Game 1: Cornell vs. New Hampshire
Face Off: Friday, October 29 • 7 p.m.
Site: Lynah Rink • Ithaca, N.Y.
2010-11 Records:
    Cornell: 0-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC Hockey
    New Hampshire: 1-1-2, 0-0-0 Hockey East
Series Record: Series tied, 12-12-0
Last Meeting: UNH won, 6-2, on 3/26/10, at Albany, N.Y.
Media Information
Radio: WHCU 870 AM (Jason Weinstein)
Live Video: cornellbigred.com/showcase
Live Stats: cornellbigred.com

Game 2: Cornell vs. Rochester Institute of Technology
Face Off:    Saturday, October 30 • 7 p.m. EDT
Site:     Lynah Rink • Ithaca, N.Y.
2010-11 Records:
    Cornell: 0-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC Hockey
    RIT: 0-4-1, 0-0-0 Atlantic Hockey
Series Record: Cornell leads, 2-1-0
Last Meeting: RIT won, 4-1, on 10/27/07, at Rochester, N.Y.
Media Information
Radio: WHCU 870 AM (Jason Weinstein)
Live Video: cornellbigred.com/showcase
Live Stats: cornellbigred.com

Game Notes in PDF Format

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Last season's NCAA East Regional at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y., featured second-seeded Cornell along with Denver, New Hampshire and Rochester Institute of Technology. Two of those three opponents for the Big Red will be in Ithaca this weekend as Cornell officially begins the 2010-11 season. Friday's matchup features a rematch of last year's regional semifinal that saw New Hampshire take a 6-2 victory from the Big Red, while Cornell takes on regional champion RIT on Saturday.

ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell enters the 2010-11 season as the reigning ECAC Hockey tournament champion, capturing the title last March against Union in the final league tournament played in Albany, N.Y. Cornell lost a trio of career 100-point scorers and a pair of All-Americans, but roared out of the gate with a pair of impressive exhibition victories against Quebec at Trois-Rivieres and the U.S. U18 National Team last weekend. Senior co-captains Joe Devin and Patrick Kennedy return as the team's top two leading scorers, while Cornell returns five defensemen from last year's blueline regular rotation. In goal, junior Mike Garman and freshman Andy Iles form a powerful 1-2 punch as Cornell seeks to replace Ben Scrivens, statistically one of the best goalkeepers in NCAA history. Observers around the country have the Big Red ranked 15th in the country in this week's USA Today/USA Hockey Poll.

ABOUT NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire, ranked 10th in this week's USA Today/USA Hockey Poll, enters the weekend with a 1-1-2 record on the season, having tied both of its last two games against Michigan on Oct. 16 and at Northeastern on Oct. 22. The Wildcats are a high-scoring bunch, posting 14 goals through four games, but have also conceded that same number. Senior Phil DeSimone has a team-best five points on the season, while classmate Paul Thompson has a team-best four goals and junior Blake Kessel has a team-high four assists. In all, nine players have scored at least one goal in a balanced offensive attack. Junior Matt DiGirolamo has played every minute in goal for the Wildcats so far this season, recording a 3.13 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. UNH has converted on 4-of-20 power play chances this season (20.0 percent) while killing off 14-of-18 opponents' power plays (77.8 percent).

THE SERIES WITH NEW HAMPSHIRE
The Big Red and Wildcats have split the all-time series, 12-12-0, with both teams taking one meeting last season. Cornell won the opener, 5-2, at the Whittemore Center in Durham, N.H., on Jan. 3, before the Wildcats took the meeting in the NCAA tournament, 6-2, in Albany, N.Y. Tonight's meeting will be the ninth all-time between the two schools at Lynah Rink, with Cornell holding a 5-3 lead in the series of games played at Lynah Rink. New Hampshire is making its first trip to Lynah Rink since Nov. 30, 1983, and skated home with a 5-0 victory. Cornell's last win against New Hampshire at Lynah Rink came on Nov. 27, 1981, a 6-1 Big Red victory.

ABOUT ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
After experiencing a dream run to the Frozen Four last season, the Tigers have found things much more difficult in the early stages of 2010-11. RIT enters the weekend with a 0-4-1 record, and will face Robert Morris on Friday night before making the trip to Ithaca on Saturday. The Tigers have struggled offensively, tallying just 11 goals in five games, while conceding 23 over that span, including seven to ECAC Hockey foe Union in its last contest on Saturday. Junior Tyler brenner and senior Andrew Favot lead the team offensively with six points apiece, with Brenner posting five of the team's 11 goals and Favot recording five assists. RIT's goaltending situation is tenuous, with three goalies making two appearances each in net. Jan Rapponen has the best numbers of the three, recording a 3.01 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. Josh Watson has a .855 save percentage and a 5.43 goals-against average, while Shane Madolora has a 4.24 goals-against average to go along with a .824 save percentage, though Madolora recorded the team's tie this season. RIT has converted on 5-of-21 power-play chances (23.8 percent) while struggling on the penalty kill, allowing seven goals in 28 opponents' chances (75.0 percent).

THE SERIES WITH ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Cornell and RIT have met three times previously in men's hockey since the Tigers made the jump to Division I, with the Big Red holding a 2-1 edge in the series. Cornell won the first two meetings, a 3-1 contest on Jan. 7, 2006, at Lynah Rink and a 5-3 win on Oct. 28, 2006, at Lynah Rink.The two teams last met on Oct. 27, 2007, at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y., with RIT claiming a 4-1 in what was the Big Red's 2007-08 season opener.

LET'S GET IT STARTED
Cornell has an all-time record of 55-32-6 in season openers and will try to claim its third straight win in its season debut. Last season, Cornell claimed a 3-2 victory against Niagara behind an overtime game-winning goal from Joe Devin. In 2008-09, the Big Red scored a 1-0 victory against Princeton to kick off that campaign. Cornell's last loss in a season opener came in 2007 when the Big Red fell to RIT at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y., 4-1. Under current head coach Mike Schafer, the Big Red is 10-4-1 in season openers.

OFF AND RUNNING
Senior co-captain Joe Devin has made a habit of scoring early in the season, as he has scored a goal in two of the three season opening games during his Cornell career. As a freshman in 2007-08, Devin scored the Big Red's only goal in a 4-1 loss to Rochester Institute of Technology at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y. Then, last season, Devin provided the late-game heroics as he scored the overtime game-winner to defeat Niagara, 3-2, at Lynah Rink.

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.

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 makes his official collegiate debut, possibly in the season opener against New Hampshire, he will become 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.

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 16th season, Schafer has 297 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 Quinnipiac's Rand Pecknold by four, with St. Lawrence's Joe Marsh well ahead with 455 career wins.

UP NEXT
The Big Red takes to the road for the first time this season when it opens up ECAC Hockey play in New York's North Country. The Big Red will battle St. Lawrence on Friday, Nov. 5, before taking on Clarkson the following night. The two road games will be two of the three times that the Big Red will play away from Lynah Rink before the end of the semester.