The Men's Hockey team will have an opportunity to clinch home ice advantage for at least the first round of the ECAC Hockey Championships this weekend, when it plays its final home games of the regular season against Rensselaer at 7 p.m. Friday and Union at 7 p.m. Saturday. Friday's game will be Pink At The Rink, and Saturday's contest will serve as Senior Night, where the Big Red will honor its six elder statesmen with a post-game ceremony. Both games will be streamed on the subscription-based Ivy League Digital Network, which feature play-by-play by Jason Weinstein and color commentary from Tony Eisenhut. Their call will also be available for free through Ivy League Digital Network, and it can be heard in the Ithaca area on WHCU-AM (870).
 
RENSSELAER at CORNELL
TIME: 7 p.m.
DATE: Friday, February 20, 2015
PLACE: Lynah Rink · Ithaca, N.Y.
RECORDS: Cornell 10-11-4, 8-8-2 ECAC Hockey, 4-3-1 Ivy League · Rensselaer 9-22-1, 7-11 ECAC Hockey
LIVE VIDEO ($): Ivy League Digital Network
AUDIO (free): Ivy League Digital Network
RADIO: WHCU-AM (870)
LIVE STATS: CornellBigRed.com
 
UNION at CORNELL
TIME: 7 p.m.
DATE: Saturday, February 21, 2015
PLACE: Lynah Rink · Ithaca, N.Y.
RECORDS*: Cornell 10-11-4, 8-8-2 ECAC Hockey, 4-3-1 Ivy League · Union 14-15-2, 6-11-1 ECAC Hockey
LIVE VIDEO ($): Ivy League Digital Network
AUDIO (free): Ivy League Digital Network
RADIO: WHCU-AM (870)
LIVE STATS: CornellBigRed.com
 (*—records do not include Friday's results)
 
Cornell game notes (PDF)
Rensselaer game notes (PDF)
Union game notes (PDF)
 
LAST TIME OUT
Cornell earned just one point in two extremely close games in last weekend's Ivy League road trip to Dartmouth and Harvard. The Big Red surrendered go-ahead goals in the third period of each game, but later salvaged a point against nationally-ranked Harvard when freshman forward Jared Fiegl provided the tying goal with his first collegiate strike. Cornell has neither swept nor been swept in any of its six league weekends since the December break — the only team in ECAC Hockey to make that bizarre claim.
 
GOALIE UNIVERSITY
Cornell has produced nine First-Team All-American goaltenders in its history and 20th-year Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Men's Hockey Mike Schafer is widely regarded as one of the top defensive minds in the game, so it should come as no surprise that the Big Red enters this weekend surrendering the third-fewest goals per game in the nation (1.88). Sophomore goalie Mitch Gillam (8-7-4, 1.61 GAA, .941 SV%, SO) leads the nation in save percentage and ranks second in goals-against average, and freshman goalie Hayden Stewart (2-4-0, 2.10, .931, 2 SO) has been named ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week after each of his shutouts.
 
WHO'S WHO
With five points over his last three games, senior Cole Bardreau (5-13–18; 4 PPGs) leads the team in scoring. After a slow start to the season, he's also won 55.5% of his draws since Jan. 1. ... Typically on Bardreau's left wing is junior Christian Hilbrich (8-4–12), who leads the team in goals by two over sophomore Matt Buckles (6-2–8; 4 PPG). ... Sophomore Jake Weidner (3-10–13) is second on the team in scoring after collecting a pair of assists last weekend. He is also the team's top faceoff man, winning 57.5 percent of his draws on the season. ... Senior Joakim Ryan (1-10–11), an All-ECAC Hockey Preseason selection by both the coaches and media, has 10 points in his last 10 games — including four points in last weekend's two games. ... Offense has been generally hard to come by for the Big Red this season, with the squad's average of 1.92 goals per game ranking 54th of 59 teams in the nation. Injuries have played a role, with Ryan missing eight November games due to injury and senior Joel Lowry (4-4–8), the leading scorer at the time, expected to miss the remainder of the season.
 
PINK AT THE RINK
The Big Red will be decked out in special edition pink and white uniforms as part of its Pink At The Rink event Friday night, which is raising funds and awareness for programs of the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes. As of midday Tuesday, Pink At The Rink has already raised more than $8,100 through crowdsourcing. The jerseys will then be auctioned off from 7 p.m. Friday through noon Thursday, Feb. 26 at http://www.cornellbigred.com/sb_output.aspx?form=37. Jerseys will be available for all of the team's 27 players, plus a special jersey that will be autographed by the entire team.
 
ABOUT RENSSELAER
The Engineers arrive at Lynah Rink on a six-game losing streak, mainly due to defensive struggles. RPI has surrendered 4.83 goals per game over the skid, which includes a 6-3 loss to Brown last Friday and 4-1 setback against Yale on Saturday. ... Senior forward Jacob Laliberté (6-11–17)leads the team in scoring, and he is tied for the team lead in goals with freshman winger Drew Melanson (6-9–15) and junior Miloš Bubela (6-5–11). Bubela, at plus-4, is also the only player on the team above even in plus-minus rating. ... Freshman winger Viktor Liljegren (5-4–9) leads the team with three power-play goals. ... Junior Jason Kasdorf (9-15, 3.06, .896, SO) is the starting goaltender, with his lone shutout this season coming against the Big Red. Originally a draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets, his NHL right were traded last week to the Buffalo Sabres as part of a blockbuster deal.
 
ABOUT UNION
The defending national champion and three-time defending ECAC Hockey champion has struggled this season, and the Dutchmen enter this weekend with seven losses in their last 10 games. One of the top offensive teams in country, Union is suddenly struggling to put the puck in the net after a 2-0 loss to Yale last Friday and a 1-0 loss to Brown on Saturday. ... Senior right winger Daniel Ciampini (23-19–42; 7 PPGs; plus-22) is fifth in the nation in scoring average, and sophomore center Mike Vecchione (15-25–40; 4 PPGs; plus-12) is tied for sixth. They typically play on the same line. ... Sophomore defenseman Jeff Taylor (4-24–28) is third on the team in scoring and is the team's only NHL draft pick (Pittsburgh Penguins). ... Senior Colin Stevens (11-11, 2.53, .914, SO) and sophomore Alex Sakellaropoulos (3-3-2, 3.07, .894) have been splitting time in goal. ... The Dutchmen are just 2-9 in one-goal games this season, while nine of their 14 victories have come by at least a three-goal margin.
 
THE SERIES WITH RENSSELAER
After 103 meetings, Cornell holds a 60-35-8 lead in the series against the Engineers — including a 11-5-4 mark in the last 18 meetings. The Big Red struggled in its visit to Houston Field House earlier this season, dropping a 3-0 decision on Jan. 17. RPI also won in its last trip to Lynah Rink by a 3-1 score on Feb. 22, 2014. John McCarron scored the Big Red's goal, assisted by Joel Lowry and Jacob MacDonald. Mike Schafer is 28-15-6 against Rensselaer in his tenure as the Big Red's head coach, while Engineers head coach Seth Appert is 5-11-4 against the Big Red.
 
THE SERIES WITH UNION
Saturday's game will be the 58th all-time meeting between the Big Red and Dutchmen, with Cornell holding a 33-17-7 lead in the series. The Big Red holds an 10-5-2 advantage over the teams' last 17 meetings, including a dominating 5-1 victory on Jan. 16 at Messa Rink in Schenectady, N.Y. Senior forward Cole Bardreau had three assists in the game, freshman forward Trevor Yates had two assists, and the Big Red had five different goal-scorers in its season-high output. Mike Schafer is 24-13-6 against Union in his tenure as the Big Red's head coach, while Dutchmen coach Rick Bennett is 3-4-1 against Cornell.
 
PLAYOFF PROSE
Six of ECAC Hockey's 12 teams were within a point of each other entering last weekend's play, and now just two of those teams have equal point totals — Cornell and Clarkson (18 points). Still, the Big Red could finish anywhere from second to 10th with just four games remaining in the regular season. Cornell is essentially in seventh place entering the weekend, since it holds the tiebreaker against Clarkson. The Big Red can clinch at least eighth place, and subsequent home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, with two victories this weekend.
 
KILLIN' IT
The Big Red is second in the nation with a 90.5 percent success rate on the penalty kill, trailing just Bowling Green (92.7 pct.). Within that number is an impressive streak against two-man disadvantages. Cornell is a perfect 20-for-20 killing off three-on-five scenarios over the last three seasons, spanning a total of 18 minutes, 25 seconds. The last time Cornell surrendered a five-on-three goal was against Yale on Feb. 11, 2012.
 
SURGES AND OUTAGES
The Big Red power play sits in the middle of the pack nationally, mainly due to inconsistency. As of Nov. 9, the Big Red power play was converting at a clip of just 5.3 percent, mired in an 0-for-17 slump and scoring just four goals in its last 80 opportunities dating back to Dec. 28, 2013. The Big Red was then 7-for-18 on the power play over its next four games before going on another 0-for-17 slide. The power play produced the first goal in each of last weekend's games, both scored by senior Cole Bardreau.
 
WIN, NOT LOSE, ON DRAWS
Sophomore forward Jake Weidner has emerged as a terrific faceoff man this season. After spending most of his freshman year on the wing, he's split time on the wing and at center this year. One of the results is his 57.5 percent success rate on faceoffs entering the weekend, which ranks sixth among ECAC Hockey players who have taken at least 100 draws this season. John Knisley is up to 51.5 pct. after going 10-0 last Saturday at Harvard.
 
NOT JUST A DEFENSEMAN
Senior blueliner Joakim Ryan has been heating up offensively with 10 points in his last 10 games — including a goal last Friday at Dartmouth. Named to both the media's and coaches' Preseason All-ECAC Hockey Teams, Ryan suffered an early-season injury that forced him to miss eight games in November. The production is nothing new for the San Jose Sharks draft pick, who ranked 11th in the nation in points per game for defensemen (0.75) last season, when he was tied for second on the team in scoring with 24 points.
 
FEEL THE DRAFT?
Cornell has seven players on the roster who have been selected in the NHL Entry Draft, including two picks from last June. Freshman forward Jared Fiegl was selected in the seventh round by the Arizona Coyotes, with the only other Big Red player selected by the organization being David LeNeveu in 2002. Freshman forward Dwyer Tschantz was then selected 11 picks later by the St. Louis Blues — the first time the organization has selected a Cornell product in 15 years. Other NHL draft picks on the team include defensemen Reece Willcox (Philadelphia Flyers) and Joakim Ryan (San Jose Sharks), forwards John McCarron (Edmonton Oilers), Joel Lowry (Los Angeles Kings) and Matt Buckles (Florida Panthers).
 
THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SCORING
Senior forward John McCarron, a second-year captain for the Big Red, scored his first goal of the season in a 2-2 tie with Colgate on Jan. 31. McCarron has made a habit of finishing seasons strong over his four-year career at Cornell. Of his 21 career goals, 18 have come after the December holiday break.
 
BLANK YOU VERY MUCH
Cornell has recorded at least one shutout in each of the last 20 seasons – a streak that has been continued this year with a 4-0 blanking of Brown on Nov. 22. Freshman Hayden Stewart made 26 saves for his first career shutout and subsequent ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week honors. In the process, he became the first Cornell freshman to keep a clean sheet since Ben Scrivens '10 manned the crease in a 6-0 rout of Union on Dec. 2, 2006. Like Scrivens, an All-American his senior season, Stewart's first shutout came in his ECAC Hockey debut. The last time the Big Red went a full season without posting a shutout came during the 1994-95 season under former coach Brian McCutcheon. The following year marked the first season for current head coach Mike Schafer.
 
DEPTH MATTERS
Injuries are a part of hockey, but the Big Red has endured a particularly challenging season in that department. Entering this weekend, the Big Red has racked up 70 man games lost to injury or illness, plus another three to supplemental league discipline.
 
THE 35th TO 350
Already the winningest coach in program history, Mike Schafer hit 350 victories for his career — all of which have come from behind the Big Red's bench — with a 4-2 win over Princeton on Nov. 1, 2013. He became the 35th coach all-time to rack up 350 victories across all NCAA divisions. Schafer is also just the third coach to pass 350 victories with Ivy League tenure, joining Ned Harkness (Cornell, Union and Rensselaer) and Tim Taylor (Yale). His current total of 374 victories in Division I play are tops among current ECAC Hockey coaches.
 
GOLDEN AGAIN
Senior forward Cole Bardreau won a gold medal while serving as an assistant captain for the United States at the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia. It wasn't the first time Bardreau's earned gold with the U.S. either — he also wore an "A" while capturing gold at the IIHF Under-18 World Championship in April 2011. Freshman forward Jared Fiegl also won gold in the same event in April 2014.
 
SITTING ATOP THE IVY
Cornell won the Ivy League championship outright in 2014. It's the second time in the last three years the Big Red claimed the Ivy crown, the 17th time it's done so outright and the 21st time overall in program history. Cornell came up just short of even more history when a 1-0 loss to Dartmouth on Feb. 28 proved to be the squad's only loss against the Ancient Eight last season. Just three times in program history has the Big Red completed the Ivy League schedule undefeated. The last time Cornell was unbeaten in Ivy games was 1996, when it was 9-0-1 in Mike Schafer's first season as the Big Red's head coach. The other two occasions were in 1969 and 1970.
 
COMEBACK KIDS
Conventional wisdom suggests the first goal of the game is extremely important — especially for teams that typically play low-scoring games, like Cornell. But the Big Red has bucked that trend this season. With senior forward John Knisley scoring in the third period Jan. 30 at Colgate, and freshman defenseman Ryan Bliss supplying an overtime winner, Cornell won for the fifth this season when surrendering the first goal of the game — which is the same amount of wins it has when scoring first.
 
GLOBAL INFLUENCE
The Big Red has 17 players on the roster born in the United States. Cornell also now has players native to four different countries on its squad. Aside from the bulk of its roster hailing from the United States and Canada, Cornell also has a player from Denmark (Christian Hilbrich) and Finland (Teemu Tiitinen). Even within the United States, the Big Red has some untraditional hockey areas covered. Joel Lowry has lived in Florida, Tiitinen has lived in Georgia, John Knisley has lived in South Carolina, Cole Bardreau and Ryan Bliss were both born in North Carolina, and Dwyer Tschantz is the first-ever NHL draft pick born in Delaware.
 
TRENDING
The Big Red has welcomed two newcomers from the U.S. National Team Development Program this season in defenseman Ryan Bliss and forward Jared Fiegl. This marks the fifth consecutive season that at least one player from the U.S. Under-18s has joined the Big Red. The others were Clint Lewis (in 2013), Gavin Stoick (in 2012), Cole Bardreau (in 2011) and Andy Iles (in 2010).
 
UP NEXT
Cornell wraps up the regular season with an Ivy League road trip to Brown at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27 and Yale at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28. The first round of the ECAC Hockey Championships will then be held March 6-8, with seeds 5-8 hosting best-of-three-game series against seeds 9-12. The winners will advance the best-of-three quarterfinal series, which will be staged at the homes of seeds 1-4 from March 13-15. Championship weekend is March 20-21 at Lake Placid.