Ryan, plays for the Anaheim Ducks, while sophomore Chris Moulson's brother, Matt, plays with the New York Islanders. Another player, sophomore John Esposito, has an older brother, Angelo, who plays for the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (Atlanta affiliate), with senior Patrick Kennedy's older brother, Michael, playing in the ECHL for the Florida Everblades.

IS THERE A DRAFT IN HERE?
Cornell has four players on the roster for 2010-11 who have been selected by NHL clubs. Junior Sean Collins (Columbus), sophomores Braden Birch (Chicago) and Nick D'Agostino (Pittsburgh) and freshman Kirill Gotovets (Tampa Bay) are each the property of NHL clubs after having been drafted prior to beginning their careers at Cornell.

AMERICAN INFLUENCE
The Big Red roster in 2010-11 has nine players who call the United States home, up from seven last season and tied for second-most on a Mike Schafer-coached Big Red team. Cornell had 10 Americans on the roster in 1997-98, Schafer's third season, and had nine in 1999-2000, 2006-07 and 2008-09.

HOMETOWN HERO
With programs in major cities like in Boston and Minneapolis, it's commonplace for a hometown player to suit up for the local college team, but that's not something as common in a city like Ithaca. So when freshman goaltender Andy Iles made his official collegiate debut on Oct. 29 against New Hampshire, he became the first Ithaca native to play for Cornell since Mike Tallman, who suited up for 37 games in three seasons from 1986-87 to 1988-89.

UP NEXT
Cornell returns north and resumes ECAC Hockey action on Friday, Jan. 7, when it travels to Princeton for a 7 p.m. contest against the Tigers. The Big Red then makes the trip to the other side of New York City to take on Quinnipiac the following night, also at a 7 p.m. start.