THE PUCK DROP
• Seeking its first trip to the Frozen Four since 2003, the No. 4 seed and No. 12-ranked Cornell men's hockey team faces its bitter rival in the No. 2 seed and No. 5-ranked Boston University this afternoon.
ROAD TO TAMPA
• Cornell is appearing in its 23rd Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship this season. It is the 10th-most appearances by any program in this year's tournament and is second among ECAC Hockey squads, trailing Harvard (27).
• With a win this afternoon over Boston University, Cornell will secure its ninth overall Frozen Four appearance, but just the program's third in the last 49 years. The Big Red made six Frozen Fours over a seven-year span (1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973).
NOT HIS FIRST RODEO
• Mike Schafer '86, the Jay R. Bloom ‘77 Head Coach of Men’s Hockey, is coaching in his 13th NCAA Tournament as the head coach at Cornell.
• Schafer, who coached his first NCAA Tournament game in his first year as the Big Red's coach in 1995-96, has an overall record of 10-12 (.455) in the NCAA postseason.
• The Big Red has made one Frozen Four under Schafer, coming in 2003, which was held in Buffalo, N.Y.
• A 1986 Cornell graduate, Schafer is one of six head coaches in this year's tournament to be coaching their alma mater in this year's NCAA Tournament.
• Ironically, four of the six head coaches are coaching their alma maters in the Manchester Regional. Joining Schafer is David Carle (Denver), Pat Ferschweiler (Western Michigan), and Jay Pandolfo (Boston University). Ted Donato (Harvard) and Brandon Naurato (Michigan) are the others.
THAT'S A LOT OF RINGS
• Of the four regionals this season, Manchester has the most combined titles of the four programs.
• The four teams in the regional have a combined 16 national championships (Denver 9, Boston University 5, and Cornell 2). Allentown, Pa., is second with a combined 12 titles (Michigan 9, Michigan Tech 3), while Fargo, N.D. (5), and Bridgeport, Conn. (1) have six titles combined between the two sites.
SHANE'S WORLD
• Goaltender Ian Shane has had a stellar sophomore season for Cornell this year, posting a 1.70 goals-against average that ranks second nationally. The lone player ahead of Shane is his ECAC Hockey counterpart, Quinnipiac's Yaniv Perets, who has a nation-leading 1.52 figure.
• Over Shane's last seven games, the Manhattan Beach, Calif., native has posted some gaudy numbers, logging a 5-2-0 record with a 0.71 goals-against average and .965 save percentage. Shane has allowed just five goals during the stretch, stopping 137 of the 142 shots he has faced.
• Shane's career 1.71 goals-against average ranks second among goaltenders in this year's tournament, while his .923 save percentage is the fifth-best figure trailing Quinnipiac's Yaniv Perets (.934), Ohio State's Jakub Dobeš (.926), Michigan Tech's Blake Pietila (.925), and Minnesota's Justen Close (.924).
• Earlier this year, Shane was nominated for both the Mike Richter Award as well as being Cornell's lone nomination for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award.
• Despite not being named a semifinalist for the either award, Shane became Cornell's first goaltender to be named to the Richter Award watch list in consecutive years since Matthew Galajda in both 2018-19 and 2019-20.
BLANKING TOP 10 FOES
• Sophomore goaltender Ian Shane is one of two Division I goaltenders to have three shutouts over opponents who were ranked in the top 10 of the USCHO.com poll at the time of the contest. St. Cloud State's Jaxon Castor is the other after he blanked No. 10 Minnesota State on Thursday. Castor has also shutout No. 3 Minnesota (Jan. 7) and No. 3 Denver (Jan. 21).
• This season, Shane shutout has shutout No. 6 UConn (Nov. 26 at Madison Square Garden), No. 1 Quinnpiac at Lynah Rink on Jan. 21, and No. 4 Denver on Thursday at SNHU Arena in Manchester, N.H.
• The only other goaltender with multiple shutouts of top 10 opponents this season is Wisconsin's Jared Moe against No. 10 Minnesota Duluth (Oct. 22), and No. 7 Ohio State (Jan. 20).
• Along with the trio of players with multiple shutouts, 12 other Division I goaltenders from 11 institutions have also had a shutout over a top-10 opponent.
MALINSKI NAMED TO FIRST TEAM ALL-ECAC
• For the second time in as many years, senior defenseman Sam Malinski was named a First Team All-ECAC selection, it was announced by the ECAC last Thursday before the conference’s semifinals in Lake Placid, N.Y.
• Malinski is the first Cornell player to garner First Team All-ECAC honors in consecutive seasons since Morgan Barron in 2018 and 2019. No Big Red blueliner had accomplished the feat since Doug Murray in 2002 and 2003.
• To be named a First Team All-ECAC selection in consecutive years as a defenseman is a rare feat as Malinski became just the sixth Big Red blueliner to earn the distinction, joining Harry Orr (1965-67), Bruce Pattison (1967-69), Dan Ratushny (1989-91), Steve Wilson (1995-97), and Doug Murray (2001-03).
SAM'S THE MAN
• Senior defenseman Sam Malinski has the fifth-most points by an ECAC Hockey blueliner this season. His 26 points (eight goals, 18 assists) are six shy of matching Quinnipiac's Zach Metsa for the lead.
• Malinski's 26 points are the most by a Cornell defenseman since Yanni Kaldis (4-24—28) in 2018-19.
• Earlier this season, Malinski recorded points in 10 straight games, matching former NHLer Matt Moulson for the second-longest point streak by a Cornell player under Mike Schafer, dating back to 1995-96.
• The 10-game point streak is the second-longest by a Division I defenseman this season, trailing Boston University freshman blueliner Lane Hutson (11). Malinski had 20 points during his streak (7-13—20), while Hutson registered 19 (3-16—19).
HAVING AN EYE FOR THE GOAL
• With its 111 goals this season, Cornell has surpassed the century mark in scoring in each of its last five years of competition, dating back to the 2017-18 campaign.
• It is the first time the Big Red has netted 100-plus goals in five consecutive seasons since doing so over 27 straight seasons, beginning in 1964-65 and ending in 1990-91.
• The 111 goals scored by Cornell are tied for the 27th-most in a single season, joined by the 2004-05 squad.
• Despite netting 100-plus goals in the last four campaigns, the 111 markers are the most by the Big Red since potting 111 tallies in 35 contests in 2004-05 (3.17 goals per game).
• This year's 3.36 goals-per-game average — which ranks eighth nationally — is the highest by a Cornell team with 30 games played since 2002-03 (133 in 36 games).
SPREADING THE WEALTH
• Cornell has had 22 goal scorers this year, matching the program record for the most in a season (1982-83).
• The 22 different goal scorers mark the seventh consecutive season the Big Red has had 20-plus players register at least one goal. It is the longest streak in program history, with the only other significant stretch being four seasons (1976-80).
• Thanks to junior forward Jack O'Leary scoring in Thursday's regional semifinal win over Denver, Cornell now has 13 players with at least six goals, which is tied for the most players to register six-plus goals in a single season. The only other instance occurred during the 1976-77 season.
NONE SHALL PASS…
• Cornell boasts one of the nation’s top-scoring defenses. The Big Red has yielded 64 goals allowed this year, standing as the second-fewest by a Division I program this season. Only ECAC Hockey rival Quinnipiac has allowed fewer (59).
• Historically, Cornell has boasted one of the nation’s stingiest defensive units. The Big Red has ranked in the top 10 in scoring defense in each of its last five seasons of competition. Since 2016-17, Cornell has yielded 386 goals, which is the fewest by a Division I team in the span.
• Over its last seven games, Cornell has allowed just five goals while not giving up multiple markers in a game. It is the first time in program history that Cornell has not allowed multiple goals over a seven-game stretch. The previous record of six was accomplished over two seasons from 1906-08, as well as during the 2005-06 and 2009-10 campaigns.
• Holding an opponent to one goal or less in seven consecutive contests is the longest streak in Division I hockey this season. Minnesota State (12) and Quinnipiac (9) had longer streaks last season.
IVY LEAGUE CHAMPS
• Cornell claimed its 25th Ivy League title with its 5-1 win over Yale on Feb. 25. The Big Red's 25 points (8-2-0) edged Harvard's total of 24 (9-1-0).
• It was the Big Red’s first Ivy League title since 2019-20, as the Big Red has claimed three of the last four titles (2018-19 and 2019-20). Harvard won the only other Ivy title in 2021-22.
• The Big Red’s 25 Ancient Eight titles are second among the six Ivies that field programs. Harvard has the most championships with 28, while Yale is behind Cornell in third with 15.
• Since Princeton won the Ivy League in 2007-08, the trophy has been in possession by Cornell (six times), Yale (also six times), and Harvard (three times).
POINT SEGER
• Junior forward Gabriel Seger, who played in his 100th collegiate game on Thursday against Denver, has a team-leading 22 assists and 29 points this season. Both figures are also career highs for Seger.
• With his next point, Seger will become the first Cornell player to register a 30-point season since Morgan Barron (14-18—32) in 2019-20.
• No Cornell player has logged 30-plus points in their first year with the Big Red since Riley Nash had 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) in his freshman campaign in 2007-08.
• Seger's 22 assists are currently the eighth-most helpers by a player in ECAC Hockey this season. It is the most helpers by a Cornell player since defenseman Yanni Kaldis had a 24-assist season in 2018-19.
• Seger is the first Cornell forward with at least 20 assists in a season since Greg Miller had 25 assists in 2010-11, and is the first Big Red player with 20-plus assists in his first season donning Cornellian Red since Nash's 20 assists in 2007-08.
‘SPECIAL’ IN SPECIAL TEAMS
• Cornell has killed off its last 17 penalties, dating back to Feb. 17, and has successfully killed 20 of its last 21 penalties (95.2 percent) since Feb. 11.
• On the other side of special teams, Cornell is fifth nationally in power play percentage, converting on 26.4 percent of its man advantages. Minnesota State paces the nation at a 28.1 percent clip, while North Dakota (27.4 percent) and tonight’s opponent, Denver (27.2 percent), are ahead of the Big Red.
• Following Cornell scored six power-play goals against Union on Feb. 4, the Big Red converted on just three of its last 31 power plays (9.6 percent).
• Despite the low conversion rate as of late, the Big Red has scored a power-play goal in 11 of its last 20 games, converting on 29.4 percent of its chances (20-of-68).
RANKING IN THE TOP 10
• Cornell is one of six programs ranking in the top 10 in scoring offense and defense.
• Of the six programs, three are from ECAC Hockey, as Quinnipiac and Harvard join Cornell.
• The Big Red has the eighth-highest scoring offense this season with a 3.36 goals-per-game average while ranking second in scoring defense, averaging 1.94 goals allowed per contest.
THE EVER-SO RARE PENALTY SHOT
• Freshman forward Nick DeSantis was awarded a penalty shot in the third period of Thursday's victory over No. 4 Denver.
• DeSantis, who had his shot saved by Denver goaltender Magnus Chrona, became the second Cornell player in the NCAA Tournament to record a penalty shot, joining Locke Jillson who also had his attempt stopped by Michigan's Shawn Hunwick, exactly 11 years to the date (March 23, 2012).
• It was the second penalty shot attempt by the Big Red this season, as senior forward Zach Tupker scored on his attempt against RPI, back on Jan. 7. Tupker was the first Cornell player to score on a penalty shot since Alex Rauter against New Hampshire on Nov. 26, 2016, in the Frozen Apple at Madison Square Garden.
• The last time Cornell had multiple penalty shots in a season was 2006-07 when Tony Romano (Jan. 19, 2007 vs. Clarkson) and Blake Gallagher (Feb. 3, 2007 vs. St. Lawrence) both had their shots saved.
OFFENSIVE DOMINANCE
• Cornell has excelled in the opening 40 minutes of games this season, outscoring its opponents by an 82-41 margin, good for a plus-41 goal advantage.
• In comparison, Cornell has only outscored its opponents by eight goals, 29-21, in the final period of regulation. Over its last five games, the Big Red has bucked the trend, outscoring its opponents 8-3 in the final 20 minutes.
• Since Cornell’s 6-0 victory over then-No. 6-ranked UConn at the Frozen Apple on Nov. 26 at Madison Square Garden, the Big Red has outscored its opponents by 37 goals in the first two periods, 65-28.
• Not only has Cornell been scoring a lot over the opening 40 minutes of play, but the Big Red has also been generating many more shots on goal than its opponents. Cornell has a plus-231 advantage in shots on goal (663-432). In the final regulation period, the Big Red has a plus-51 advantage in shots (290-239), leading to an overall plus-282 edge in shots on goal in regulation time (953-671).
