ITHACA, N.Y. — Senior Jeff Malott has been named a finalist for ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Forward honors, the league announced Tuesday afternoon.
 
Malott has the unique distinction of being the only regular player in the country who was not on the ice for a single even-strength goals against in league play this season. That helped lead him to a plus-15 rating that ranked first among forwards in ECAC Hockey league games this season. He's also been a key penalty-killer for the Big Red and played a role in six-on-five defense that did not surrender a goal in league play.
 
Cornell has a strong history with the award, with Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Men's Hockey Mike Schafer having guided seven players to win the award eight times over the last 19 years — Doug Steinstra (2000), Stephen Bâby (2002, 2003), Tyler Mugford (2009), Greg Miller (2013), Cole Bardreau (2015), Jake Weidner (2017) and Morgan Barron (2019). The only other team with more than two over that stretch is St. Lawrence.
 
Other finalists for the ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Forward are Harvard's Jack Drury and Clarkson's Josh Dunne. The winner is scheduled to be announced Tuesday, March 17.
 
Cornell continues to hold the #1 spot in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls heading into an ECAC Hockey Championship quarterfinals series this weekend against Princeton. Game 1 is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, followed by Game 2 at 7 p.m. Saturday. If necessary, a winner-take-all Game 3 would be staged at 4 p.m. Sunday. All of the games will be broadcast on ESPN+.