ITHACA, N.Y. — ECAC Hockey announced Monday that the Cornell men's hockey team has been predicted to finish fourth in both the coaches' and media preseason polls for the 2021-22 season.
The last time the Big Red was in action in February 2020, it sat atop both major national polls at 23-2-4 and on a nine-game winning streak to clinch the ECAC Hockey's Cleary Cup for the best conference record for a third straight year – a first in program history. But the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic nixed the postseason and the team's entire 2020-21 season. That leaves Cornell and seven of the other league's other 11 teams as relatively unknown quantities as they return to play for the first time in 19 months.
Despite the long layoff, the Big Red returns several key contributors among its 16 incumbents on a roster that runs 30 deep. A trio of fifth-year students headline that group – forwards
Kyle Betts and
Brenden Locke, and defenseman
Cody Haiskanen – as well as NHL-drafted forwards
Matt Stienburg (Colorado Avalanche) and
Jack Malone (Vancouver Canucks). Mike Schafer, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Men's Hockey, returns to the helm for a 26th season.
In the coaches poll, Cornell garnered one of the 12 first-place votes and 96 voting points. Quinnipiac (112) – the regular-season champion for the circuit's four-team 2021-22 season – was picked first, narrowly ahead of Clarkson (110). Harvard (99) edged Cornell for third overall and first among teams that did not compete in 2020-21.
The media was more bullish on Clarkson (113 points), picking the Golden Knights to top the league ahead of a second-place tie between Harvard and Quinnipiac (106). The Big Red was not represented on either of the preseason all-league teams.
Both major national preseason polls were also released Monday, with Cornell placed 13th in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll and 15th in the USCHO.com poll.
Preparation for Cornell's season is already in full swing, with game action set to start with a pair of exhibition games at Lynah Rink before a season-opening set of two games Oct. 29-30 against visiting Alaska. Cornell's first eight games are all against programs that also did not compete during the 2020-21 season due to the pandemic.
ECAC HOCKEY PRESEASON POLLS
Coaches (First-place votes) .....Points
1. Quinnipiac (4)
.....112
2. Clarkson (3)
.....110
3. Harvard (3)
.....99
4. Cornell (1)
.....96
5. St. Lawrence (1)
.....81
6. Colgate
.....67
7. Dartmouth
.....60
T8. Rensselaer
.....40
T8. Union
.....40
10. Yale
.....38
11. Princeton
.....28
12. Brown
.....18
Media (First-place votes) Points
1. Clarkson (6)
.....113
T2. Harvard (3)
.....106
T2. Quinnipiac (2)
.....106
4. Cornell
.....92
5. Colgate
.....69
6. St. Lawrence
.....66
7. Rensselaer
.....57
8. Dartmouth
.....53
9. Yale
.....45
10. Brown
.....27
11. Union
.....26
12. Princeton
.....18
PRESEASON ALL-ECAC HOCKEY TEAMS
Coaches
G – Emil Zetterquist (St. Lawrence)
D – Zach Metsa (Quinnipiac)
D – Henry Thrun (Harvard)
F – Nick Abruzzese (Harvard)
F – Ethan De Jong (Quinnipiac)
F – Zach Tsekos (Clarkson)
Media*
G – Emil Zetterquist (St. Lawrence)
D – Zach Metsa (Quinnipiac)
D – Henry Thrun (Harvard)
D – Tanner Palocsik (Dartmouth)
F – Nick Abruzzese (Harvard)
F – Ethan De Jong (Quinnipiac)
F – Casey Dornbach (Harvard)
(* - extended to three defensemen due to ties in voting)
