#16 Men's Hockey Returns to Lynah for First Home Games of 2023

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

THE PUCK DROP
• The No. 16-ranked Cornell men's hockey team returns to Lynah Rink this weekend for its first pair of home contests in the 2023 portion of the season, when it hosts top-ranked Quinnipiac and Princeton in a pair of ECAC Hockey contests.

WELCOMING THE TOP 'CAT
• Friday's game against top-ranked Quinnipiac will mark just the second time in program history since 1997-98 that Cornell will be hosting the No. 1 team in the nation.

• Since the introduction of the USCHO.com poll prior to the 1997-98 season, Cornell has played the top-ranked team on 10 occasions. Eight of those 10 instances have come against Quinnipiac, with the first seven happening on the Bobcats' home ice.

• Over the previous 10 meetings against the top-ranked team in the country, Cornell has a 4-5-1 record. Four of the last seven games have gone to overtime, including a double-overtime contest on March 17, 2013, in the final game of a best-of-three series in the quarterfinals of the ECAC Hockey Championship.

• The last time Cornell played the No. 1 team in the country came nearly one year ago to the date, Jan. 22, 2022, when it hosted a top-ranked Quinnipiac squad. Ben Berard lifted Cornell to a 2-1 victory over the Bobcats thanks to a pair of power-play goals, with the latter coming with 16 seconds left in overtime.

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

• Under Schafer, the Big Red is 266-102-45 at Lynah Rink (.698). According to data from CollegeHockeyNews.com's database, Cornell has the sixth-best home win percentage in that span. Only Michigan (.751), Quinnipiac (.724), North Dakota (.724), Boston College (.712), and Denver (.705) have higher win percentages at their respective home rinks.

• Cornell has been a hostile place to play college hockey dating back to 2017-18, as the Big Red's record of 52-13-6 (.775) at Lynah Rink is the second-best in Division I hockey, trailing Minnesota State's .847 clip (90-15-3).

SEEING DOUBLE
• Senior forward Ben Berard was held to one point  in the Big Red's loss to Boston University last Saturday, snapping his streak of games with multiple points at four.

• As one streak ends, another one could potentially begin. With a multi-point game on Friday, junior forward Gabriel Seger would join Berard and five others with the second-longest streak of consecutive multi-point games.

• Should Seger log multiple points against Quinnipiac, he and Berard would be the second pair of Cornell teammates under head coach Mike Schafer to have at least four consecutive games with multiple points. Mark Scollan (2-7—9) and Matt Cooney (3-5—8) each had four-game point streaks in 1995-96, which was Schafer's first as the Big Red's head coach.

POINT SEGER
• Junior forward Gabriel Seger has had a knack for finding the scoresheet this season, registering at least one point in 12 of the 15 games he has played this year.

• He enters this weekend game with points in his last six games, a career-long streak for the native of Uppsala, Sweden. During his point streak, Seger has recorded an assist in each game, while  posting 11 points (three goals, eight assists).

• Seger (5-13—18) paces the Big Red offense with his 18 points, and is one of six players with a double-digit point total. The others with 10-plus points this year include senior Ben Berard
(4-12—16), freshman Nick DeSantis (5-7—12), senior Sam Malinski (3-9—12), freshman Dalton Bancroft (4-6—10), and senior Max Andreev (3-7—10).

FRESH(MAN) POINT STREAK
• Freshman forward Nick DeSantis has registered a point in each of his last five games. which is the first instance since Ben Berard in 2019-20.

• DeSantis is the 10th different freshman (12th occurrence) under head coach Mike Schafer that a freshman has had a five-game point streak.

• With a point against Quinnipiac on Friday, DeSantis would become the third Cornell freshman to have a six-game point streak, joining the likes of Ryan Vesce (eight-game streak in 2000-01) and Morgan Barron (seven-game streak in 2017-18).

• The five-game point streak is tied with Kyle Knopp (1995-96), Ryan Moynihan (1996-97), Denis Ladoucer (1998-99), Topher Scott (twice in 2004-05), Riley Nash (twice in 2007-08), Joel Lowry (2012-13), and Berard (2019-20) for the third-longest point streak by a first-year player.

BLUELINE + GOALS = RED
• Senior defenseman Sam Malinski enters the weekend riding a four-game point streak, which is the third time the Lakeville, Minn., native has had points in four consecutive games.

• With a point in his next game, Malinski would be the first Cornell defenseman with a five-game point streak since Yanni Kaldis had a five-game streak during the 2019-20 season.

• Should Malinski have a point in both games this weekend, he would be the first Cornell blueliner with a six-game point streak since Alex Green early on in 2019-20.

SHARING THE WEALTH
• Cornell, so far this year, has had 21 players score at least one goal this season. This marks the sixth consecutive year that the Big Red has had at least 20 goal-scorers in a season.

• All 22 skaters who have played for Cornell this season have registered a point, which is the most since the 2019-20 season (23).

NONE SHALL PASS
• Cornell enters this weekend boasting one of the nation's top scoring defenses. The Big Red has yielded 37 goals allowed so far this year, which ranks as the fewest by a Division I program.

• The Big Red's 2.18 goals per game average ranks fourth in the nation, trailing Quinnipiac (1.73), St. Cloud State (1.95), and Denver (2.08).

• Historically, Cornell has boasted one of the stingier defensive units in Division I hockey. The Big Red has ranked in the top 10 in scoring defense in five of the last six seasons. The lone year was 2020-21, which the Big Red did not play due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Since 2016-17, Cornell has allowed 360 goals which stands as the fewest by a Division I team in that span. The Big Red has averaged 1.98 goals allowed per game during the stretch, ranking second nationally, only behind Minnesota State (1.85).

KILL, RED, KILL
• Over its last 11 games, Cornell has successfully killed off 34 of its last 39 penalties (87.1 percent).

• Four of the five power-play goals allowed by the Big Red since Nov. 18 came on Jan. 7 at RPI. Three of the four markers came during a five-minute power play.

• Cornell currently ranks 10th nationally in penalty kill percentage (57-of-67 — 85.1 percent). The Big Red's mark is third in ECAC Hockey, only behind Dartmouth (91.5 percent) and Harvard (85.7 percent).

SHANE'S WORLD
• Sophomore goaltender Ian Shane has been strong between the pipes for Cornell so far this year, posting a 1.83 goals-against average, which ranks fourth nationally.

• Shane trails a pair of ECAC Hockey counterparts in Yale's Luke Pearson (1.25) and Quinnipiac's Yaniv Perets (1.67). St. Cloud State's Dominic Basse is between the two ECAC players with a 1.61 clip.

• Over Shane's last 10 games, he is 7-2-1 with a 1.81 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage (182 saves on 200 shots).

• During the stretch, Shane has a pair of shutouts which came against then-No. 6 UConn on Nov. 26 at Madison Square Garden, and Dec. 3 against Dartmouth.

NOT THROWING AWAY OUR SHOTS
• Following the completion of games on Tuesday, according to advanced team statistics on CollegeHockeyNews.com, Cornell ranks seventh in Fenwick percentage.

• The Fenwick statistic is similar to Corsi, but Fenwick removes every shot attempt that is blocked by an opponent.

• Quinnipiac paces all Division I programs with its 61.5 clip. Minnesota State is behind the Bobcats with a 60.5 percentage.

• Cornell currently has a 57.2 Fenwick percentage, thanks to having 750 shot attempts compared to its opponent's 562  figure.

• The Big Red rank seventh nationally and second among ECAC Hockey programs. Harvard is the other ECAC program ranking in the top 10 in Fenwick (9th — 56.2 percent).

SECOND PERIOD DOMINANCE
• Cornell has excelled in the second period this season, outscoring its opponents by 13 goals (25-12) in the frame.

• In comparison, Cornell has outscored its opponents by 10 goals, 34-24, in the other two periods of action.

• Along with its plus-13 goal differential in the second period, the Big Red have outshot its opponents by 70 shots in the period, 187-117.

• In the opening 40 minutes of play, Cornell has a plus-120 advantage in shots on goal (356-236). In the final period of regulation, the Big Red has a plus-19 advantage (142-123).

BRONZE MEDAL REUNION
• Cornell equipment manager Sean Schmidt and Quinnipiac equipment manager Rob Kennedy are reuniting for the first time since winning a bronze medal with Team USA at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Jan. 5.

• Along with the equipment managers, Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold and its director of hockey operations, Shawn Roche, also worked with Team USA, who defeated Sweden, 8-7, in overtime to win bronze.

• Schmidt, Kennedy, Pecknold, and Roche were four of nine coaching and support staff members for Team USA at the World Junior Championship that work full-time with a Division I hockey program. Along with Quinnipiac and Cornell, Dartmouth, Western Michigan, Michigan State, Sacred Heart, and Notre Dame were the other Division I programs represented on Team USA.

SCOUTING QUINNIPIAC
• Quinnipiac enters this weekend riding a 17-game unbeaten streak (16-0-1). The top-ranked Bobcats have won its last eight games since playing to a 2-2 tie against UMass on Nov. 26 in the Friendship Four in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

• Colin Graf has powered the Bobcats offense this season with 33 points (11+22) in 22 games. Graf's 11 goals are tied with Jacob Quillan for the team lead. Seven Bobcat players have at least 10 assists so far.

• Yaniv Perets has started all 22 games for Quinnipiac, logging a 1.67 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage over 1293:50 minutes of action.

THE SERIES
• Friday marks be the 49th all-time meeting between Cornell and Quinnipiac. Cornell holds onto a 25-19-4 lead in the series and is 8-3-1 over its last 12 meetings against the Bobcats.

• Cornell has won five of its last six home games against Quinnipiac. During the span, the Big Red has outscored its ECAC Hockey rival at Lynah Rink, 18-7.

• Quinnipiac has stymied Cornell's offense recently, holding the Big Red to two goals or less in 12 of the last 13 meetings.

THE LAST TIME AGAINST QUINNIPIAC
RECAP | BOX SCORE

HAMDEN, Conn. (NOV. 5, 2022) – Cornell, Quinnipiac, and hockey are often synonymous with low-scoring games. That lived to expectation Saturday night at M&T Bank Arena as Jack Quillan scored both Quinnipiac goals to lift the No. 7-ranked Bobcats to a 2-0 victory over Cornell.

Quinnipiac yielded just nine Cornell shots on goal on the night, which included holding the Big Red without a shot on goal for nearly the first 23 minutes of the contest.

At the conclusion of the night, Quinnipiac out-shot Cornell by a 28-9 margin and had a plus-24 differential in shot attempts, 60-36.

Cornell sophomore goaltender Ian Shane stopped 26 of 27 shots in the defeat, while his counterpart Yaniv Perets stopped all nine Cornell shots to earn his 13th career shutout.

SCOUTING PRINCETON
• Princeton is coming off a 3-2 overtime victory over No. 12 Providence at Hobey Baker Memorial Rink on Tuesday night.

• Jack Cronin scored the game-winner for the Tigers at the 3:07 mark of the extra period. David Ma and Pito Walton each registered two assists for the victors.

• The Tigers have won eight of its last 11 games, posting a 8-3-0 record since Nov. 26. Princeton enters the weekend having won its last three games over Dartmouth, Long Island, and Providence.

• Liam Gorman (10-6—16), Ian Murphy (6-10—16), and Walton (4-12—16) pace Princeton's offense this season, which has eight players with 10-plus points this year.

• Ethan Pearson has started 16 of Princeton's 19 games this season, logging a 10-6-0 record with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.

THE SERIES
• Saturday will be the 160th meeting between the Big Red and Tigers in a series that dates back to 1900-01. Cornell holds onto the series lead, 98-53-8.

• The series has heavily favored the Big Red recently, as Cornell is 17-3-0 over its last 20 against Princeton.

• Cornell is 22-5-1 over its last 28 games played against Princeton at Lynah Rink since Mike Schafer took over the Big Red program. In the last meeting in Ithaca between the Ancient Eight programs, Princeton snapped Cornell's seven-game win streak in front of the Lynah Faithful, 5-4, on Jan. 21.

A FAMILIAR FACE RETURNS
• Shane Talarico makes his first return to Lynah Rink since being named an assistant coach at Princeton this past June 6.

• Talarico was previously Cornell's director of hockey operations from 2019-22 under head coach Mike Schafer.  

THE LAST TIME AGAINST PRINCETON
RECAP | BOX SCORE

PRINCETON, N.J. (NOV. 4, 2022) – Junior forward Gabriel Seger and junior defenseman Tim Rego scored twice over a 30-second span in the second period to aid Cornell to a 3-1 victory over Princeton at Hobey Baker Memorial Rink on Friday night.

Along with Seger and Rego, defenseman Travis Mitchell added an empty-net goal to give Cornell its first victory of the season.

The win for Cornell marked the 500th head coaching victory for Mike Schafer '86, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Men's Ice Hockey.

With the win, Schafer became the 18th Division I hockey coach to surpass the 500-win threshold. He is currently one of seven active collegiate head coaches with 500-plus wins. Schafer joins Mercyhurst's Rick Gotkin, Quinnipiac's Rand Pecknold, and Notre Dame's Jeff Jackson as the Division I coaches with at least 500 career coaching victories.

Sophomore goaltender Ian Shane stopped 15 of Princeton's 16 shots on goal for the Big Red. In total, Cornell posted a 65-44 ledger in shot attempts while out-shooting Princeton 37-16.

Pito Walton scored the lone goal for the host Tigers. Princeton goaltender Ethan Pearson stopped 34 of the 36 shots he faced on the night.

#7 BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCORES LATE, DEFEATS #15 MEN'S HOCKEY

RECAP I BOX SCORE 

BOSTON (JAN. 14, 2023) – Boston University freshman defenseman Lane Hutson scored with three seconds left to lift the No. 7-ranked Terriers to a 4-3 victory over No. 15-ranked Cornell in men's hockey action at Jack Parker Rink inside Agganis Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Senior defenseman Sam Malinski and junior forward Gabriel Seger each scored a goal and recorded two assists for Cornell in the setback. Sophomore goaltender Ian Shane made 36 saves in goal for the Big Red (10-6-1).

Jay O'Brien and Matt Brown each recorded two assists, both of which came on the Terriers' third-period goals. Drew Commesso made 28 saves between the pipes for the Terriers (15-6-0).

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.

The venue has received a facelift or two since its inaugural game on March 21, 1957, between the NHL's N.Y. Rangers and the AHL's Rochester Americans.

During the summer of 2006, the rink underwent a 16,700 square foot expansion that added new locker rooms, coaches offices, study lounges, a new athletic training space, and the addition of approximately 450 new seats. Prior to the expansion of the support space, the university spent nearly $1 million in renovations to Lynah in the summer of 2000, replacing the rink floor, drainage system, frost protection, and refrigeration piping, as well as adding new boards and seamless glass.

Though many physical aspects of Lynah Rink have changed over the years, one thing remains constant: the crowd. Lynah is capable of holding 4,267 boisterous Cornell hockey fans who provide unwavering support for the Big Red, creating an atmosphere that is unparalleled in the sport of college hockey. Although many rinks in the nation are larger in seating capacity, few are known to be louder. The Cornell fans, aptly named the "Lynah Faithful," stream into every home contest and make themselves as much a part of the game as the players do. Whether they’re cheering for the Big Red or joining the pep band in their rendition of "Give My Regards to Davy," the Lynah Faithful reaffirm the old saying, "there’s no place like home."

• Cornell will head back on the road to square off against a pair of Ivy League opponents in Dartmouth and Harvard.

• Puck drop for both contests are slated for 7 p.m. starts, with both games being broadcast on ESPN+ and WHCU (870 AM, 97.7 FM).

• The Big Red defeated Dartmouth, 1-0, behind a first-period goal by Travis Mitchell after falling to then-No. 7 Harvard, 2-1, in overtime. Mitchell also scored for Cornell in the loss to the Crimson.