#11 Men's Hockey Heads to New England for Pair of Ivy League Contests

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

THE PUCK DROP
• The No. 11-ranked Cornell men's hockey team looks to go 6-0 in ECAC Hockey action in January when it makes its annual trip to New England as the Big Red will square off against Ivy League rivals Dartmouth and Harvard.

WEEKLY AWARDS
• Senior defenseman Sam Malinski assisted on five of Cornell's seven goals on the weekend, earning him ECAC Hockey Defender of the Week honors.

• Sophomore goaltender Ian Shane stopped 49 of 51 shots on the weekend, leading to his second ECAC Hockey MAC Goaltender of the Week award.

• Freshman forward Dalton Bancroft also earned a weekly award, being tabbed the top newcomer after registering three points, two of which coming on power-play goals.

SHUTOUT SHANE
• Sophomore goaltender Ian Shane recorded his third shutout of the season last Friday, logging 21 saves in the Big Red's 4-0 victory over Quinnipiac.

• Shane's shutout of the Bobcats was his second against a top-10 opponent. He previously made 27 saves in the Big Red's 6-0 victory over then-No. 6 UConn at The Frozen Apple on Nov. 26 at Madison Square Garden.

• Recording a pair of shutouts against top-10 opposition has been a rare feat this season as Shane is one of three Division I players to do so, joining Wisconsin's Jared Moe and St. Cloud State's Jaxon Castor.

• Fans are encouraged to vote for Ian Shane for the 2023 Hobey Baker Memorial Award. Log onto hobeybaker.com/vote to register your vote for the Cornell sophomore goaltender.

SAM IS THE MAN
• Senior defenseman Sam Malinski enters this weekend riding a career-long six-game point streak. During the stretch, Malinski has recorded 12 points (two goals, 10 assists).

• The point streak is the longest by a Cornell defenseman since Alex Green also had a six-game streak early in the 2019-20 season.

• With a point against Dartmouth, Malinski would record a point for a seventh consecutive game, marking the longest point streak by a Big Red defenseman since Patrick McCarron had recorded points in eight straight games in 2016-17, registering two goals and eight assists in the span.

• Malinski is the seventh Cornell blueliner since Mike Schafer became head coach prior to the 1995-96 season to record a six-game point streak, joining Mark McRae (8 games in 2002-03), McCarron (8 games in 2016-17), Charlie Cook (7 games in 2003-04), Jeff Burgoyne (6 games in 1998-99), Yanni Kaldis (6 games in 2018-19), and Alex Green (6 games in 2019-20).

PUTTING ‘SPECIAL’ IN SPECIAL TEAMS
• Cornell has recorded a power-play goal in each of its last six games, going 9-of-17 (.529) during the stretch.

• Since Mike Schafer took over the program prior to the 1995-96 season, the team's current streak is the 13th time the Big Red has registered a power-play goal in at least six straight games.

• With a power-play goal against Dartmouth on Friday night, Cornell will scored on the power play in its last seven games. The streak would be the program's longest since opening the 2019-20 season with a power-play goal in its first seven contests.

• Should Cornell score on the power play in both games this weekend, the Big Red will have its scored on the power play in eight straight games for the fourth time under Schafer (1996-97, 2005-06, 2007-08).

• After scoring on four of its six power-play opportunities last weekend, Cornell has jumped up to third nationally in power-play percentage. The Big Red's .288 clip (17-of-59) trails UMass (.308 — 20-of-65) and North Dakota (.307 — 31-of-101).

KILL, RED, KILL
• Over its last 13 games, Cornell has successfully killed 38 of its last 44 penalties (86.4 percent).

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

• Entering this weekend, Cornell ranks 11th nationally in penalty kill percentage (61-of-72 — 84.7 percent).

• The Big Red's mark is the third-highest in ECAC Hockey, trailing this weekend's opponents, Dartmouth (90.8 percent — 1st) and Harvard (85.2 percent — 9th).

• Cornell's 11 power-play goals allowed are currently the fourth-fewest conceded by a Division I program this season. Dartmouth (6), Sacred Heart (8), and Harvard (8) — all teams Cornell has played — have fewer.

NONE SHALL PASS
• Cornell enters this weekend boasting one of the nation's top scoring defenses. The Big Red has yielded 39 goals allowed so far this year, which ranks as the fewest by a Division I program.

• The Big Red's 2.05 goals allowed average ranks third in the nation, trailing Quinnipiac (1.88) and St. Cloud State (1.92).

• Historically, Cornell has boasted one of the stingiest 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 Cornell did not rank in the top 10 was 2020-21, the year the Big Red did not play due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Since 2016-17, Cornell has allowed 362 goals which stands as the fewest by a Division I team in that span and the Big Red are 96 goals ahead of Harvard, who is in second with 458 goals allowed in the span. The Big Red has a 1.97 goals allowed per game average since 2016-17, ranking second behind Minnesota State (1.84).

SHANE'S WORLD
• Sophomore goaltender Ian Shane has been strong between the pipes for Cornell so far this year, posting a 1.73 goals-against average, which ranks second nationally behind Yale's Luke Pearson (1.69), a fellow ECAC Hockey counterpart.

• Over Shane's last 11 games, he has garnered an 8-2-1 record with a 1.64 goals-against average and .923 save percentage (215 saves on 233 shots).

• During the stretch, Shane has recorded all three of his shutouts this season, two of which have come against opponents ranked in the top 10 of the USCHO.com poll, including No. 6 UConn on Nov. 26 at Madison Square Garden, and last Friday against then-top-ranked Quinnipiac.

• For his career, Shane has been stellar between the pipes for the Big Red, currenrtly holding onto a .927 career save percentage, which ranks fifth among active Division I goaltenders with at least 500 saves.

• Ahead of Shane is Northeastern's Devon Levi (.941), Quinnipiac's Yaniv Perets (.930), Yale's Luke Pearson (.930), and Ohio State's Jakub Dobes (.929).

SECOND PERIOD DOMINANCE
• Cornell has excelled in the second period this season, outscoring its opponents by 14 goals (27-13) in the frame and outshooting the opposition 203-136.

• In comparison, Cornell has outscored its opponents by a combined 14 goals, 39-25, in the other two periods of action.

• Over the opening 40 minutes of play, Cornell has generated a plus-119 advantage in shots on goal (391-272). In the final period of regulation, the Big Red have a plus-19 advantage in shots (157-138).

WIN NO. 1200
• Cornell's win over Princeton last Saturday marked the 1200th all-time victory for the Cornell men's hockey program. The Big Red became the 17th college program to reach the 1200-win plateau.

• With last Saturday's victory, the Big Red became the 17th different Division I program to amass 1,200 victories, joining Minnesota, Michigan, Boston College, Boston University, North Dakota, Denver, Clarkson, Harvard, Michigan State, Michigan Tech, Wisconsin, Yale, New Hampshire, Colorado College, Minnesota Duluth, and Army.

• There was 1,776 days spent between the program's 1,100th and 1,200th all-time victories. It was the quickest Cornell went between milestone victories since going 1,463 days between the program's 800th (Jan. 18, 2002) and 900th victories (Jan. 20, 2006).

• Head coach Mike Schafer has now been at the helm of the Big Red program for its last six milestone victories (700th, 800th, 900th, 1,000th, 1,100th, and 1,200th victories).

SCOUTING DARTMOUTH
• Dartmouth (4-15-1, 3-9-1 ECAC) enters the weekend on a two-game win streak, sweeping its road trip to Brown and Yale by respective 4-3 and 4-0 scores.

• Each of the last six games played by the Big Green at Thompson Arena have been decided by one goal or less, with Dartmouth having a 1-4-1 record in that span. Three of the last six home games for Dartmouth have gone to overtime.

• Matt Hubbarde is the reigning ECAC Hockey Forward of the Week after posting a goal and four assists last weekend, while factoring in all four Big Green goals against Yale last Saturday.

• Hubbarde (5-9—14) and Tanner Palocsik (3-11—14) are tied for the team lead in points. Luke Haymes (8-2—10), Cooper Flinton (5-5—10), Braiden Dorfman (4-6—10), and John Fusco (3-7—10) also have at least 10 points this year.

• Cooper Black has started all 20 games for the Big Green this season, registering a 2.86 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage.

THE SERIES
• Friday will be the 144th all-time meeting between the two Ivy League foes. Cornell has the lead in the series, 86-50-7, while being unbeaten in nine of its last 12 against the Big Green (7-3-2).

• Games have been fairly close between the two Ancient Eight opponents, as the last five games, six of the last seven, and 15 of the last 23 have been decided by one goal or less.

• Eleven of the last 13 games at Thompson Arena between Cornell and Dartmouth have been decided by one goal or less, and all 13 contests have been decided within two goals. 

THE LAST TIME AGAINST DARTMOUTH
RECAP | BOX SCORE

ITHACA, N.Y. (DEC. 3, 2022) – An early goal by Travis Mitchell, and an 11-save performance by Ian Shane, helped guide the Cornell men's hockey team to a 1-0 shutout over Dartmouth in front of another sold-out crowd at Lynah Rink on Saturday night.

Matt Stienburg and Gabriel Seger helped set-up Mitchell for his second goal in as many nights for Cornell.

Cornell stymied Dartmouth's offense throughout the night, yielding just 11 shots on the night. The Big Red ended up outshooting the Big Green by a 27-11 margin, which included a 21-5 mark in the final 40 minutes of play.

SCOUTING HARVARD
• No. 10-ranked Harvard (13-5-1, 11-3-0 ECAC) enters the weekend splitting its trip to Yale and Brown. The Crimson are 7-0-0 at home this year, and have won 13 of its last 14 home games.

• Sean Farrell (12 goals, 17 assists) paces Harvard's offense with a team-high 29 points. Alex Laferriere (10-13—23), and Matthew Coronato (11-10—21) also have surpassed the 20-point plateau.

• Mitchell Gibson has started in all 13 of his appearances for the Crimson this season, logging an 8-4-1 record with a 2.26 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.

THE SERIES
• Saturday will be the 161st all-time meeting between the two bitter Ivy League rivals. Cornell leads the series, 79-68-13, despite being winless in its last four over the Crimson (0-2-2).

• Of the last 20 meetings between the two teams, 13 have been decided by one goal or less. Dating back to 2000-01, 19 of the last 21 games at Bright-Landry Hockey Center have been decided by two goals.

THE LAST TIME AGAINST HARVARD
RECAP | BOX SCORE

ITHACA, N.Y. (DEC. 2, 2022) – Harvard's Sean Farrell deposited his own rebound past Cornell goaltender Ian Shane 1:11 into overtime to aid the No. 7-ranked Crimson to a 2-1 victory over Cornell in the latest installment of the bitter rivalry between the two Ivy League programs before a sold-out crowd of 4,267 at Lynah Rink on Friday night.

The victory for Harvard snapped Cornell's four-game win streak.

Farrell and Matt Coronato each registered two-point nights for the visiting Crimson. Joe Miller scored the other goal for Harvard.

Mitchell Gibson made 22 saves between the pipes for Harvard, who has now won 14 of its last 16 ECAC regular-season games, dating back to last season.

Travis Mitchell scored the lone goal for Cornell with Sean Donaldson and Tim Rego being credited with assists. Shane made 21 saves in the defeat for the Big Red (6-5-0, 4-3-0 ECAC).

SHANE MAKES 21 SAVES, AID #16 MEN'S HOCKEY TO SHUTOUT OF #1 QUINNIPIAC

RECAP I BOX SCORE 

ITHACA, N.Y. (JAN. 20, 2023) – For the second consecutive year, the Cornell men's hockey team spoiled a top-ranked Quinnipiac's 17-game unbeaten streak.

Before a raucous crowd of 3,794 at Lynah Rink on Friday night, sophomore goaltender Ian Shane stopped all 21 Bobcats shots he faced while recording his second shutout over a top-10 opponent of the season to aid the No. 16-ranked Big Red to a 4-0 shutout over the nation's top scoring offense.

Cornell, who is No. 16 in the most recent USCHO.com poll, had goals from four different players in the victory over Quinnipiac, who lost its first game since being shut out by Maine, also by a 4-0 score, on Oct. 22.

Senior Ben Berard was credited with the game-winning goal, while freshman Dalton Bancroft, and sophomores Jack O'Leary and Ondrej Psenicka also lit the lamp for Cornell.

TRIO OF POWER-PLAY GOALS LIFT #16 MEN'S HOCKEY TO WIN OVER PRINCETON

RECAP I BOX SCORE 

ITHACA, N.Y. (JAN. 21, 2022) – Freshman Dalton Bancroft's power-play goal 6:26 into the third period proved to be the difference in a 3-2 victory for the No. 16-ranked Cornell men's hockey team over Princeton in front of a sold-out Lynah Rink on Saturday night.

Bancroft, who also had an assist on Cornell's first goal, was joined by junior forward Gabriel Seger and fellow freshman forward Sean Donaldson in the scoring column. Senior defenseman Sam Malinski assisted on all three goals for Cornell.

Sophomore goaltender Ian Shane stopped 28 of 30 shots he faced on the night, improving to 11-5-1 on the year.

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 returns to Lynah Rink next weekend to open a three-game homestand when the Big Red hosts RPI and Union for a pair of 7 p.m. contests.

• In the last meeting against the Capital Region-based programs, Cornell potted six goals in both contests to open the 2023 portion of the year.

• The homestand concludes on Feb. 10 when Cornell welcome Colgate in the first half of a home-and-home with its Central New York rival.