After an idle stretch of 25 days, the Big Red hits the road to kick off the second portion of its schedule with two games at the Florida College Classic in Estero, Florida. It will be Cornell's 12th trip to the annual event in the outskirts of Fort Myers, which hosts the minor-league Florida Everblades of the ECHL. The Big Red plays the nightcap of the opening-day doubleheader on Thursday, Dec. 29, clashing with Massachusetts of Hockey East. Clarkson and Maine get tournament play started earlier in day, with a consolation game and championship game slated for Friday, Dec. 30. Both games will broadcast by Jason Weinstein on WHCU 870 AM, with the call also available on CornellBigRed.com via Redcast.
 
GAME #12: MASSACHUSETTS vs. #13/13 CORNELL
DATE: Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011
TIME: 7:37 p.m.
SITE: Germain Arena — Estero, Fla.
2011 RECORDS: Massachusetts 5-7-4, 2-6-3 Hockey East; Cornell 7-3-1, 6-1-1 ECAC Hockey.
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 5-2-1
LAST MEETING: Cornell won, 5-2, on Jan. 4, 2009 in Amherst, Mass.
RADIO: WHCU 870 AM (Jason Weinstein)
LIVE STATS: TBA
 
GAME #13: CLARKSON or MAINE vs. #13/13 CORNELL
DATE: Friday, Dec. 30, 2011
TIME: 4:07 or 7:37 p.m.
SITE: Germain Arena — Estero, Fla.
2011 RECORDS: Maine 6-7-2, 5-6-1 Hockey East; Clarkson 9-7-4, 3-4-2 ECAC Hockey; Cornell 7-3-1, 6-1-1 ECAC Hockey.
SERIES VS. MAINE: Cornell leads, 7-6-2
LAST MEETING: Maine won in OT, 3-2, on Dec. 30, 2010 in Estero, Fla.
SERIES VS. CLARKSON: Cornell leads, 56-49-13
LAST MEETING: Tied, 0-0, on Dec. 3, 2011 in Ithaca, N.Y.
RADIO: WHCU 870 AM (Jason Weinstein)
LIVE STATS: TBA
 
ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell is at a season-high 13th spot in both major college hockey polls after a 7-3-1 start to the campaign that also has the team sitting in first place in the ECAC Hockey standings. A fast offensive start to the season gave way to lower scoring games as the fall semester wound down, yielding historic defensive numbers. Sophomore Andy Iles is the first goalie in program history to record five shutouts in a six-game span, which includes a pair of blankings in the Big Red's last action before the exam and holiday break — a 1-0 victory over St. Lawrence and a scoreless draw with Clarkson. Junior defenseman Nick D'Agostino continues to lead the team in scoring (7-6—13), including five power-play goals. Freshman Brian Ferlin is the leading scorer among forwards (5-7—12), leaving the Boston Bruins draft pick as one of just five freshmen across the country to average better than a point per game through Christmas.
 
FLORIDA FACTS
The Big Red has lost its last four games at the Florida College Classic, finishing in fourth place in both the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons. The previous season, Cornell won the tournament thanks to a tie and shootout victory over Colgate in the championship game. Both Cornell and Maine have competed in every edition of the tournament, which started in 2000. Clarkson will be making its third appearance at the event, having dropped first-round games in both 2000 and 2007. Massachusetts' only other entry in the tournament came in 2002, when it finished in second place after a tie and shootout victory in the first round and championship game loss to Maine.
 
ABOUT MASSACHUSETTS
The Minutemen ended a five-game winless streak with a 3-1 victory at home against then-No. 17 Yale on Dec. 7, which leveled the squad's record against ECAC Hockey teams at 1-1-1. UMass fell on Nov. 26 at Quinnipiac, 4-2, then blew four one-goal leads in a 4-4 tie with visiting Harvard on Dec. 2. ... UMass is 0-7-1 in games away from Mullins Arena, which features an Olympic-sized sheet of ice. ... Freshman goalie Kevin Boyle was named the Hockey East Rookie of the Week Dec. 13 after stopping 26 of 27 shots he faced against Yale. Boyle has played the most of UMass' three goalies — all underclassmen. He has a 4-2-3 record with a 2.99 goals-against average and .897 save percentage. ...  Senior T.J. Syner (7-13—20) leads the team in scoring. Sophomore Michael Pereira (8-9—17) holds the team lead in goals and power-play goals (4), most recently playing on a line with classmate Steven Guzzo (6-4—10) and senior Daniel Hobbs (4-5—9). Hobbs is the team's only NHL draft pick, having been selected in the seventh round by the New York Rangers in 2007.
 
THE SERIES WITH MASSACHUSETTS
Cornell leads the all-time series against Massachusetts, 5-2-1, with the first three meetings between the programs coming in the 1920s. Meetings have become more frequent under current coaches Mike Schafer and Don “Toot” Cahoon, who were familiar with each other through Cahoon's days as Princeton's head coach. The Big Red is 3-0-1 against the Minutemen under Schafer, including a pair of victories in the 1995-96 season. The teams played to a scoreless tie on Nov. 30, 2007 at Lynah Rink, then the Big Red emerged from Mullins Arena with a 5-2 victory on Jan. 4, 2009. The teams have never met before at the Florida College Classic, with the Minutemen's only other appearance at Germain Arena coming in the 2002 chapter of the tournament (both UMass and Cornell played Ohio State and Maine that year).
 
ABOUT CLARKSON
The Golden Knights have slowed down after a ferocious 6-1-2 start, having won just three times in the 11 games since. ... Clarkson is 9-2-2 against teams in the bottom half of the Ratings Percentage Index and 0-5-2 against teams in the top half. ... Senior goalie Paul Karpowich, a St. Louis Blues draft pick, has five shutouts while posting an 9-7-4 record with a 1.93 goals-against average and .938 save percentage. ... A pair of seniors lead the offensive charge. Boston Bruins draft pick Nick Tremblay (9-6—15) is the leader in goals, while Louke Oakley (7-10—17) leads in points. They play primarily on a line with sophomore Allan McPherson (6-5—11). ... The Golden Knights are 8-1-1 when scoring the first goal, and are undefeated in any game when it leads at the end of a period and winless in games when it trails at the end of any period.
 
THE SERIES WITH CLARKSON
Cornell has swept the last two season series against the Golden Knights, then secured a scoreless tie on Dec. 3 to take a 56-49-13 lead in the all-time series. The Big Red is unbeaten in its last seven games against Clarkson (5-0-2). Cornell head coach Mike Schafer holds a 29-14-6 record against the Golden Knights.
 
ABOUT MAINE
The Black Bears reached Christmas with a sub-.500 record for the first time since the 2007-08 and only the second time since a 1993-94 season that was marred by handfuls of forfeits due to the use of an ineligible player. But of Maine's seven losses, six have come against teams that are currently ranked in the USCHO.com poll. ... While Maine averages better than three goals per game, it's surrendering even more than that. The power play is clicking to the tune of 24.3 percent and has scored at least one goal in each of the team's last seven games, but it has also yielded an NCAA-worst seven shorthanded goals. ... The Black Bears' top three scorers play on the same line, with senior Brian Flynn (6-15—21) flanked by classmate Spencer Abbott (10-13—23) and junior Joey Diamond (9-7—16). ... Abbott is tied fourth in country in points per game (1.53), while Flynn tied for eighth (1.40). ... Four of Diamond's goals have come on the man advantage, which ties him for the team lead with sophomore forward Mark Anthoine. ... Sophomores Dan Sullivan and Martin Ouellette have been splitting time in goal, with Sullivan seeing two-thirds of the starts and the last six straight (excluding an exhibition against the U.S. Under-18 Team). Sullivan has a 5-4-2 record, 3.11 goals-against average and .894 save percentage. ... Cornell and Maine are the only two teams to participate in all 12 editions of the Florida College Classic.
 
THE SERIES WITH MAINE
Cornell has always led the all-time series against the Black Bears, but Maine has won the last three meetings to cut the Big Red lead to 7-6-2. Cornell has particularly struggled against Maine at the Florida College Classic, with the Black Bears posting a 4-1 record against the Big Red at Germain Arena — which also marks the last five meetings between the teams. The most recent clash came last season, when Maine fought off a third-period deficit to secure a 3-2 overtime victory on Dec. 30, 2010.
 
A.I. — THE NEW ANSWER
With three consecutive shutouts in November, sophomore goalie Andy Iles recorded the second-longest shutout streak in program history, spanning 213 minutes, 35 seconds over a five-game span. The only Cornell shutout streak that went longer was posted by current Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Ben Scrivens, who held the opposition scoreless for 267:11 during the 2010 playoffs. But Iles wasn't done there — he posted back-to-back shutouts against St. Lawrence and Clarkson on Dec. 2 and Dec. 3, respectively. If he can keep Massachusetts scoreless through 14 minutes, 17 seconds of the Big Red's Florida College Classic opener, he will be on another shutout streak that ranks among the top 10 in Cornell program history. Iles is tied for second in the nation with five shutouts. While his goals-against average of 1.62 is second in the NCAA, it's first among goalies who have played the majority of his teams' minutes.
 
DANGEROUS D'AGOSTINO
Junior defenseman Nick D'Agostino leads the team in scoring with seven goals and six assists for 13 points entering the weekend. His average of 1.18 points per game ranks fourth in the nation among blueliners, and his five  game-winning goals is tied for the NCAA Division I lead. D'Agostino earned ECAC Hockey Player of the Week honors Nov. 14 after a gaudy four-goal weekend in victories at Harvard and Dartmouth. The Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick scored three power-play goals over the weekend, including a pair of goals on the man advantage just 56 seconds apart against the Crimson. He then scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Niagara on Nov. 22, then accomplished the same feat in a 1-0 win against St. Lawrence on Dec. 2.
 
BIG STAGE PERFORMERS
Seniors Sean Whitney and Locke Jillson have shown a knack for producing in front of the biggest crowds they've seen in their college careers. Both scored goals against Boston in front of a sold-out crowd of 18,200 at Madison Square Garden in 2009, then the duo teamed up to score the Big Red's lone goal against BU on the same stage on Nov. 26. Whitney had the initial shot on Jillson's goal, which came on a sharp-angle shot off a rebound.
 
FERLIN'S FURIOUS START
Freshman forward Brian Ferlin, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., is fourth the nation in rookie points per game (1.09) and is also tied for second in the ECAC Hockey scoring race after posting 11 points in the Big Red's first eight conference games. Teams around the league have taken notice, tabbing the Boston Bruins draft pick as the Rookie of the Week on consecutive weeks of Nov. 7 and Nov. 14. Teammate Joakim Ryan earned the honor on Oct. 31, meaning the Big Red had ECAC Hockey's top newcomer for the first three weeks of its season.
 
RYAN OFF AND RUNNING
Freshman defenseman Joakim Ryan got his season off to a flying start with two goals and an assist in the opening 5-4 loss to Mercyhurst on Oct. 29. For his efforts, Ryan was awarded as the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week. It was actually the second straight year that a freshman potted two goals in his debut for the Big Red — Dustin Mowrey did it on Oct. 29, 2010 against New Hampshire. But it was the first time a Big Red freshman has scored three points in the opener since Byron Bitz also had two goals and an assist against Western Michigan on Oct. 31, 2003.
 
NEW SUPPORT STAFF
Mike Schafer returns for his 17th season as the Cornell head coach, but he has three new assistants this year. While the new assistant coaches will be new faces in their positions behind the bench, their faces will still be familiar. Ben Syer joins the Big Red after eight seasons as an assistant coach for ECAC Hockey opponent Quinnipiac, and Topher Scott returns to East Hill just 3½ years since he last competed for the Big Red as a senior co-captain who eclipsed 100 career points. Volunteer assistant coach Kris Mayotte is also familiar with ECAC Hockey, having tended goal for Union from 2002-06.
 
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Cornell head coach Mike Schafer is quickly moving up the ranks of the coaching fraternity in his win totals. Now in his 17th season, Schafer has 320 career victories, ranking him third in ECAC Hockey, but with the shortest tenure
of the two ahead of him in the rankings. Schafer trails only St. Lawrence's Joe Marsh (475) and is closing the gap on Quinnipiac's Rand Pecknold (324). Schafer is tops among Ivy League coaches, with Dartmouth's Bob Gaudet recently reaching his 304th career win.
 
CLASS-Y KEIR
Captain Keir Ross is one of 20 national candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence — community, classroom, character and competition. Ross posted a plus-12 rating last season, good for second on the team, and was penalized the least of any defenseman despite frequently being matched up against some of the opposition's  best forward combinations. Outside of the rink, Ross is a two-time selection to the ECAC Hockey Academic All-League team and was the Big Red's Hockey Scholar Athlete last season. He was also named to the College  of Human Ecology Dean's List in 2010, carrying a 3.57 grade point average in Human Biology, Health and Society.
 
COLLECTING HARDWARE
Andy Iles became the first Cornell hockey player to earn a medal for the United States at the IIHF World Junior Championships when he was part of Team USA that claimed bronze at this year's tournament in Buffalo, N.Y. Iles is just the second Cornell player to be a member of the U.S. team, joining Jean-Marc Pelletier in 1998. The last Cornell player to earn a medal for any nation at the IIHF World Junior Championships was Sasha Pokulok, who claimed gold with Canada in 2006. The bronze medal won by Iles is the first bronze of the seven medals claimed by Cornellians at the tournament. Iles has been named the U.S. emergency goalie for this year's World Junior tournament, meaning he could be summoned to Alberta before, during or after the Florida College Classic if Jack Campbell or John Gibson suffers an injury.
 
INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE
Andy Iles isn't the only Cornell player to experience international competition recently. Freshmen forward Brian Ferlin and defenseman Joakim Ryan were also at the Junior Evaluation Camp from Aug. 6-13 in Lake Placid, N.Y. Ferlin had a goal and three assists in five games with the United States and Ryan trolled the blue line for Sweden. Ferlin was then invited to the U.S. World Junior Pre-Tournament Camp in mid-December, but did not make the final cut. Sophomore defenseman Kirill Gotovets also played for his native Belarus in the 2010 IIHF World Championships.
 
FEEL THE DRAFT?
Cornell has six players on the roster who have been selected in the NHL Entry Draft, including picks in the fourth and fifth rounds last June. Freshmen Brian Ferlin (Boston Bruins) and Joel Lowry (Los Angeles Kings) were selected in a span of 20 picks, giving the 2011-12 Big Red the program's highest number of draft picks on a single team since 2006-07. Other players whose NHL rights are already owned are senior Sean Collins (Columbus Blue Jackets), juniors Braden Birch (Chicago Blackhawks) and Nick D'Agostino (Pittsburgh Penguins) and sophomore Kirill Gotovets (Tampa Bay Lightning).
 
SOUTHERN FLAIR
None of the other 57 schools in Division I men's hockey have as many players that call states bordering the Gulf of Mexico home as Cornell. The Big Red has four players that fit into that category — Florida native Brian Ferlin and the three Texans, Locke Jillson, Keir Ross and Armand de Swardt. Northern Michigan is the only other team in the country that has three players from Texas.
 
AMERICAN INFLUENCE
Seven of this season's nine freshmen were born in the United States, giving the Big Red a more American feel than it's seen in quite a while. Cornell has 12 players who were born in the United States, which is the most on a Mike Schafer-coached team at Cornell. The previous high was 10, which came in 1997-98.
 
BLANK YOU VERY MUCH
Sophomore goalie Andy Iles made 15 saves for his first collegiate shutout on Nov. 18 in a 4-0 victory over Princeton. With that result, the Big Red extended its streak of seasons with at least one shutout to 17. The last time Cornell went a full schedule without posting a shutout came during the 1994-95 season under former coach Brian McCutcheon, as Cornell finished that year 11-15-4. The following year marked the first season for head coach Mike Schafer, and his clubs have never gone a full year without recording a shutout.
 
PROSE ABOUT PROS
All seven players who graduated after playing with the Big Red last season have played professionally this season. The group includes forwards Joe Devin (AHL's San Antonio Rampage), Tyler Roeszler (Sweden's Vita Hästen), Patrick Kennedy (ECHL's Trenton Titans) Jordan Kary (CHL's Texas Brahmas), Dan Nicholls (CHL's Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees and SHL's Fayetteville FireAntz), defenseman Mike Devin (ECHL's Elmira Jackals) and goalie Mike Garman (ECHL's Colorado Eagles). Two players who left Cornell after the 2010 season have also made their NHL debuts recently — goalie Ben Scrivens with the Toronto Maple Leafs and forward Riley Nash with the Carolina Hurricanes.
 
MILESTONE MANIA
The Big Red's 2-1 win over Quinnipiac in game one of the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals last season marked the 1,000th victory all-time for the Cornell men's hockey program. Cornell became the 17th program to reach that milestone. The Big Red then surpassed another milestone this season by recording the 500th victory all-time at storied Lynah Rink with a 1-0 shutout of Niagara on Nov. 22.
 
CLOSER TO HOME
Hometown fans of the Big Red got a rare treat last season when goalie Andy Iles became the first Ithaca native to play for the team since Mark McCutcheon in 2006-07. But when freshman Kevin Cole makes his collegiate debut, it will be the first time in at least 50 years — and perhaps the first time in program history — that two Ithaca natives have played for the Big Red in the same season. Cole was born in Ithaca and raised in nearby Lansing before heading off to junior programs in Syracuse and Cornwall, Ontario. His father, Dave, lettered for the Big Red in the 1981-82 season. Cornell also entered the season having sons of former players suit up for the team in each of the last eight seasons.
 
THE OFFENSIVE DEFENSE
The Big Red scored four short-handed goals last season after going without a goal on the penalty kill since Dec. 28, 2008. Senior forward Sean Collins had two of those short-handed goals, becoming the first Cornell player with multiple shorties since both Cam Abbott and Mark McCutcheon had a pair of them in the 2005-06 season. The trend has continued early this season, with Joakim Ryan scoring a short-handed goal in the team's third game of the season at Brown and Vince Mihalek adding another shorty on Nov. 19 vs. Quinnipiac.
 
UP NEXT
Cornell will enjoy a few days in Florida before heading west to wrap up its non-conference schedule with a pair of contests at #5/6 Colorado College on Jan. 6-7.