#12 Men's Hockey Welcomes Clarkson for Best-of-Three ECAC Quarterfinal Series

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

THE PUCK DROP
• The No. 12-ranked and No. 3-seeded Cornell men's hockey team welcomes the No. 6 seed Clarkson to Lynah Rink for a best-of-three-game quarterfinal series with one of four spots in the ECAC Hockey semifinal round in Lake Placid on the line.

FINAL WEEKLY AWARDS
• Cornell junior forward Jack O'Leary and sophomore goaltender Ian Shane were on the receiving end of the final weekly awards from ECAC Hockey following the sweep of Brown and Yale.

• O'Leary won the conference's Forward of the Week honors after registering four points on the weekend. He had a pair of two-point games against the Bears and Bulldogs, to become the third Cornell player to receive the award this season, joining freshman Dalton Bancroft and senior Ben Berard.

• Shane made 35 saves in the pair of victories, generating a 0.50 goals-against average and a .972 save percentage (35-of-36). It marked the third time this season, and the sixth time in his career, he has been named ECAC Hockey's MAC Goaltending Goaltender of the Week.

IVY LEAGUE CHAMPS
• Cornell claimed its 25th Ivy League title with its 5-1 win over Yale two weekends ago. The Big Red's 25 points (8-2-0) in Ancient Eight contests edged Harvard's 24 points (9-1-0).

• It was the Big Red's first Ivy League title since 2019-20. The Big Red has claimed three of the last four Ancient Eight titles, joining the 2018-19 and 2019-20 squads.

• The Big Red's 25 Ancient Eight titles are second among the six Ivy League schools that currently field programs. Harvard has the most (28), while Yale is in third with 15.

• Since Princeton won the Ivy League in 2007-08, the trophy has only been in the possession of Cornell (six times), Yale (also six times), and Harvard (three times).

TAKE A BREAK!
• With its 4-4 tie to Colgate on Feb. 11, Cornell clinched one of the coveted top-four seeds in this year's ECAC Hockey Championship.

• Excluding 2020-21, Cornell has been a top-four seed in each of the last six tournaments that it has participated in.

• In years Cornell has received a first-round bye, the Big Red has moved onto the semifinals in eight of the last nine instances (last year was the lone year it did not advance). 

• Since the adoption of the 12-team tournament format entering the 2002-03 campaign, Cornell has been a top-four seed in 16 of the 20 tournaments played.

SO, WE MEET AGAIN…
• Cornell and Clarkson are meeting for the 34th time in an ECAC Hockey playoff setting on Friday night.

• The Big Red has not played any team more in postseason play than the Golden Knights, as Harvard is second with 24 postseason meetings.

• This weekend's series is the first time the two Empire State programs are playing in the ECAC Hockey Championship since Cornell fell to the Golden Knights — who were ranked No. 9 nationally — 3-2 in overtime at the 2019 ECAC Hockey Championship game in Lake Placid, N.Y. This weekend is also the third time that Cornell and Clarkson are playing in the quarterfinal between the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds. Clarkson won the first best-of-three series in 1988, but Cornell won in three games in 2017.

• Friday's contest will be the 14th time in the last 15 playoff games against Clarkson in which Cornell is hosting the Golden Knights. The lone game not played at Lynah Rink came in the aforementioned 2019 ECAC Hockey Championship game.

POINT SEGER
• Junior forward Gabriel Seger has recorded seven assists over his last five games. During the stretch, Seger has three multi-assist performances.

• The native of Uppsala, Sweden, has 21 assists on the season, which is tied with Harvard's Henry Thrun and Quinnipiac's Zach Metsa for the sixth-most by a player in ECAC Hockey.

• Seger's 21 assists are the most by a Cornell player since defenseman Yanni Kaldis recorded 24 helpers in 2018-19. Seger is the first Cornell forward with 20-plus assists since Greg Miller registered 25 assists in 2010-11.

• Seger is the first Big Red player to log 20-plus assists in his first season donning Cornellian Red since Riley Nash registered 20 assists in his freshman campaign in 2007-08.

SAM'S THE MAN
• Senior defenseman Sam Malinski is tied with Colgate's Nick Anderson for the fourth-most points by a blueliner this season. The 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) is two off from matching Quinnipiac's Zach Metsa for the lead in ECAC Hockey.

• Malinski's 25 points are the most by a Cornell defenseman since Yanni Kaldis' 25 points (5-20—25) in 2019-20.

• With his next point, Malinski would have the most points by a Cornell blueliner since Kaldis' 28-point season in 2018-19 (four goals, 24 assists).

• Earlier this season, Malinski recorded at least one point in 10 straight games, tying former NHLer Matt Moulson for the second longest point streak by a Cornell player in the Mike Schafer era, dating back to the 1995-96 season.

• The 10-game point streak is the second-longest by a Division I defenseman this season, trailing Boston University freshman blueliner Lane Hutson for the lead (11). Hutson had 19 points (three goals, 16 assists) during his streak, while Malinski had 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists).

‘SPECIAL’ IN SPECIAL TEAMS
• Cornell currently has the third-best power play nationally as the Big Red is converting at a 27.7 percent clip. North Dakota paces the nation at 28.6 percent clip, while Minnesota State is slightly ahead of the Big Red at 27.8 percent.

• Following Cornell's six power-play goals scored against Union on Feb. 4, the Big Red has scored on just one of its last 16 power-play opportunities (6.3 percent).

• Despite the recent low conversion rate, the Big Red has scored a power-play goal in nine of its last 16 games, converting on 34.0 percent of its chances (18-of-53).

RANKING IN THE TOP 10
• Cornell is one of five programs currently ranking in the top 10 in both scoring offense and scoring defense. Of the five programs, three of them are ECAC Hockey programs, joined by Quinnipiac and Harvard - who are the respective No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in this year's ECAC Hockey Championship.

• The Big Red has the eighth-highest scoring offense with a 3.59 goals-per-game average this season and has the fourth-best scoring defense, averaging 2.10 goals allowed per contest.

NONE SHALL PASS…
• Cornell enters this weekend boasting one of the nation's top scoring defenses. The Big Red has yielded 61 goals allowed so far this year, which is the second-fewest by a Division I program this season, trailing ECAC Hockey rival Quinnipiac (55).

• Historically, Cornell has boasted one of the nation's stingiest defensive units in Division I hockey. The Big Red has ranked in the top-10 in scoring defense in each of its last five seasons of competition. Since the 2016-17 season, Cornell has yielded 384 goals against which stands as the fewest by a Division I team in the span.

SHANE'S WORLD
• Sophomore goaltender Ian Shane has had a strong season for Cornell, posting a 1.86 goals-against average that ranks third nationally and second in ECAC Hockey behind Quinnipiac's Yaniv Perets' nation-leading 1.61 average.

• Shane was nominated for the Mike Richter Award and is Cornell's lone nominee for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. 

• Despite not being named a semifinalists for the Richter Award, Shane was the first Cornell goaltender named to the Richter Award watch list in consecutive years since Matthew Galajda in 2018-19 and 2019-20.

BLANKING TOP-10 FOES
• Sophomore goaltender Ian Shane is one of three goaltenders at the Division I level 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, who shutout Minnesota Duluth (Oct. 22) and Ohio State (Jan. 20), as well as St. Cloud State's Jaxon Castor, who did so against Minnesota (Jan. 7) and Denver (Jan. 21).

• Quinnipiac's Yaniv Perets, Maine's Victor Ostman, UMass' Luke Pavicich, Miami's Ludvig Persson, Minnesota's Justen Close, Minnesota State's Alex Tracy, Omaha's Simon Latkoczy and Jake Kucharski, and Penn State's Liam Souliere have posted shutouts against top-10 opponents this year.

OFFENSIVE DOMINANCE
• Cornell has excelled in the opening 40 minutes of games this season, outscoring its opponents 78-41, good for a plus-37 goal advantage.

• In comparison, Cornell has only outscored its opponents by seven goals, 26-19, in the final period of regulation.

• The Big Red outscored Brown and Yale, 5-1, in the final 20 minutes in its final pair of regular-season games. 

• 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 33 goals in the first two periods, 61-28.

• Not only has Cornell been scoring a lot of over the opening 40 minutes of play, the Big Red has been generated many more shots on goal than its opponents. Cornell has a plus-219 advantage in shots on goal (609-390). In the final period of regulation, the Big Red has a plus-63 advantage in shots (260-197), leading to an overall plus-282 edge in shots on goal (875-591).

NEARING A MILESTONE
• With his next victory, the Jay R. Bloom ‘77 Head Coach of Men’s Ice Hockey, Mike Schafer, will earn his 518th career win. He would be tied with former Cornell women's polo coach Dave Eldredge for the third-most wins in Cornell history by a head coach in one sport. He currently trails Dick Blood (softball — 623) and Ted Thoren (baseball — 541).

SCOUTING CLARKSON
• Clarkson, the No. 6 seed in this year's ECAC Hockey Championship, has a 16-15-4 overall record. The Golden Knights finished ECAC Hockey play with a 9-10-3 mark in conference action.

• In the pair of meetings between the two Empire State programs in the regular season, the Golden Knights came away with a pair of victories, 4-1 in Potsdam on Nov. 12 and 4-3 at Lynah Rink on Feb. 17.

• Last weekend, Clarkson defeated Brown, 5-1, in the first round of the ECAC Hockey Championship. Anthony Romano scored twice for the Golden Knights and Dustyn McFaul had a pair of assists.

• Ayrton Martino leads Clarkson with his 38 points (9-29—38). Mathieu Gosselin also has eclipsed the 30-point plateau with 13 goals and 19 assists. Alex Campbell has a Clarkson-leading 14 goals on the year.

• Ethan Haider has started 33 of the Golden Knights' 35 games this year, logging a 2.54 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.

SERIES HISTORY
• Cornell and Clarkson will be meeting for the 148th time on Friday. The Big Red have a 70-58-19 advantage in the series.

• Even though the Big Red holds the all-time advantage in the series, Cornell is winless in three of its last four games against the Golden Knights (1-2-1).

• Clarkson is seeking its first three-game win streak over Cornell since winning the final regular season meeting in 1997-98 season and sweeping the season series in 1998-99.

THE LAST TIME AGAINST CLARKSON
RECAP | BOX SCORE

ITHACA, N.Y. (FEB. 17, 2023) — Despite Clarkson posting a 4-3 victory over the No. 11-ranked Cornell men's hockey team on Friday night at a rowdy Lynah Rink, the Big Red solidified a first-round bye in the 2023 ECAC Hockey Championships.

Cornell will host a best-of-three series beginning March 10 at Lynah Rink against one of the winners from the first round, which has changed to a single-game format. The first-round contests will be played in the first weekend of March.

Mathieu Gosselin highlighted the victory for the Golden Knights by assisting on all four Golden Knights goals. Alex Campbell and Ayrton Martino each had two-goal nights for Clarkson. Campbell added an assist on Clarkson's second goal of the contest to give himself a three-point night.

Senior forward Ben Berard scored twice for the Big Red, while fellow senior forward Jack Malone potted the other marker. Junior forward Gabriel Seger recorded two assists in the setback for Cornell.

MACK'S TWO GOALS, SHANE'S SHUTOUT AIDS #13 MEN'S HOCKEY TO SHUTOUT OF BROWN

RECAP I BOX SCORE 

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (FEB. 24, 2023) – Sophomore Sullivan Mack scored two third-period goals, and fellow sophomore Ian Shane recorded a 14-save shutout, to aid the No. 13-ranked Cornell men's hockey team to a 4-0 victory over Brown at Meehan Auditorium on Friday night.

The two-goal night for Mack was his second career multi-goal performance, with the first coming earlier this year on Dec. 29 against AIC.

Shane's shutout was the seventh of his collegiate career.

Joining Mack on the scoresheet for the Big Red was junior forward Jack O'Leary and senior forwards Zach Tupker and Ben Berard.

Mathieu Caron matched his career high for saves, stopping 42 Cornell shots in his first start in over a month in the setback for Brown.

#13 MEN'S HOCKEY CLAIMS 25TH IVY LEAGUE TITLE WITH WIN OVER YALE

RECAP I BOX SCORE 

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (FEB. 25, 2023) – For the 25th time in program history, and the third time in the last four years of competition, the Cornell men's hockey team is atop the Ivy League in men's hockey.
 
Junior forward Kyle Penney had a team-high three points, and fellow junior Jack O'Leary and freshman forward Nick DeSantis both had two-point nights, as five different goals scorers found the back of the net for the No. 13-ranked Cornell men's hockey team in its 5-1 win over Yale at Ingalls Rink on Saturday night.
 
Penney had a goal and two assists, while O'Leary and DeSantis each registered a goal and an assist. Freshman forward Winter Wallace and senior forward Ben Berard also found the back of the net for the Big Red.
 
Sophomore goaltender Ian Shane made 21 saves in the win for the Big Red, who will be the No. 3 seed in the ECAC Hockey Championship that begins next weekend with first-round action.
 
Cole Donhauser scored the lone goal for Yale, who also had a 24-save performance by senior netminder Connor Hopkins.

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."