#11 Men's Hockey Hosts Clarkson, St. Lawrence in Final Regular-Season Weekend Series

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 plays its final two regular-season home games this weekend when it hosts Clarkson and St. Lawrence at Lynah Rink.

• Each game of the series will be a reunion for the 30th and 60th anniversaries of the 1973 and 2003 Cornell Frozen Four teams. The 1973 team will be recognized during Friday's game and the 2003 squad will be honored on Saturday.

• In addition to the pair of reunions, the Cornell hockey senior class will be honored following Saturday's contest against St. Lawrence.

DeSANTIS TABBED TOP ROOKIE
• For the second time this season, freshman forward Nick DeSantis has been named ECAC Hockey's Rookie of the Week.

• DeSantis recorded both of his points last weekend in the Big Red's 4-4 tie with Colgate on Saturday at the Class of 1965 Arena. He assisted on senior forward Ben Berard's game-opening tally 1:13 into the contest before scoring on a pass from Berard near the halfway point of the first period.

• The weekly award marked the sixth time a Cornell freshman has earned Rookie of the Week honors, joined by three-time honoree Dalton Bancroft and Sean Donaldson.

LYNAH FAITHFUL
• As Cornell concludes its stretch of five home games in a six-game stretch, history has shown that playing in front of the Lynah Faithful has favored the Big Red.

• Since Mike Schafer '86 took over as head coach prior to the 1995-96 season, the Big Red has a 271-102-45 record at Lynah Rink (.702).

• Per data compiled from CollegeHockeyNews.com's database, Cornell boasts the sixth-highest home win percentage since Schafer took over as head coach. Only Michigan (.753), Quinnipiac (.726), North Dakota (.723), Boston College (.707), and Denver (.707) have higher win percentages.

• Cornell has been hostile for opponents since 2016-17, as the Big Red's .789 win percentage at home (57-13-6) is second behind Minnesota State (.842).

2023 HAS BEEN KIND
• Since the calendar flipped to 2023, Cornell has posted an 8-2-1 record. The Big Red's .773 win percentage in the calendar year currently stands as the eighth-best by a Division I program.

• Minnesota State (.900), Western Michigan (.875), Quinnipiac (.818), Omaha (.813), Michigan (.800), Michigan Tech (.792), and New Hampshire (.778) are the programs that are ahead of the Big Red.

• The lone pair of losses for the Big Red in 2023 came against opponents who were ranked inside the top 10 of the USCHO.com poll at the time of the contests (No. 7 Boston University, 4-3, on Jan. 14, and No. 10 Harvard, 6-2, on Jan. 28.

‘SPECIAL’ IN SPECIAL TEAMS
• Cornell currently boasts the nation's top power play as the Big Red is converting at a 30.5 percent clip, which is just one-tenth of a percentage point ahead of second-place North Dakota (30.4 percent). The Big Red and Fighting Hawks are the lone two Division I programs to have a power play percentage north of 30 percent. UMass is third nationally, converting on 28.0 percent of its power plays.

• Despite not scoring on any of of its five power-play opportunities last weekend versus Colgate, the Big Red has scored a power-play goal in eight of its last 12 contests, going 17-of-41 in the span (41.5 percent).

• Earlier this month against Union on Feb. 4, Cornell scored six power-play goals in its 10-1 victory over the Dutchmen. The six goals were one goal shy of matching the program record that was established on Nov. 18, 1977 against York. It was the most power-play goals in a Division I game since Jan. 30, 2015, when Boston University scored six against UMass.

• Of the six power-play goals against Union, five came in the first period (four during a five-minute major penalty) to set Cornell's modern-era record for power-play goals in a period. The previous record (four) happened on four other occasions, most recently on Feb. 8, 2003, against Vermont.

THAT WAS FAST…
• Freshman forward Dalton Bancroft, sophomore forward Ondrej Psenicka, and fellow freshman forward Nick DeSantis combined to score three goals in 23 seconds against Union in the 10-1 win on Feb. 4.

• The 23-second span is the quickest Cornell has scored three goals in the program's modern era, which dates back to reinstatment of the hockey program for the 1957-58 season following a 10-year hiatus.

• Cornell's trio of goals in 23 seconds bested the previous record of 24 seconds from Feb. 28, 1976, against Princeton. Fred Tomczyk had his tally bookended with goals from Mark Trivett in an 8-2 win.

• In addition to the three goals in 23-second span, the Big Red scored four times in a 54-second span, which marked the first time in the modern era (since 1957-58) that Cornell scored four times in under a minute. The previous record of 1:34 was done against Penn in a 13-1 win on March 4, 1961. Rudy Mateka (16:34), Bob Myers (17:28), Webb Nichols (17:46), and Myers (18:08) were the goal scorers in the stretch.

• To put the record into perspective, the National Hockey League record for the quickest four goals scored by one team was done in 1:20 by the Boston Bruins against the New York Rangers on Jan. 21, 1945 (Bill Thoms — 6:34, Frank Mario — 7:08 and 7:27, and Ken Smith — 7:54).

RANKING IN THE TOP 10
• Cornell is one of four programs currently ranking in the top 10 in both scoring offense and scoring defense.

• Offensively, the Big Red is tied with its bitter Ivy League rival Harvard for the seventh-most goals per game this season, scoring at a 3.64 clip.

• The Big Red's 2.20 goals allowed per game ranks seventh in the nation, trailing Quinnipiac (1.79) and Michigan Tech (2.00).

NONE SHALL PASS
• Cornell enters this weekend boasting one of the nation's top scoring defenses. The Big Red has yielded 55 goals allowed so far this year, which is the second-fewest allowed by a Division I program. Quinnipiac's 50 goals against paces the nation.

• The Big Red's 2.20 goals allowed per game ranks seventh nationally and is second in ECAC Hockey (Quinnipiac — 1.67).

• 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 the five seasons of competition. 

• Since the 2016-17 season, Cornell has yielded 378 goals against which stands as the fewest by a Division I team in the span. Harvard is second in the category with 475 goals allowed.

• The Big Red's 1.99 goals allowed per game average in the timeframe ranks second, only behind Minnesota State (1.84).

SHANE'S WORLD
• Sophomore goaltender Ian Shane has been strong between the pipes for Cornell this year, posting a goals-against average of 1.92 that ranks third nationally and is second in ECAC Hockey behind Quinnipiac's Yaniv Perets, who paces the nation with his 1.61 average. Omaha's Simon Latkoczy (1.83) is the only netminder separating Shane and Perets.

• Shane is up for two award nominations, as he was named to the Mike Richter Award watch list on Jan. 12. He is also Cornell's lone nominee for this year's Hobey Baker Memorial Award.

• He is the first Cornell goaltender to be named to the Richter Award watch list in consecutive seasons since Matthew Galajda in 2018-19 and 2019-20.

BLANKING TOP-10 FOES
• Sophomore goaltender Ian Shane is one of three Division I goaltenders to record a pair of shutouts against opponents ranked who were ranked in the top 10 of the USCHO.com poll at the time of the shutout.

• Joining Shane in the rare feat this season is Wisconsin's Jared Moe and St. Cloud State's Jaxon Castor.

OFFENSIVE DOMINANCE
• Cornell has excelled in the opening 40 minutes of games this season, outscoring its opponents 71-38, good for a plus-33 goal advantage.

• In comparison, Cornell has only outscored its opponents by four goals, 20-16, in the final period of regulation.

• Since the Big Red's 6-0 victory over UConn at the Frozen Apple on Nov. 26 at Madison Square Garden, the Big Red has outscored its opponents in the first two periods by a 54-25 margin.

• Over the opening 40 minutes of play, Cornell has generated a plus-186 advantage in shots on goal (529-343). In the final period of regulation, the Big Red has a plus-37 advantage in shots (209-172).

NOT THROWING AWAY OUR SHOTS
• The Big Red currently boasts the sixth-best Corsi percentage in Division I hockey with its 57.0 percent clip, according to CollegeHockeyNews.com.

• To achieve the Corsi-for number, one must divide the team's total shot attempts by its total and the amount of shot attempts allowed to its opponents.

• Minnesota State (62.0 percent), Quinnipiac (59.8 percent), Providence (59.1 percent), Ohio State (57.8 percent), and Penn State (57.2 percent) have higher averages than Cornell.

• At even strength, Cornell has a Corsi of 57.2 percent, which is fifth nationally, trailing Minnesota State (62.4%), Quinnipiac (59.6%), Providence (59.1%), and Ohio State (57.9%).

SCOUTING CLARKSON
• Clarkson enters this weekend with a 13-14-3 overall record and a 7-9-2 mark in ECAC Hockey play. The Golden Knights have split its last two ECAC Hockey weekends, including last weekend with its 3-0 shutout loss to Quinnipiac before defeating Princeton, 4-1, the following night.

• Entering this weekend, Clarkson is narrowly holding onto sixth place in the ECAC Hockey standings with 23 points as Princeton and Union are right behind, tied for seventh, with 22 points.

• The Golden Knights are six points out of a top-four seed with four games remaining. After this weekend's trip to Central New York, Clarkson will host Dartmouth and Harvard next weekend to close out the regular season.

• Ayrton Martino has a Clarkson-leading 24 assists and 31 points this season, while Mathieu Gosselin (11-12—23) and Alex Campbell (11-7—18) are tied for the team lead with 11 goals. Anthony Callin (10-5—15) has also chipped in a double-digit goal total.

• Ethan Haider has been a workhorse between the pipes for Clarkson this season, registering 1614:25 of action over 28 appearances (all of which were starts). Haider has a 13-13-2 record this year while posting a 2.64 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage.

SERIES HISTORY
• Friday will be the 147th all-time meeting between the two Empire State programs. Cornell has the advantage in the series, 70-57-19.

• Cornell is unbeaten in nine of its last 12 meetings with Clarkson, posting a 6-3-3 record in the span. The Big Red has not lost consecutive meetings to the Golden Knights since falling in the last meeting of the 2012-13 season and the first contest between the ECAC Hockey rivals in 2013-14.

• Home ice has been kind to the Big Red against the Golden Knights, as Cornell has a 21-4-2 record against Clarkson at Lynah Rink dating back to 2004-05. In the series, which dates back to the first meeting on Jan. 20, 1923, Cornell is 40-24-6 all-time at home against Clarkson, including a 39-19-5 ledger at Lynah Rink since its opening in 1957.

JONES RETURNS TO LYNAH
• Clarkson head coach Casey Jones played on the Cornell men's hockey team for four years, spanning the 1986-90 seasons. During his time on East Hill, Jones amassed 112 points (30 goals, 82 assists) in 110 games. Following his playing career, Jones was an assistant coach on Brian McCutcheon's staff for two years (1991-93) before returning to Cornell to serve an associate head coach on Mike Schafer's staff from 2008-11.

THE LAST TIME AGAINST CLARKSON
RECAP | BOX SCORE

POTSDAM, N.Y. (NOV. 12, 2023) – Ayrton Martino had his two goals bookended by a pair of Clarkson power-play goals, leading the host Golden Knights to a 4-1 victory over the Cornell men's hockey team in a spirited and physical ECAC Hockey game at Cheel Arena.

Zach Tupker scored the lone goal for the Big Red and Remington Keopple stopped all six shots he faced in relief of Ian Shane, who started the game and made seven saves.

Along with Martino, Jordan Power and Anthony Callin each registered a goal and an assist in the victory for the Golden Knights.

Ethan Haider stopped 21 of 22 shots in goal for Clarkson.

SCOUTING ST. LAWRENCE
• St. Lawrence enters this weekend at .500 overall with a 15-15-0 record and a 10-8-0 mark in ECAC Hockey action. The Skating Saints are tied with Colgate for the coveted fourth seed in the ECAC Hockey standings, but would be the No. 5 seed if the ECAC Hockey playoffs started today due to Colgate owning the head-to-head tiebreaker.

• The Saints have won four of its last six games and have scored at least four goals in all four victories. In the other two games, St. Lawrence was held scoreless by Yale's Luke Pearson and Quinnipiac's Yaniv Perets.

• Freshman defenseman Luc Salem paces St. Lawrence's offense with 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists). Salem is tied for the third-most game-winning goals this season with four. He is tied with fellow freshman blueliner, Lane Hutson of Boston University, for the most game-winners by a defenseman this season. 

• Emil Zetterquist has been St. Lawrence's go-to goaltender this season as the graduate student from Stockholm, Sweden, has logged 1739:13 of action this season, while posting a 2.69 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage.

SERIES HISTORY
• Cornell and St. Lawrence will be meeting for the 123rd time on Saturday. The Big Red has a 68-46-8 lead over the Saints in the series that dates back to the first meeting on Feb. 19, 1927 on Beebe Lake in Ithaca, which St. Lawrence won 2-1. Phillips Hoyt '27 scored the lone goal for the Big Red.

• The series has favored Cornell as of late, with the Big Red posting an 11-2-0 record in the last 13 meetings. Four of the last five victories in the series for Cornell have been by four-plus goals.

• Over the last 20 meetings against St. Lawrence at Lynah Rink, Cornell has a 15-3-2 record.

• Cornell has scored at least three goals in nine of the last 11 games, seven of which have featured the Big Red scoring four-plus goals. In the other two contests, Cornell has combined to score just twice.

ANOTHER REUNION
• St. Lawrence head coach Brent Brekke returns to Lynah Rink on Saturday. Brekke spent eight seasons as an assistant coach at Cornell under Mike Schafer '86 from 1999-08. Saturday's contest will be Brekke's third time as a head coach at Lynah Rink.

THE LAST TIME AGAINST ST. LAWRENCE
RECAP | BOX SCORE

CANTON, N.Y. (NOV. 11, 2022) — Senior Max Andreev scored two power-play goals, and the Cornell men's hockey team netted the game's final four goals, aiding the Big Red to a 5-1 victory over St. Lawrence in a physical ECAC Hockey contest at Appleton Arena.

Joining Andreev in the scoring column was freshman Nick DeSantis, sophomore Kyler Kovich, and senior Sam Malinski.

DeSantis' marker was the first of his collegiate career.

Sophomore goaltender Ian Shane made 21 saves to guide Cornell to its second conference victory of the season.

Tomáš Mazura scored the lone goal for St. Lawrence, who saw its four-game home win streak come to an end. Emil Zetterquist stopped 19 shots in the defeat for the Skating Saints.

#11 MEN'S HOCKEY OPENS HOME-AND-HOME SERIES WITH WIN OVER COLGATE

RECAP I BOX SCORE 

ITHACA, N.Y. (FEB. 10, 2023) – A three-goal spurt in the opening 2:53 of the second period aided the No. 11-ranked Cornell men's hockey team to a 3-2 victory over Colgate at a raucous sold-out Lynah Rink on Friday night.

Senior forward Zach Tupker, junior forward Kyle Penney, and sophomore forward Sullivan Mack were the trio of players to score in the span for the Big Red.

Sophomore goaltender Ian Shane made 11 saves to earn his 15th victory of the season for Cornell.

Matt Verboon (goal, assist) and Nick Anderson (two assists) logged multi-point nights for Colgate. Carter Gylander made 26 saves between the pipes for the Raiders.

#11 MEN'S HOCKEY, COLGATE PLAY TO TIE

RECAP I BOX SCORE 

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.

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, who had a 27-save performance by Carter Gylander.

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 to southern New England when it will take on Brown and Yale in its final regular season road trip.

• The pair of Ivy League contests will be the final two regular-season contests before the ECAC Hockey Championship begins in the first weekend of March.

• The Big Red needs five points next weekend to clinch a share of the Ivy League title with Harvard, and six points to outright win the Ivy League title for the 25th time in program history.