ITHACA, N.Y. – Ryan Bliss '18 was a big part of the Cornell men's hockey team's plans after solid underclassman years on the blue line, but an off-ice injury threw a wrench into those plans. He eventually made his way back to the ice in practices, but his limitations prevented him from ever competing on the collegiate level again.
 
After graduating from Cornell, Bliss moved on to UMass with graduate transfer eligibility in hand. One year later, he's making his mark in a new role – as a volunteer assistant coach.
 
"He's got a lot of experience, he played in the U.S. national program, he played at Cornell, so he gives me insight in how things could be done differently," UMass head coach Greg Carvel told Josh Walfish of the Daily Hampshire Gazette. "Ryan was an elite player, so he was developed as an elite player, so we've been able to glean a lot off of him."
 
Specifically, Bliss' name came to light after UMass manhandled UMass-Lowell, 42-17, in faceoffs during a game last weekend. Carvel attributed that dominance solely to Bliss, who worked with the team's centers on faceoff tendencies. He's also worked with the defense corps.
 
"It's actually been nice that we've had a younger group of defensemen," Bliss said. "There's a lot of room, a lot of potential to be filled there and we can work with them a lot. Just helping them understand that game and transition into college hockey, it's been nice to help out in that as well."

Alumni Update

•  The Pittsburgh Penguins were active at the NHL's trade deadline on Monday, acquiring three veteran forwards. As a result, Anthony Angello (2015-18) was reassigned to the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins after scoring his first NHL goal in seven games with the big club.
 
"First, I think it was a good confidence boost," Angello told Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "Not only played but to have a good impact, have a positive outcome in some of the games and play well. I learned some things from the older guys, the veterans, of how to go about. I did more listening than talking. I tried to learn and pick up every little thing that would help me as a whole."
 
•  Beau Starrett '19 was recalled by the Bakersfield Condors again and scored his first career AHL goal over the weekend.

Around The League

•  It's no secret that anticipation about the Cornell/Clarkson game on Saturday has been ramping up for weeks, if not months. Even before the season began, it was conceivable to look at the date on the calendar and wonder how significant the game could prove to be.
 
But here's something that's not lost on Clarkson head coach Casey Jones '90 – Saturday's game won't be nearly as meaningful unless the Golden Knights can win Friday at Colgate.
 
"We'll see Friday," Jones told Mark Divver of USCHO.com. "It will be another test. Colgate's always given us fits. They're well-coached. Our league is so close in different spots. We're kind of separated for the bye, but the guys with the first-round byes aren't set. … There's a lot at stake this weekend in the league, almost in every game."
 
•  Longtime ECAC Hockey official Michael Emanatian retired a few weeks ago. Native to the Capital District, he selected the annual Mayor's Cup between Union and RPI at Times Union Center to be his send-off on Jan. 25. Mike MacAdam of The Daily Gazette detailed Emanatian's career, which started in the college ranks at the ripe age of 19.
 
"He's done quite a few NCAA tournaments, and since he came back to the ECAC about 12 years ago, he's been a mentor for a lot of guys who are going on to the NCAAs," said Peter Feola, the ECAC Hockey director of officials for men's games. "Just the passion for the game of hockey and the willingness to go anywhere and do any game. He keeps himself in great shape, and it's been a part of his life for a long time."

Pairwise Watch

•  A couple weeks ago, there was an allusion in this space to how much protection top seeds will ultimately get from NCAA regionals boasting host teams. Consider this a follow-up.
 
One of the noteworthy things about this year's projected NCAA field is that two of the four hosts are currently aligned with being a #2 seed in their respective regionals – Denver (in Loveland, Colorado) and Penn State (in Allentown, Pennsylvania). One of the questions that pundits have been pondering is If that pans out, can we expect some of the regional assignments to be influenced by that fact?
 
Since the selection process of "who" is completely objective, the NCAA selection committee's biggest role is "where". It annually has to balance bracket integrity against trying to maximize attendance at regionals where there are typically more empty seats than occupied ones. Cornell's notorious fan base can help with that, so it could find itself in a position where it's moved closer to home. This year, there are two options where that could be a factor – the regional in Allentown and the one in Albany.
 
Since those are nearly equidistant from Ithaca, Cornell could be shipped to either. But North Dakota, currently the #1 overall seed, is also known to travel well – and Albany would be an ideal landing spot, since UND would likely end up feeling like a home team. As the higher #1 seed, it seems likely the committee would afford North Dakota that opportunity.
 
There are still four weeks for all of this to shake out, but Allentown is starting to look more and more likely for the Big Red.
 
Off The Crossbar is a weekly-ish notebook about the Cornell men's hockey team written by assistant director of athletic communications Brandon Thomas, who is in his ninth season as his office's primary contact for the team following a stint of a few years as the team's beat writer at The Ithaca Journal and a few years as an observer from Section D. He wrote too much this week, so Part 1 of Off The Crossbar is available here. He can be reached at brandon@cornell.edu. Follow him on Twitter at @BT_unassisted.