#16 Men’s Hockey Set for Home-and-Home Series Against Colgate

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 Central New York as it squares off against its geographic rival, Colgate, in its annual home-and-home series.

• Puck drop for both contests is scheduled for 7 p.m., with game action broadcast live on ESPN+ and over the airwaves on WHCU (870 AM, 97.7 FM, whcuradio.com). Canadian fans can also view the contest on TSN+.

SHANE EARNS WEEKLY HONOR
• For his play against Boston University last Saturday, Shane was named ECAC Hockey's MAC Goaltending Goaltender of the Week for the third time this season, as announced by the conference office on Monday morning.

• Shane, who earned his ninth all-time weekly award from ECAC Hockey, posted his highest save output in a game since stopping 36 shots in a 4-3 loss to Boston University at its on-campus arena, Agganis Arena, on Jan. 14, 2023.

• During his two-plus seasons with the program, Shane has had six career 30-save performances, and Cornell is 4-1-1 in those contests. In his 30-save outings, Shane has allowed one goal or less on four instances, including last Saturday night's victory.

• With the weekly award, Shane garners the most weekly awards for any ECAC Hockey goaltender this season. Shane was previously tied with Union netminder Kyle Chauvette, who received the honor twice over the first three weeks while Ivy League programs were idle from regular-season contests.

LENDING A HELPING HAND
• Despite having his season-opening seven-game assist streak snapped on Nov. 18, freshman defenseman Ben Robertson has opened his collegiate career with nine assists across his first nine games.

• Should Robertson record an assist on Friday, he would become the third Cornell defenseman in the Mike Schafer era (since 1995-96) to have 10-plus assists in the first 10 games of a season. Only Steve Wilson (10 in 1995-96) and Douglas Murray (10 in 2002-03) are the others to accomplish the feat.

• Robertson would be the ninth blueliner (10th instance) to register 10-plus assists over the first 10 games of a season, dating back to 1960-61. Along with Wilson and Murray, Robertson would join the likes of Bruce Pattison in 1967-68, Dan Lodboa in 1969-70, Jim Higgs in 1970-71, Stephen Bajinski in 1974-75, Joe Gallant in 1980-81 and 1981-82, and Rob Gemmell in 1978-79.

• With an assist in Friday's game, Robertson would become the 10th player (12th occurrence) to have 10-plus assists in the first 10 games of a season under Schafer, joining Wilson in 1995-96, Kyle Knopp in 1997-98 and 1998-99, Stephen Bâby in 2001-02 and 2002-03, Sam Paolini in 2001-02, Murray in 2002-03, Matt Moulson and Ryan Vesce in 2003-04, and Colin Greening in 2009-10.

• Robertson's 1.00 assists per game is currently tied for the seventh-best average among Division I players who have appeared in at least 75 of his team's games.

• Among freshmen skaters this season, Robertson is tied for the second-best assist-per-game average with Denver defenseman Zeev Buium and Boston University forward Macklin Celebrini. Boston College forward Gabe Perreault leads the category with his 1.21 clip (17 assists in 14 games).

• The assist per game by Robertson is tied with Buium for the fourth-best mark by a Division I blueliner, trailing Michigan's Seamus Casey (1.12), Union's John Prokop (1.09), and Merrimack's Zach Bookman (1.08).

STOUT DEFENSE
• Cornell has allowed the fewest goals in Division I hockey this season, giving up 19 over its nine games. Fellow Ivy League rival Dartmouth is right behind the Big Red with 20 goals over its seven games played.

• The Big Red's 2.11 goals allowed per game is the sixth-fewest in Division I hockey, while Wisconsin paces the nation with its 1.86 clip.

• Since 2016-17, Cornell has allowed 408 goals, which leads all Division I programs by 112 goals (Harvard — 520) that have played at least seven seasons during the span. The Big Red has averaged 1.96 goals allowed per game over the last six-plus seasons, making Cornell just one of two programs in the country to average under two goals allowed per game, joined by Minnesota State (1.89).

SPREADING THE WEALTH
• Cornell has received production from nearly every skater who has appeared in at least one game this season, as 18 of the 23 skaters (78.2 percent) have registered at least one point and 16 of the 18 players with points have at least two points.

• The Big Red's 10-player freshman class has produced the most early on, leading the program in goals scored (11), assists (21), and points (32). Cornell's 10-player junior class is behind the first-year players with 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists).

• Cornell's forwards have dominated the scoresheet early on in the season, netting 26 of the program's 28 goals (92.9 percent) and logging 54 of the 75 points (72.0 percent).

SHANE'S WORLD
• Junior goaltender Ian Shane has excelled inside the blue paint during his time on East Hill, posting a 32-17-5 record with a 1.71 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage in his 57 appearances between the pipes.

• Over Shane's last 16 games, dating back to last season, he has a 10-4-1 record with a 1.25 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage, stopping 299 of the 318 shots he has faced. Shane has allowed one goal or less on 12 occasions during the span.

• Shane's 1.71 career goals-against average paces all active Division I goaltenders with at least 25 games played and is joined by Minnesota State's Keenan Rancier (1.90) as the lone netminders with a career goals-against average under 2.00.

• Additionally, Shane's goals-against average ranks as the fourth-best in Cornell's modern era, trailing Dave LeNeveu (1.29), Ken Dryden (1.60), and Matthew Galajda (1.64). Shane is ahead of David McKee by six-thousandths of a point.

• Along with Shane's impressive goals-against average, he ranks third among Division I goaltenders in save percentage (.923), trailing Notre Dame's Ryan Bischel (.925) and Wisconsin's Kyle McClelland (.923) by three ten-thousandths of a point.

• Shane's nine shutouts — which match Andy Iles '14 for the eighth-most in Cornell program history — are the fourth-most by an active Division I goaltender. He currently trails Michigan Tech's Blake Pietila (19), Close (11), and Bischel (10) for the Division I lead in shutouts.

POINT SEGER
• Coming off a stellar junior year in his first season with Cornell in which he posted a 30-point season, senior forward Gabriel Seger has not missed a beat to begin the 2023-24 campaign, registering eight points (5-3—8) in the Big Red's first six games.

• Following his transfer from ECAC Hockey rival Union, Seger posted seven goals and 23 assists last year to become Cornell's first 30-point scorer since Morgan Barron in 2019-20 when he had 32 points (14 goals, 18 assists).

• The 30-point season marked the first time a Big Red player had 30-plus points in their first season at Cornell since Riley Nash (12-20—32) did so in his freshman year in 2007-08.

• Seger became the seventh player since 1982-83 to register 30-plus points in their first season with the Big Red. The others to accomplish the feat include Duanne Moeser (17-17—34) in 1982-83, Joe Nieuwendyk (21-24—45) in 1984-85, Trent Andison (21-17—38) in 1987-88, Doug Derraugh (11-21—32) in 1987-88, Kyle Knopp (11-22—33) in 1995-96, and Nash in 2007-08.

• Although transfers are often rare at Cornell, Seger became just the third player in the program's modern era (since 1957-58) to record 30-plus points in the season following their transfer to Cornell. Tom Whitehead (10-20—30) and Doug Berk (11-21—32) both accomplished the feat in 1978-79 after the varsity hockey program at fellow Ivy League institution, Penn, was disbanded.

• Seger's 83 career points (27-56—83) currently stand as the 19th-most by a Division I skater.

• His 83 points are the third-most by an active player in ECAC Hockey, trailing Quinnipiac's Collin Graf (39-58—97) — whom Seger was teammates at Union during the 2021-22 season — and Clarkson's Mathieu Gosselin (33-61—94).

THANKS FOR THE HELP!
• The 23 assists by Gabriel Seger last year were the most by a Big Red player since defenseman Yanni Kaldis had 24 helpers in 2018-19. It was the most assists by a Cornell forward since Greg Miller had 25 in 2010-11.

• Over his two seasons at Union and his current tenure with Cornell, Seger has accrued 56 career assists. According to data compiled by College Hockey News, Seger is tied with Minnesota State's Lucas Sowder for the 13th-most helpers by an active Division I player and is tied with Sowder for the ninth-highest assist total by a forward.

• Seger's 56 assists are the fourth-most by all active ECAC Hockey players, trailing Clarkson's Mathieu Gosselin (61), Quinnipiac's Collin Graf (58), and Colgate's Nick Anderson (57).

• Should Seger register 20-plus assists this year, he would be the first Cornell player with consecutive 20-assist seasons since defenseman Yanni Kaldis in 2018-19 (24) and 2019-20 (20) seasons.

• No Big Red forward has had consecutive 20-assist seasons since Riley Nash did so in all three of his years on East Hill (2007-10). Nash had 20 assists in his freshman year before posting 21 and 23 assists in his respective sophomore and junior seasons.

ONE OF THE BEST
• Mike Schafer '86, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Cornell Men's Ice Hockey, is one of 10 active collegiate hockey head coaches with 500 career victories behind the bench.

• Schafer's 525 wins rank as the 26th-most by a head coach in college hockey history and is 11 shy of matching former Minnesota State bench boss Don Brose (536) for the 25th in college hockey history. Regardless of level or gender, Schafer's 525 victories are the ninth-most by active college hockey head coaches.

• Among active Division I men's head coaches, Schafer has the fourth-most wins, trailing Quinnipiac's Rand Pecknold (624), Mercyhurst's Rick Gotkin (602), and Notre Dame's Jeff Jackson (581).

• At Cornell, Schafer's 525 wins are the third-most by any coach with a program, trailing former softball head coach Dick Blood (623) and the late legendary baseball head coach Ted Thoren (541).

PUTTING ‘BIG’ IN BIG RED
• In addition to its height, Cornell has the third-highest average weight in Division I hockey, posting an average weight of 192.4 pounds. Only Notre Dame (195.6 pounds) and UMass Lowell (192.7 pounds) are ahead of the Big Red.

• Cornell has the highest average weight of any ECAC Hockey program, edging Colgate, who has the fourth-highest average at 191.3.

SCOUTING COLGATE
• Colgate enters this weekend's series with a 5-7-3 overall record and a 2-3-1 mark in ECAC Hockey play. The Raiders have not fared well at home, having a 1-5-2 mark inside the Class of 1965 Arena this season, with its lone victory coming in its last game against Niagara, 2-1, last Saturday. Away from Hamilton, Colgate has won four of its six games (4-2-0).

• Ryan McGuire (7-5—12) and Tommy Bergsland (3-9—12) pace Colgate with their team-leading 12 points. McGuire's seven goals and Bergsland's nine assists lead the Raiders' offensive attack. Ross Mitton (5-6—11) is the only other player with 10-plus points on the season.

• Carter Gylander has started in all 12 of his appearances between the pipes for Colgate, posting a 4-6-2 record with a 2.97 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage. Gylander has struggled over his last four games (1-3-0, 4.23, .868), allowing at least three goals in each outing.

• Andrew Takacs has started in two of his three appearances on the year, going 1-1-0 with a 2.56 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage. Takacs earned his first victory in the Raiders' 2-1 victory over Niagara last Saturday.

102 YEARS, 67 MILES, 166 MEETINGS
• Cornell owns the series lead over Colgate, 88-61-17, which features the Big Red being unbeaten in 19 of its last 24 games played against the Raiders (14-5-5).

• Since the Class of 1965 Arena opened, Cornell is 4-1-1 in the venue, while the Big Red is 10-3-2 in its last 15 games played in Hamilton.

• Of the previous 49 games between Cornell and Colgate, 40 have been decided by two goals or less (21-10-9), including each of the last eight meetings (3-3-2).

CORNELL - COLGATE CONNECTIONS
• Ethan Manderville is the son of former Big Red standout Kent Manderville, who had 57 points (28 goals, 29 assists) in 54 games during his two-year tenure at Cornell (1989-91).

• Nic Belpedio was teammates with Ryan McInchak and Hank Kempf on the 2018-19 Muskegon Lumberjacks and with Ondrej Psenicka on the 2019-20 Waterloo Black Hawks.

• Niko Rexine and George Fegaras were teammates last year on the Muskegon Lumberjacks.

• Daniel Panetta was teammates with Dalton Bancroft on the 2018-19 Wellington Dukes and Sullivan Mack on the 2020-21 Salmon Arm Silverbacks.

• Winter Wallace and Dom Foglia played on Shattuck St. Mary's 18U Prep team during the 2019-20 season.

• Nick DeSantis and Ryan Sullivan played on the Sioux Falls Stampede for two years from 2018-20.

• McInchak and Ross Mitton played on the 2019-20 Lincoln Stars.

• Sean Donaldson and Levi Glasman played on the Trail Smoke Eaters for two years from 2017-19.

• Robby Newton played on the 2019-20 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders with Michael Suda and Jack O'Leary.

• Ben Robertson and Jake Schneider were on the Waterloo Black Hawks for the 2021-22 season.

• Ian Shane and Tommy Bergsland played on the Bismarck Bobcats in 2020-21.

• Nick Anderson was teammates with Gabriel Seger (2018-19 Amarillo Bulls) and DeSantis (2019-20 Sioux Falls Stampede).

• Shane and Nick Haas played on the Chicago Steel during the 2020-21 season.

• Kyler Kovich and Carter Gylander played on the Canada West U19 team at the 2019 World Junior A Challenge.

#11 MEN'S HOCKEY PLAYS TO TIE WITH COLGATE

RECAP I BOX SCORE | HIGHLIGHTS

HAMILTON, N.Y. (FEB. 11, 2023) – The No. 11-ranked Cornell men's hockey team played to a 4-4 tie with Colgate at the Class of 1965 Arena on Saturday night.

Colgate picked up the extra point for standings purposes in the shootout.

Senior forward Jack Malone scored two goals, while fellow senior Ben Berard, junior forward Gabriel Seger, and freshman forward Nick DeSantis all had two-point nights for the Big Red (16-7-2, 13-4-1 ECAC).

Freshman goaltender Remington Keopple made 16 saves in 45 minutes of relief for starting netminder Ian Shane, who made six saves in the opening 20 minutes.

Colton Young factored in all four Colgate goals, finding the back of the net twice. Colton's brother, Alex, had two assists to extend his nation-leading point streak to 14 games. Nick Anderson chipped in a goal and an assist for the Raiders (13-14-3, 10-7-1 ECAC), who had a 27-save performance by Carter Gylander.

SHANE SHINES IN AIDING #16 MEN'S HOCKEY TO RETAIN KELLEY-HARKNESS CUP

RECAP I BOX SCORE | HIGHLIGHTS | POSTGAME INTERVIEW | GALLERY 1 | GALLERY 2

NEW YORK (NOV. 25, 2023) — Junior goaltender Ian Shane made a season-high 35 saves to guide the No. 16-ranked Cornell men's hockey team to a 2-1 victory over No. 5-ranked Boston University before 15,289 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, retaining the Kelley-Harkness Cup as the Big Red posted its fourth consecutive victory over the Terriers in the biennial Red Hot Hockey contest.

Junior Ondrej Psenicka — who netted the game-winning goal — and freshman forward Ryan Walsh found the back of the net for Cornell (5-3-1, 2-3-0 ECAC Hockey), who snapped its four-game winless streak.

Doug Grimes netted his first collegiate goal for the Terriers, while Mathieu Caron made 17 saves in the setback for Boston University (9-4-1, 5-1-1 Hockey East), who saw its five-game win streak come to a close.

The Terriers' top two leading scorers, freshman forward Macklin Celebrini and sophomore defenseman Lane Hutson, were both held scoreless on Saturday. It marked the second time this season in which they were both held off the scoreboard in the same game, also having been done on Oct. 20 by Notre Dame.

2023-24 Roster

If you’ve never been to a Big Red hockey game at Cornell’s Lynah Rink, there are quite a few things you’ve never experienced. You’ve never camped in line 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 experienced all the best that college hockey offers.

Lynah Rink, which enters its 67th year of being the home of Big Red hockey this season, was dedicated on April 6, 1957, in honor of the late James Lynah '05, who served as the director of athletics at Cornell from 1935-43.

Cornell began sponsoring a hockey team in the 1900-01 season, which featured all Big Red home games played on the university’s outdoor rink on Beebe Lake. Due to a series of abnormally mild winters, the program was left on "thin ice," causing Cornell to drop the program entirely after the 1947-48 campaign.

Fortunately, the construction of Lynah Rink gave Cornell hockey a new home, ensuring ice hockey would return as a varsity sport beginning with the 1957-58 season.

The facility has received numerous face-lifts since hosting its inaugural game on March 21, 1957, between the New York Rangers and the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Cornell spent nearly $1 million renovating Lynah in the summer of 2000, replacing the rink floor, drainage system, frost protection and refrigeration piping, and adding new boards and seamless glass.

During the summer of 2006, a 16,700-square-foot expansion added new locker rooms, coaches offices, study lounges, new athletic training space, and approximately 450 new seats in the seating bowl.

Though many physical aspects of Lynah Rink have changed over time, the crowd remains constant. Lynah Rink can hold 4,267 boisterous Cornell hockey fans who provide unwavering support for the Big Red while creating an unparalleled atmosphere in college hockey.

Although many rinks in the nation are bigger in capacity, few are known to be louder. The Cornell fans, aptly named the "Lynah Faithful," stream into every home contest, making 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 reaffirms the old saying, "There’s no place like home."

Since the doors opened on Lynah Rink, the Cornell men's hockey program has won a pair of NCAA Division I men’s hockey championships in 1967 and 1970, garnering an ECAC Hockey-record 12 tournament championships (1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1980, 1986, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2005, 2010) and 25 Ivy League titles, 21 of which have been won outright.

• Cornell will have the next three weekends off before returning to action in the North Country where the Big Red will participate in the 2023 Adirondack Winter Invitational at the 1980 Rink — Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y.

• The Big Red will open play in the tournament against No. 10-ranked UMass on Dec. 29 at 4 p.m. It will be the sixth all-time meeting between Cornell and UMass, and the first since Dec. 29, 2011, when the Minutemen posted a 5-2 victory over the Big Red in the Florida College Classic in Estero, Fla.

• Cornell will play either No. 12-ranked Arizona State or Clarkson the following day in the consolation or championship game. The consolation game will be played at 4 p.m. and the championship will be held at 7:30 p.m. 

• Should the Big Red have to play Arizona State, it would mark the first of three consecutive contests against the Sun Devils, as Cornell will travel to Mullett Arena in Tempe, Ariz., on Jan. 12-13, to kickstart the 2024 portion of the schedule.

• If Cornell plays Clarkson, it will be considered a non-conference contest and would mark the first time the Big Red will play the Golden Knights at least three times in the regular season since 2011-12, when it played in the Florida College Classic in Estero, Fla.

• Both contests in Lake Placid will be broadcast on ESPN+, as well as over the airwaves on WHCU (870 AM, 97.7 FM, whcuradio.com).