#18 Men’s Hockey Travels to #11 Arizona State for Two-Game Series

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

THE PUCK DROP
• Coming off its final weekend break of the regular season, the No. 18-ranked Cornell men's hockey team commences its 2024 portion of the schedule against No. 11-ranked Arizona State at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Ariz.

• Both games of the two-game series will be broadcast live on both Pac-12 Insider and ASU Live Stream, as well as over the airwaves on WHCU (870 AM, 97.7 FM, whcuradio.com). Those with Roku-enabled televisions can stream both games on Pac-12 Insider (channel No. 235) on “The Roku Channel”.

NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN
• After being idle for the opening weekend of 2024, Cornell faced Arizona State in the 2023 Adirondack Winter Invitational championship game at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y.

• Facing the same opponent in the regular season three consecutive times has been a rare feat in Cornell's 106-year history. This weekend will be the seventh instance — and just the second in the Big Red modern era, since 1957-58 — in which Cornell will play the same opponent at least three consecutive times in the regular season.

• The first pair of three-game series came in 1908-09 and 1909-10 when Cornell faced Penn and Yale, respectively, at the Elysium Arena in Cleveland. The Big Red played Yale in three-game series in 1910-11 (Chicago) and 1911-12 (Syracuse).

• In 1912-13, Cornell played Princeton a program-record four consecutive times, beginning with a three-game series in Syracuse from Dec. 26-28, 1912. The final game of the four straight contests between the Ivy League foes came on Jan. 11, 1913, in New York City at St. Nicholas Rink.

• The last time the Big Red faced the same opponent three consecutive times in the regular season came during the 1997-98 season. Cornell played Colgate in a non-conference contest at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., before playing the program's traditional home-and-home series on Jan. 17, 1998 (Ithaca) and Jan. 19, 1998 (Hamilton).

LOGGING THE MILES
• Cornell is in the midst of its 48-day span between home games, as the program's next game at Lynah Rink will come next Friday, Jan. 19, when it hosts ECAC Hockey and Ivy League rival Princeton.

• Including its trip to Lake Placid two weeks ago, Cornell will log 4,026 of its 4,532 miles on this weekend's journey to Arizona State.

MOSKO REPRESENTS SLOVAKIA
• Freshman defenseman Marian Mosko donned a Slovakia sweater for the majority of December as he participated at the 2023 World Junior A Challenge in Truro, Nova Scotia, from Dec. 10-15, before heading to Gothenburg, Sweden, for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championships.

• At the World Junior A Challenge, Mosko registered his lone point (an assist) in Slovakia's opening game against Canada East, who concluded as the runner-up in the tournament.

• In the World Juniors, Mosko appeared in all five games for Slovakia while registering his lone point in the pool play finale, as he netted one of Slovakia's two goals in a 10-2 setback to Team USA on Dec. 29.

• Mosko's goal marked the first time a player with Cornell ties scored in the World Juniors since Cole Bardreau on Dec. 31, 2012, in a 9-3 victory over Slovakia, which also was the finale of pool play in Group B. Bardreau ended up garnering a gold medal, as Team USA defeated Sweden, 3-1, in Ufa, Russia.

• Mosko became the 11th Cornell player (12th instance) to participate in the World Junior Championship. He was the first-ever Big Red player to represent a non-North American country.

• This year's tournament marked the third consecutive time in which a member of the Big Red program represented Cornell at the yearly tournament. Sophomore goaltender Remington Keopple played 20 minutes for the United States at the August rendition of the 2022 tournament in Edmonton, Alberta, and equipment manager Sean Schmidt was one of two equipment managers for the United States who won a bronze medal last year in an 8-7 overtime victory over Sweden.

SHANE EARNS WEEKLY AWARD
• Junior goaltender Ian Shane received his fourth ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Week award on Jan. 2, as announced by the conference office.

• Shane is the first Big Red netminder to earn at least four ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Week honors since Mitch Gillam received five weekly awards during the 2015-16 campaign.

• At the inaugural Adirondack Winter Invitational in Lake Placid on Dec. 29 and 30, Shane stopped 41 out of the 45 shots he faced while posting a 1.85 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage against then-No. 11-ranked UMass and then-No. 13-ranked Arizona State.

LIKE A ROCK AT THE DOT
• Senior forward Gabriel Seger is one of 14 active Division I hockey players with 1,000 career faceoff wins, and his 1,030 faceoff wins rank 11th among active leaders.

• Ahead of Seger in career faceoff wins include AIC's Dustin Manz (1,497), Omaha's Nolan Sullivan (1,361), Minnesota's Jaxon Nelson (1,202), Air Force's Clayton Cosentino (1,135), Vermont's Ryan Miotto (1,125), RIT's Carter Wilkie (1,081), Wisconsin's David Silye (1,061), Bowling Green's Josh Nodler (1,047), Northern Michigan's Artem Shlaine (1,039), and Wisconsin's Owen Lindmark (1,032).

• Seger has excelled at the faceoff dot this season, winning nearly 61 percent of the draws he has taken, posting 191 wins in 314 faceoffs. His .608 success rate ranks third nationally among players who have won at least 150 faceoffs, trailing Western Michigan's Tim Washe (.644) and Northeastern's Justin Hryckowian (628).

• The Cornell senior centerman is one of seven players with at least a 60 percent faceoff win rate. Trailing Seger is St. Cloud State's Mason Salquist (.606), Wisconsin's David Silye (.604), Northern Michigan's Artem Shlaine (.602), and AIC's Dustin Manz (.600).

LENDING A HELPING HAND
• Despite not recording an assist in his last three games, freshman defenseman Ben Robertson has opened his collegiate career with 11 assists across his first 13 games with the Big Red.

• With his two-assist game against Colgate on Dec. 1, Robertson became the third Big Red defenseman in the Mike Schafer era (since 1995-96) to record 10-plus assists in the first 10 games of a season. The other blueliners to accomplish the feat were Steve Wilson (10 in 1995-96) and Doug Murray (10 in 2002-03).

• Robertson also became 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 also became 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, he joined 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 his next assist, Robertson will enter a four-way tie with Brendon Nash (2006-07), Alec McCrea (2015-16), and Sam Malinski (2019-20) for the ninth-most assists by a freshman defenseman in Cornell program history, dating back to 1975-76 when first-year players were eligible to play on the Big Red's varsity team. Two more assists will place Robertson in a four-way tie for the sixth-most helpers by a freshman blueliner, joining Dan Ratushny (1988-89), Steve Wilson (1993-94), and Yanni Kaldis (2016-17).

• Robertson's 11 assists rank as the eighth-most by a freshman defenseman in Division I hockey this season, trailing Denver's Zeev Buium (20), Michigan State's Artyom Levshunov (14), Michigan Tech's Chase Pietila (13), Denver's Boston Buckberger (13), Minnesota State's Evan Murr (12), Ohio State's Theo Wallberg (12), and Army's Mac Gadowsky (12).

SNAPPING LYNAH'S PENALTY SHOT DROUGHT
• Junior forward Sullivan Mack recorded his first goal of the season on a penalty shot in the Big Red's last home game against Colgate on Dec. 2.

• Mack's penalty shot marked the Big Red's first successful penalty shot on home ice since Cornell Athletics Hall of Famer and Hockey Hall of Famer Joe Nieuwendyk on Feb. 27, 1987.

• Along with Mack and Nieuwendyk, the other Big Red players to score a penalty shot at Lynah Rink include Carlo Ugolini (1/20/73 vs. Toronto), Brock Tredway (1/17/79 vs. Clarkson), and Len Jankowski (2/24/79 vs. Northeastern).

STOUT DEFENSE
• Historically, Cornell has boasted one of the nation’s stingiest defensive units, as the Big Red has ranked in the top 10 in scoring defense in the last six seasons it has competed in.

• Cornell has allowed the fewest goals in Division I hockey this season, yielding just 29 goals against across its 13 games. Providence (35) and Wisconsin (36) assume second and third place, respectively, while Quinnipiac, Western Michigan, and Dartmouth round out the top five with 38 goals apiece.

• The Big Red's 2.23 goals allowed per game ranks sixth nationally in Division I hockey, only behind Wisconsin (1.64), Quinnipiac (2.00), Providence (2.06), Western Michigan (2.11), and St. Cloud State (2.17).

• Since 2016-17, Cornell has allowed 418 goals, which leads all Division I programs by 128 goals (Harvard — 546) that have played at least seven seasons during the span. The Big Red has averaged 1.97 goals allowed per game over the last six-plus seasons, making Cornell just one of two programs (Minnesota State — 1.90) in the country to average under two goals allowed per game.

SHANE'S WORLD
• Junior goaltender Ian Shane has excelled inside the blue paint during his time on East Hill, posting a 33-18-5 record with a 1.74 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage in his 62 appearances between the pipes.

• Over Shane's last 20 games, dating back to last season, he has an 11-5-3 record with a 1.52 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage. During the stretch, Shane has allowed two or fewer goals on 17 occasions, including 12 games conceding one goal or less.

• Shane's 1.74 career goals-against average paces all active Division I goaltenders who have played at least 25 games, and he is one of two netminders with a career goals-against average under 2.00 (Minnesota State's Keenan Rancier — 1.91).

• Additionally, Shane's goals-against average ranks as the fifth-best in Cornell's modern era, trailing Dave LeNeveu (1.29), Ken Dryden (1.60), Matthew Galajda (1.64), and David McKee (1.71).

• Along with Shane's impressive goals-against average, he ranks fifth among Division I goaltenders in save percentage (.9212), trailing Wisconsin's Kyle McClellan (.926), Notre Dame's Ryan Bischel (.925), RIT's Tommy Scarfone (.922), and Minnesota's Justen Close (.9214).

ONE OF THE BEST IN ECAC HOCKEY
• Senior forward Gabriel Seger enters this weekend with 89 career points, on the power of 30 goals and 59 assists, which currently stands as the 19th-most by a Division I skater.

• Seger's 89 career points are the third-most for all active players within ECAC Hockey. Only Quinnipiac's Collin Graf (43-64—107) — whom Seger was teammates at Union during the 2021-22 season — and Clarkson's Mathieu Gosselin
(35-64—99) are ahead of the Big Red senior centerman.

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 16 points (9-7—16) in 13 games this season.

• 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.

THANKS FOR THE HELP!
• Senior forward Gabriel Seger recorded 23 assists last season, marking 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 59 assists are the third-most by all active ECAC Hockey players, trailing Clarkson's Mathieu Gosselin and Quinnipiac's Collin Graf, who have 64 career helpers.

• Should Seger register 20-plus assists this year, he would become 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 during his three seasons at Cornell from 2007-10.

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 526 wins rank as the 26th-most by a head coach in college hockey history and is 10 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 526 victories are the ninth-most by active college hockey head coaches.

SCOUTING ARIZONA STATE
• No. 11-ranked Arizona State enters this weekend riding a program-record 10-game unbeaten streak (6-0-4). The Sun Devils' last loss came against then-No. 9-ranked Providence, 2-1, in the finale of a two-game series at Mullett Arena on Nov. 26.

• Arizona State boasts the seventh-best power play in the nation, scoring a Division I-leading 27 power-play goals while converting on 27.8 percent of its power plays (27-of-97), which ranks seventh nationally. The Sun Devils also rank within the top 10 in scoring defense (2.33 — 8th). The Sun Devils' 143 assists and 226 points are the fourth-highest figures by a program this season.

• Matthew Kopperud (12-10—22) leads all Division I skaters with six game-winning goals and 10 power-play markers. Tim Lovell (3-22—25) and Lukas Sillinger (6-22—28) rank within the top 10 nationally in assists per game with 1.00 and 0.92 averages, respectively.

• TJ Semptimphelter (14-3-3, 2.26, .919) has been Arizona State's starting netminder in nine of its 10 contests during its active unbeaten streak, posting a 6-0-3 record with a 1.83 goals-against average  and a .930 save percentage during the span.

4 YEARS, 2013 MILES, 5 MEETINGS
• This weekend will mark the sixth and seventh all-time meetings between Cornell and Arizona State, all of which have come since the 2018-19 season. It will also be the fourth and fifth time the Big Red will play a ranked Sun Devils squad in which the Big Red has a 2-0-1 record against.

• The Big Red and Sun Devils have evenly split the previous five contests, 2-2-1. Excluding the last meeting in Lake Placid, N.Y., on Dec. 30, the home team has prevailed in the first four contests. Cornell opened the series with a two-game sweep at Lynah Rink on Jan. 11-12, 2019, before Arizona State returned the favor on Jan. 1-2, 2022, at Oceanside Ice Arena.

• Three of the last four games between the two teams have been decided by one goal or less.

CORNELL - ARIZONA STATE CONNECTIONS
• Nick DeSantis was teammates with Brandon Tabakin and Brian Chambers on the 2018-19 Sioux Falls Stampede. Tabakin and Sean Donaldson also played together on the Sioux Falls Stampede in 2020-21.

• Ben Robertson played with Ty Murchison, Anthony Dowd, and Gibson Homer on the U.S. National Under-17 Team in 2020-21. Robertson was also teammates with Tucker Ness (2021-22 Waterloo Black Hawks) and Matthew Romer (2021-22 Omaha Lancers).

• Ian Shane played on the Chicago Steel with Tim Lovell (2019-20) and Dowd (2020-21).

• Ondrej Psenicka and Ethan Szmagaj played on the 2019-20 Waterloo Black Hawks.

• David Hymovitch was teammates on the Muskegon Lumberjacks with Hank Kempf and Luke Devlin in 2020-21 and George Fegaras in 2022-23.

• Kyle Smolen played on the Fargo Force with Michael Suda (2020-21) and Marian Mosko (2022-23).

• Ryan Alexander was teammates on the 2021-22 Youngstown Phantoms with Winter Wallace and Tyler Catalano.

• Ryan McInchak and Charlie Schoen were teammates on the 2019-20 Lincoln Stars.

ARIZONA STATE'S NHL CONNECTIONS
• Anthony Dowd is the son of former NHLer Jim Dowd, who played in 728 games across 16 seasons with 10 teams (New Jersey, Vancouver, N.Y. Islanders, Calgary, Edmonton, Minnesota, Montreal, Chicago, Colorado, and Philadelphia). Jim racked up 239 career points (71 goals, 168 assists) and 390 penalty minutes.

• Joshua and Jackson Niedermayer are the sons of Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Niedermayer, who won four Stanley Cups, as well as the Norris (2004) and Conn Smythe (2007) trophies during his 18 seasons with New Jersey (1991-2004) and Anaheim (2005-10). Scott is currently a senior advisor in the Ducks' hockey operations department. Joshua and Jackson are also the nephews of former NHLer Rob Niedermayer, who played 1,153 NHL games from 1993-2011 with Florida, Calgary, Anaheim, New Jersey, and Buffalo. The current Sun Devils duo are also cousins with former NHLer Jason Strudwick, who appeared in 674 NHL games from 1995-2011 with the N.Y. Islanders, Vancouver, Chicago, N.Y. Rangers, and Edmonton.

• Cole Gordon is the nephew of former NHLer Boyd Gordon, who played in 706 games with Washington, Phoenix, Edmonton, Arizona, and Philadelphia from 2002-17. Boyd is in his first year as a pro scout with the Detroit Red Wings.

• Lukas Sillinger is the son of former NHLer Mike Sillinger, who played in 1,049 games across 18 NHL seasons with 12 teams from 1990-2009. Lukas' brother, Cole, is in his third season with Columbus.

#17 MEN'S HOCKEY PLAY TO TIE, WINS SHOOTOUT OVER #11 UMASS

RECAP I BOX SCORE | HIGHLIGHTS | GALLERY

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (DEC. 29, 2023) — Sophomore forward Dalton Bancroft and senior forward Gabriel Seger scored in the best-of-three-round shootout, lifting the No. 17-ranked Cornell men's hockey team to a shootout victory over No. 11-ranked UMass, following a 2-2 tie in the opening game of the 2023 Adirondack Winter Invitational on Friday afternoon at Herb Brooks Arena.

Bancroft and freshman Hoyt Stanley scored in regulation for the Big Red, which now has an overall record of 6-4-2. Freshman forward Ryan Walsh factored on both goals in regulation to notch his first career multi-assist game and second multi-point effort of the season.

Michael Cameron and Ryan Lautenbach potted the markers for the Minutemen (11-4-2), who will play Clarkson in the consolation game at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Junior goaltender Ian Shane made 23 saves between the pipes for Cornell, while his counterpart Cole Brady shoved aside 24 Big Red shots.

#17 MEN'S HOCKEY TIES WITH #13 ARIZONA STATE, FALLS IN SHOOTOUT

RECAP I BOX SCORE I HIGHLIGHTS

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (DEC. 30, 2023) — Arizona State's Kyle Smolen netted the deciding goal in the best-of-three-round shootout to aid No. 13-ranked Arizona State to the Adirondack Winter Invitational title over the No. 17-ranked Cornell men's hockey team after the sides played to a 2-2 tie at Herb Brooks Arena on Saturday night.

Senior forward Gabriel Seger and freshman defenseman George Fegaras netted the goals in regulation for Cornell (6-4-3), both of which came while the Big Red was on the power play.

Jackson Niedermayer and Matthew Kopperud potted the goals for the Sun Devils (14-3-5), who extended its unbeaten streak to eight games (4-0-4).

Junior goaltender Ian Shane made 18 saves for Cornell, while Arizona State's TJ Semptimphelter shoved aside 25 shots.

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 return to Lynah Rink for the first time since Dec. 2 when it faces Princeton and Quinnipiac to reengage in ECAC Hockey play.

• The Big Red will look to split the season series with both the Tigers and Bobcats as Cornell fell in overtime to Princeton, 2-1, on Nov. 18 following an 8-4 setback to then-No. 7-ranked Quinnipiac the night prior.