Men's Hockey Set to Host Harvard, Dartmouth This Weekend

Mike Schafer '86
The Jay R. Bloom ‘77 Head Coach of Cornell Men’s Ice Hockey

THE PUCK DROP
• Coming off a dominant victory over UConn at Madison Square Garden in the Frozen Apple last weekend, the Cornell men's hockey team returns to Lynah Rink this weekend to square off against No. 7-ranked Harvard and Dartmouth in a pair of ECAC Hockey and Ivy League matchups.

FRESH(MAN) HAT TRICK
• With his hat trick against UConn at Madison Square Garden last Saturday, Dalton Bancroft became the 16th different Cornell freshman to score at least three goals in a game since first-year players were eligible to play beginning in the 1975-76 season.

• Bancroft joins Roy Kerling (1977-78), Brock Tredway (1977-78), Duanne Moeser (1982-83), Pete Natyshak (1982-83), Joe Nieuwendyk (1984-85), Chris Grenier (1985-86), Casey Jones (1986-87), Trent Andison (4 goals in 1987-88), Vincent Auger (1993-94), Ryan Smart (1994-95), Kyle Knopp (1995-96), Matt Moulson (2002-03), Jeff Malott (2016-17), Kyle Betts (2017-18), and Ben Berard (2019-20).

• Additionally, Bancroft recorded the second hat trick by a Cornell player in program history at Madison Square Garden, joining Dick Bertrand (Dec. 23, 1969), who later became the head coach of the Big Red from 1970-82.

• No Cornell player has recorded a hat trick in consecutive games since Doug Derraugh, the current Cornell women's hockey head coach, against Colgate (1/22/91) and Dartmouth (1/26/91).

• The only freshman to record a pair of hat tricks in consecutive games happened by Brock Tredway when he logged three hat tricks in as many games against Yale (1/21/78), Princeton (1/25/78) and Penn (1/28/78).

LYNAH FAITHFUL
• Playing at Lynah Rink in front of the Lynah Faithful has favored Cornell since Mike Schafer '86 took over as head coach prior to the 1995-96 season.

• Under Schafer, Cornell has a 265-102-48 record at Lynah Rink, good for a .696 win percentage. According to data from CollegeHockeyNews.com's database, the Big Red has the sixth-best home win percentage over the last 28-plus seasons.

• Michigan (.751), North Dakota (.726), Quinnipiac (.720), Boston College (.712), and Denver (.703) have higher win percentages on home ice than the Big Red.

• Since the beginning of the 2017-18 season, Cornell has been one of the more hostile places to play college hockey. Cornell has a 50-12-6 (.779) home record over the last five-plus seasons, which is second in Division I hockey behind Minnesota State (.880).

OPENING STRONG AT LYNAH
• Cornell has won its first three home games of the season and is looking to open 4-0 at home for the third consecutive year, and the fourth time in the last five seasons.

• The last time Cornell opened 4-0 on home ice in three consecutive seasons came during a stretch where Cornell won its first four home games in 10 straight years, spanning the 1964-74 seasons.

• With a win over Harvard on Friday, it would be the 23rd time in Cornell's program history in which it has started 4-0 at home (1921-22, 1964-74, 1977-78, 1980-81, 1982-83, 1988-89, 2001-03, 2004-05, 2009-10, 2017-18, 2019-20, and 2021-22).

BANCROFT EARNS HONORS
• Freshman Dalton Bancroft was named the ECAC Hockey Forward and Rookie of the Week after registering four points (three goals, one assist) in games against Sacred Heart and UConn last weekend.

• Bancroft is the first Cornell player to earn multiple weekly awards from ECAC Hockey since goaltender Matthew Galajda was the conference's Goaltender and Rookie of the Week on Feb. 13, 2018.

• It marked the second consecutive week Cornell has taken home the Rookie of the Week honor, as Sean Donaldson received the award on Nov. 21 after logging a pair of two-assist games against Yale and Brown.

STRONG DEFENSE
• Dating back to the beginning of the 2016-17 season, Cornell has boasted one of the strongest defensive units in Division I hockey.

• Over the last six-plus seasons, Cornell has allowed an average of 1.95 goals per game, ranking second nationally behind Minnesota State (1.83).

• The Big Red's 342 goals allowed are the fewest by a Division I program over the last six-plus years. Harvard is second with 432 goals.

• Cornell, who enters the weekend with the fourth-best scoring defense this season, has been in the top 10 in five of the last six years. The lone year was 2020-21, which was not played due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

FINDING THE SCORESHEET
• Sophomore Sullivan Mack and freshman Dalton Bancroft enter this weekend riding four-game point streaks, both of which are career longs for the Big Red duo.

• Bancroft has seven points (four goals and three assists) during his point streak, while Mack has five points (one goal and four assists).

• The four-game point streak is the longest by a freshman since Justin Ertel and Hank Kempf each had four-game point streaks last season.

• No Cornell freshman has had a five-game point streak since Ben Berard went five straight games with a point during the 2019-20 campaign.

PUTTING SPECIAL IN SPECIAL TEAMS
• After opening the year scoring on just three of its first 27 power-play opportunities (.111), the Big Red has gone 5-for-9 (.556) with the man advantage during its four-game win streak.

• On the other side of special teams, this weekend at Lynah Rink will feature three of the top penalty killing units at the Division I level.

• Harvard enters this weekend with the nation's best penalty kill, allowing just one power-play goal in 28 chances this season (96.4 percent). Dartmouth ranks fourth nationally (25-of-28 — 89.3 percent) while Cornell is seventh (34-of-39 — 87.2 percent).

• During the Big Red's four-game win streak, Cornell has successfully killed off its last 11 penalties and are 24-of-27 dating back to Nov. 4 at Princeton.

SHANE'S WORLD
• Sophomore goaltender Ian Shane has been strong between the pipes for Cornell so far this year, posting a 1.54 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage.

• Shane's 1.54 goals-against average ranks third nationally and second in ECAC Hockey. St. Cloud State's Dominic Basse (1.29) and Princeton's Ethan Pearson are the only players ahead of Shane at the Division I ranks.

• The Manhattan Beach, Calif., native also has the seventh-best save percentage among eligible Division I netminders, while also ranking second among ECAC Hockey goaltenders. Basse (.948), Pearson (.940), Northeastern's Devon Levi (.936), Merrimack's Zachary Borgiel (.934), Michigan State's Dylan St. Cyr (.934), and Michigan Tech's Blake Pietila (.933) have higher percentages.

• In Shane's last three games, he has posted a 1.00 GAA and a .952 save percentage (60-of-63).

DOMINATING THE SECOND PERIOD
• Cornell has excelled in the second period this season, outscoring its opponents by a 13-4 margin in the middle frame of its 10 games played so far on the year.

• In comparison, Cornell has outscored its opponents by just three goals 18-15 in the other two periods of action.

• Along with its plus-9 goal differential in the second period, the Big Red have outshot its opponents by a whopping 52 shots in the period, 115-63. Cornell has just plus-20 advantage in shots on goal (177-157) in the other 40 minutes.

CORNELL'S SCORING PROWESS
• Cornell has scored 31 goals in its first 10 games while giving up 19, good enough for a 1.20 scoring margin, which ranks ninth among Division I programs.

• Of the 31 goals scored by Cornell so far this season, the Big Red have been getting contributions from everyone on the squad as 18 players have already found the back of the net early on in the season.

• Last year, Cornell had 20 different goal scorers in its 32 games played during the 2021-22 campaign.

• The Big Red's 1.20 scoring margin on the year ranks third in ECAC Hockey, trailing Quinnipiac (1.79) and Harvard (1.78), who are currently assuming the top two spots nationally.

SCORING BREAKDOWN
• Through the Big Red's 10 games so far this year, the Big Red have been receiving offensive production from all members of the team. Upperclassmen have a slight edge in points, amounting for 53.4 percent of the team's offensive production (47 of 88 points).

• Seniors have the team lead in goals (11) and assists (23). Sophomores are second in assists (15), while freshman have the second-most goals so far on the year (9).

DOMINATING IVY LEAGUE PLAY
• Cornell has excelled in Ivy League play over its last 30 games, posting a 21-5-4 record in that span, which includes the Big Red's active four-game win streak against Ancient Eight opposition.

• The remaining five Ivy League opponents that field hockey programs have had a hard time defeating the Big Red on its home ice, as Cornell is 18-1-3 at home against Ivy League teams since 2017-18.

• Cornell's lone loss came to Princeton (Jan. 21, 2022), while two of the three Big Red ties have come against Harvard (Jan. 25, 2020 & Jan. 28, 2022). Dartmouth had the other tie (Jan. 29, 2022).

ABOUT HARVARD
• The Crimson enter the weekend with a 7-1-1 overall mark and a perfect 6-0-0 mark in ECAC Hockey play. Harvard has won 13 of its last 15 regular season ECAC Hockey games (13-1-1), dating back to last year.

• Harvard is coming off its first winless weekend of the season, after tying with Michigan, 4-4, last Friday before losing its first game of the season, 4-1.

• Sean Farrell paces the Crimson offense with 13 points (four goals, nine assists). He is tied with Henry Thrun for the team lead in assists (9). Matthew Coronato and Alex Laferriere share the team lead in goals (6).

• Mitchell Gibson has started six of Harvard's nine games this year. He is 4-1-1 on the year with a 1.97 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage.

• Harvard has the most NHL draft picks of any Division I program this season (15).

• Harvard has five players who are sons of former NHLers (Kyle Aucoin, Ryan Healey, Mason Langenbrunner, Marek Hejduk, and Zakary Karpa).

• John Farinacci is the nephew of Harvard head coach Ted Donato, who played 796 NHL games over 13 seasons. His cousin, Ryan Donato, currently plays for the Seattle Kraken.

• Baker Shore is the younger brother of former NHLers Drew and Nick Shore.

THE SERIES
• Friday will be the 160th all-time meeting between the two bitter Ivy League rivals. Cornell leads the series, 79-67-13, despite being winless in its last three over the Crimson (0-1-2).

• Cornell is 39-24-8 all-time at Lynah Rink against the Crimson and are unbeaten in its last four at the venue (2-0-2).

• Of the previous 19 meetings between the two programs, 11 have been decided by one goal or less.

THE LAST TIME AGAINST HARVARD
RECAP | BOX SCORE

ITHACA, N.Y. (Jan. 29, 2022) — Forwards Brenden Locke and Matt Stienburg scored goals and freshman goaltender Ian Shane made a career-high 34 saves in the Cornell men's hockey team's 2-2 tie with Harvard on Saturday night at Lynah Rink.

The Crimson went on to win a six-round shootout to secure the extra point in the ECAC Hockey standings.

ABOUT DARTMOUTH
• Dartmouth returns stateside after its pair of games against Quinnipiac and UMass Lowell at the Friendship Four in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The Big Green have a 1-6-1 overall record and a 1-3-1 mark in ECAC Hockey play.

• After winning its first game of the season against Yale on Nov. 4, the Big Green are winless in its last five (0-4-1).

• Tanner Paloscik (1-6—7) leads the team in scoring, while Luke Haymes (6-0—6) has a large lead in goal scoring. Six Dartmouth players have two goals, which are tied for the second-most on the squad.

• Cooper Black has started all eight of Dartmouth's games this season, posting a 1-5-1 record with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage.

THE SERIES
• Saturday will be the 143rd all-time meeting between the two Ivy League foes. Cornell leads the all-time series, 85-50-7, including a gaudy 48-16-4 mark at Lynah Rink.

• Cornell is unbeaten in eight of its last 11 over the Big Green, posting an 6-3-2 record in the span.

• Games have been fairly close between the two Ancient Eight opponents, as the last four games, five of the last six, and 14 of the last 22 have been decided by one goal or less.

THE LAST TIME AGAINST DARTMOUTH
RECAP | BOX SCORE

ITHACA, N.Y. (Jan. 28, 2022) — Junior forward Jack Malone scored on a power play with 2 minutes, 22 seconds left in the third period to help the Cornell men's hockey team salvage a 2-2 tie with Dartmouth on Friday night at Lynah Rink.

The Big Green would go to earn an extra point in the ECAC Hockey standings by winning the best-of-three shootout.

BANCROFT LIFTS BIG RED TO WIN OVER UCONN AT MSG

RECAP I BOX SCORE 

NEW YORK (Nov. 26, 2022 – Freshman Dalton Bancroft recorded his first collegiate hat trick as the Cornell men's ice hockey team cruised to a 6-0 win over No. 6 UConn on Saturday evening in the Frozen Apple at Madison Square Garden.

Sophomore Ian Shane stopped all 27 shots he faced to earn his fourth career shutout, leading the Big Red (6-4-0) to its fourth consecutive win.

Cornell scored twice in the first 74 seconds as Bancroft and sophomore Ondrej Psenicka quickly found the back of the night for the Big Red, giving Cornell a huge jolt of momentum.

It was all the Big Red would need as 11 different players entered the scoring column on the night. Seniors Max Andreev and Matt Stienburg each had a goal and an assist, while sophomore Sullivan Mack added two helpers.

2022-23 Roster

If you’ve never been to a Big Red hockey game at Cornell’s James Lynah Rink, there are quite a few things you’ve never experienced. You’ve never camped out in line just to get season tickets and ensure your spot as one of the raucous and devoted "Lynah Faithful." But most importantly, if you’ve never been to Lynah, you’ve never really experienced all the best that college hockey has to offer.

Lynah Rink, which turned 65 years old in 2022, is the home of Big Red hockey. The rink, which was dedicated April 6, 1957, was named in honor of the late James Lynah (class of 1905), director of athletics at Cornell from 1935-43.

• Following a three-week break from competition, the Big Red returns to Lynah Rink for a non-conference series against AIC on Dec. 29 and 30.

• The series against the Yellow Jackets will be the second and third times the programs will be playing each other. The only other instance came on Dec. 3, 1963, in which Cornell won 7-0.

• It will be Cornell's second time playing an Atlantic Hockey opponent, after it beat Sacred Heart, 2-1, on Nov. 22. It will be Cornell's first time since the 2004-05 season in which it plays at least three games against Atlantic Hockey opposition (Army, Sacred Heart, Canisius).