ITHACA, N.Y. — The No. 8-ranked Cornell men's hockey team plays its lone exhibition prior to the 2024-25 campaign on Saturday night when it welcomes Canadian-based University of Toronto to Lynah Rink.

Puck drop between the Varsity Blues and Big Red is slated for 7 p.m. Game action will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Grady Whittenberg providing play-by-play and former Cornell defenseman Tim Vanini '91 supplying analysis. Jason Weinstein (play-by-play) and former Big Red blueliner Tony Eisenhut '88 (analyst) will also call the contest over the airwaves on WHCU (870 AM, 97.7 FM, cortacatoday.com).

EXHIBITION NO. 1
Toronto at Cornell
SITE: Lynah Rink – Ithaca, N.Y.
RECORDS: Toronto (3-3-0, 3-3-0 OUA), #8 Cornell (0-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC Hockey)
SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads, 7-4-1
SERIES STREAK: Toronto won 1
BROADCASTS: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: CornellBigRed.com

SUCCESS IN EXHIBITIONS
Saturday will be Cornell's 76th exhibition game played in program history. The Big Red has a 60-9-6 (.840) record in exhibitions and is unbeaten over its last 26 (24-0-2 — .962).

Cornell's average margin of victory during its 26-game unbeaten streak in exhibitions is 3.73. Six of the Big Red's 24 wins during the unbeaten streak have been decided by two goals or less, including its last exhibition victory that came last year against the U.S. NTDP Under-18 Team, where then-freshman defenseman George Fegaras scored the game-winning goal 3:03 into overtime of a 5-4 triumph.

Four of Cornell's nine exhibition losses have come against national or professional teams (West German Olympic Team in 1980, U.S. National Team in 1983, Team Canada in 1986, and Torpedo Yaroslavl in 1995).

The last time Cornell lost an exhibition was Oct. 24, 2009, when the Big Red fell to the U.S. NTDP Under-18 Program, 3-2, as Ithaca native and future Cornell goaltender Andy Iles '14 registered 39 saves in the victory for the U.S. NTDP Under-18s.

ECAC HOCKEY PRESEASON POLL
The conference office announced on Sept. 25 that Cornell was picked to finish first in the ECAC Hockey preseason poll following a vote among the 12 head coaches.

Cornell received 10 of the 12 first-place votes, finishing with a league-leading 120 points. Quinnipiac garnered the other two first-place votes, concluding with 111 points.

Dartmouth (93 points) and Clarkson (82 points) were picked third and fourth, respectively, in the poll. Colgate (75 points), Harvard (73 points), St. Lawrence (66 points), and Union (60 points) assumed fifth through eighth place. Princeton (32 points), Yale (30 points), RPI (26 points), and Brown (24 points) rounded out the 12-team poll.

2024-25 ECAC HOCKEY PRESEASON POLL
Voted on By League's Head Coaches
1. Cornell (10 first-place votes) — 120 points
2. Quinnipiac (2 first-place votes) — 111 points
3. Dartmouth — 93 points
4. Clarkson — 82 points
5. Colgate — 75 points
6. Harvard — 73 points
7. St. Lawrence — 66 points
8. Union — 60 points
9. Princeton — 32 points
10. Yale — 30 points
11. RPI — 26 points
12. Brown — 24 points

In addition to the ECAC Hockey preseason poll, junior forward Dalton Bancroft, sophomore defenseman Ben Robertson, and senior goaltender Ian Shane were named to the conference's Preseason All-ECAC Hockey team.

Shane, last season's ECAC Hockey Ken Dryden Goaltender of the Year, received preseason honors from ECAC Hockey for a second straight year, serving as the lone unanimous selection on this year's team.

Robertson was among two blueliners named to the preseason team, joined by Union's junior defenseman John Prokop. Bancroft was one of three forwards named to the preseason team, joined by Dartmouth junior Luke Haymes and Quinnipiac sophomore Mason Marcellus.

2024-25 ALL-ECAC HOCKEY PRESEASON TEAM
Forward: Dalton Bancroft (Cornell)
Forward: Luke Haymes (Dartmouth)
Forward: Mason Marcellus (Quinnipiac)
Defenseman: Ben Robertson (Cornell)
Defenseman: John Prokop (Union)
Goaltender: Ian Shane (Cornell) — unanimous

COME ON BACK!
Cornell is returning 88 percent of its goals and 86 percent of its points from last season, ranking within the top 10 nationally.

The Big Red is one of four programs in the country that returns at least 85 percent of its goals and points from last season. It is joined by Harvard (99 percent of goals, 98 percent of points), Bentley (92 percent of goals, 92 percent of points), and Dartmouth (92 percent of goals, 91 percent of points).

Cornell's 88 percent of goals returning from last year ranks as the fourth-highest average in Division I hockey, trailing Harvard (99 percent), Bentley (92 percent), and Dartmouth (92 percent). Five of the top 10 figures are from ECAC Hockey programs, joined by Brown (85 percent — 5th) and St. Lawrence (73 percent — 10th).

HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF GOALS RETURNING
This Season (per College Hockey, Inc.)
1. Harvard — 99 percent
T2. Bentley — 92 percent
T2. Dartmouth — 92 percent
4. Cornell — 88 percent
5. Brown — 85 percent
6. Bowling Green — 84 percent
7. Stonehill — 82 percent
8. Colorado College — 78 percent
9. New Hampshire — 76 percent
10. St. Lawrence — 75 percent

Of Cornell's 115 goals scored last season, 101 are back on this year's roster. This makes the Big Red one of three Division I programs to return at least 100 of its goals scored from last season, joining Denver (129) and Michigan State (102).

MOST TOTAL GOALS RETURNING
This Season (per College Hockey Inc.)
1. Denver — 129 goals
2. Michigan State — 102 goals
3. Cornell — 101 goals
4. Boston College — 98 goals
5. Bentley — 87 goals
6. Colorado College — 86 goals
7. Dartmouth — 85 goals
8. North Dakota — 84 goals
9. RIT — 82 goals
10. New Hampshire — 81 goals

Cornell's 86 percent of its points return from last season, tied with New Hampshire for sixth in Division I hockey. Harvard (98 percent), Bentley (92 percent), Dartmouth (91 percent), Princeton (89 percent), and Bowling Green (87 percent) are ahead of the Big Red.

HIGHEST PERCENT OF POINTS RETURNING
This Season (per College Hockey, Inc.)
1. Harvard — 98 percent
2. Bentley — 92 percent
3. Dartmouth — 91 percent
4. Princeton — 89 percent
5. Bowling Green — 87 percent
T6. Cornell — 86 percent
T6. New Hampshire — 86 percent
T8. Brown — 80 percent
T8. St. Thomas — 80 percent
10. Stonehill — 79 percent

The Big Red brings back 266 of its 310 points registered last season, ranking as the fourth-most by a Division I program this season, trailing Denver (328), Boston College (303), and Michigan State (278).

MOST POINTS RETURNING
This Season (per College Hockey, Inc.)
1. Denver — 328 points
2. Boston College — 303 points
3. Michigan State — 278 points
4. Cornell — 266 points
5. New Hampshire — 252 points
T6. Bentley — 244 points
T6. Minnesota — 244 points
8. Dartmouth — 228 points
9. North Dakota — 221 points
10. Union — 219 points

SPREADING THE WEALTH
Cornell received production from nearly every skater who appeared in at least one game last season, as 21 of the 23 skaters (91.3 percent) registered at least one point, and 19 of the 21 players with a point logged at least two points.

The Big Red's 10-player freshman class contributed the most, leading the program in goals (44), assists (70), and points (114). Cornell's 10-player junior class was behind the first-years with 105 points (36 goals, 69 assists).

Forwards dominated the scoresheet last season, netting 102 of the 115 goals (88.7 percent) and 246 of the 310 points (79.4 percent).

2023-24 CORNELL SCORING BREAKDOWN
By Class and Position
Freshmen — 44 goals, 70 assists, 114 points (36.8 percent of points)
Sophomores — 21 goals, 26 assists, 47 points (15.2 percent of points)
Juniors — 36 goals, 69 assists, 105 points (33.9 percent of points)
Seniors — 14 goals, 30 assists, 44 points (14.2 percent of points)

Forwards — 102 goals, 144 assists, 246 points (79.4 percent of points)
Defensemen — 13 goals, 51 assists, 64 points (20.6 percent of points)

AYE, AYE, CAPTAIN!
Senior forward Kyle Penney was named the captain of the Cornell hockey team for a second consecutive season on Sept. 5.

Penney is the seventh player under Mike Schafer '86's tenure as the Big Red's head coach to be named a two-time captain, joining Mitch Vanderlaan '19, John McCarron '15, Colin Greening '10, Stephen Bâby '03, Kyle Knopp '99, and Brad Chartrand '96. Penney is the 14th player in Cornell program history to be named a two-time captain.

"He does everything the right way and cares about his teammates," Schafer said. "He connects across all classes, and he's done that since he's been here. He speaks up and picks his spots to make his point. He's not soft-spoken but doesn't waste his words. He checks all the boxes of great leaders."

Joining Penney on the leadership team for the season will be senior defensemen Hank Kempf and Tim Rego and senior forward Jack O'Leary, who will all serve as alternate captains.

O'Leary is the second player on record in Cornell program history to be named an alternate captain in consecutive seasons, joining Cole Bardreau '15, who served as an alternate captain for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 campaigns.

IT'S JUST A NUMBER
Sophomore forward Jonathan Castagna is the first player to don a No. 38 sweater for the Cornell men's hockey program and the first Big Red forward to wear a sweater number north of 30.

Former Big Red goaltender Eddy Skazyk is the only player to have worn a sweater number higher than Castagna's No. 38 when he wore No. 39 for two seasons from 1994-96. Freshman netminder Justin Katz is the first player in Cornell history to wear No. 37 and is the highest number worn by a Big Red goaltender since Skazyk.

Fellow sophomore Marian Mosko is the first defenseman to wear No. 13 since the first bearer of the oft-deemed "unlucky" No. 13, Lane Montesano, who split time as a forward and defenseman from 1957-59.

HAIL TO THEE, OUR ALMA MATER!
Mike Schafer '86, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Cornell Men's Ice Hockey, is one of 24 Division I head coaches to serve as their alma mater's head coach this season.

Roughly 38 percent of the 64 active Division I programs will have an alumnus as their head coach this season. Half of the head coaches within ECAC Hockey meet the criteria as Schafer is joined by Yale's Keith Allain, Harvard's Ted Donato, Colgate's Mike Harder, Clarkson's Jean-François Houle, and Brown's Brendan Whittet.

ECAC Hockey paces the nation with six alums, while Hockey East and NCHC have five apiece.

CORNELL'S MELTING POT
This year's roster of 30 players features five countries (Canada, Czechia, England, Slovakia, United States), 11 states (Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin), and five Canadian provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Québec) represented.

Senior forward Ondrej Psenicka is one of seven Division I hockey players to hail from Czechia, joining Merrimack defenseman Josef Mysak, Northern Michigan goaltender Jakub Altrichter, Providence defenseman Tomas Machu, RIT goaltender Jakub Krbecek, St. Lawrence forward Tomáš Mazura, and UMass goaltender Michael Hrabal.

Sophomore defenseman Liam Steele is the lone Division I player to call England his home country.

SCOUTING TORONTO
Toronto enters this weekend with a 3-3-0 mark in overall and Ontario University Athletics (OUA) play. Before its regular-season opener on Oct. 4, the Varsity Blues logged a 3-2-0 record in five exhibition contests against Guelph, Toronto Metropolitan, New Brunswick (twice), and Windsor.

Of the 35 universities encompassing U Sports, the national sports governing body for Canadian universities, Toronto was ranked No. 18 in men's hockey rankings (1497.37), using an ELO rating system. The University of New Brunswick leads all of U Sports with a rating of 1897.82.

Nicholas Wong (1-8—9) leads the Varsity Blues in assists and points through their first six OUA contests. Zack Smith (4-3—7) and Julian Recine (4-1—5 in three games) are tied for the team lead in goals. Wong, Smith, Recine, and Owen Robinson (3-4—7) are all averaging at least a point per game.

Goaltending duties have been split evenly between Sebastian Resar and Jordan Fairlie through Toronto's first six regular-season contests. Resar has a 2-1-0 record with a 2.33 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage, while Fairlie is 1-2-0 with a 3.33 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage.

TORONTO'S LAST TIME OUT
WINDSOR, Ontario (OCT. 20, 2024) — Four-point performances by Owen Robinson (two goals, two assists) and Nicholas Wong (one goal, three assists) aided Toronto to a 5-2 victory over Windsor at the Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex last Sunday afternoon.

Mark Cooper (three assists) and Zack Smith (one goal, two assists) also notched multi-point efforts for the Varsity Blues in the victory. Billy Moskal potted the other goal for Toronto, who saw Jordan Fairlie make 32 saves en route to his first victory of the season.

LAST TIME AGAINST TORONTO
TORONTO, Ontario (NOV. 25, 1994) — Three unanswered goals by Toronto aided the host Varsity Blues to a 3-2 victory over Cornell on the first day of the Cross Border Challenge at Varsity Arena.

Defenseman Sandy Sajko scored the first two goals for Toronto, avenging a first-period goal scored by Cornell defenseman Steve Wilson, while the Big Red had a 5-on-3 power play. Toronto centerman Tim Welsh scored the eventual game-winning goal 4:24 into the third period for the hosts.

Cornell defenseman Bill Holowatiuk earned assists on both Big Red goals in the contest and Jason Elliott saved 47 of the 50 shots he faced.

111 YEARS, 250 MILES, 12 MEETINGS
Cornell leads the all-time series against Toronto, 7-4-1, dating back to the inaugural contest on Feb. 22, 1913, a 10-0 thrashing of the Big Red at the Mutual Street Arena in Toronto.

The Big Red has yet to lose to Toronto on home ice, posting a 5-0-1 record against the Varsity Blues. All five victories for the Big Red at home have been by at least three goals, posting an averaging margin of victory of 4.40 against Toronto at Lynah Rink.

Saturday will be Toronto's first visit to Lynah Rink since falling to the Big Red, 5-2, on Nov. 26, 1988.

MAJOR JUNIOR VARSITY BLUES
This year's University of Toronto squad appeared in a combined 2,017 regular-season games among the three leagues that compose the Canadian Hockey League (CHL): the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and Western Hockey League (WHL).

Of the 14 players that have played in the CHL, excluding goaltenders, the group combined has 664 points (240 goals, 424 assists).

A step up from major junior hockey, Eddie Yan registered 17 career appearances with the Kunlun Red Star during the 2021-22 season in the Kontinental Hockey League, Russia's top professional hockey league. Yan has also represented Team China at numerous international events, highlighted by the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, where he played four games without registering a point.

CORNELL CONNECTIONS WITH TORONTO
Toronto senior defenseman Ben Dirven is the younger brother of former Cornell defenseman Sebastian Dirven '23, who appeared in 93 career games with the Big Red from 2019-23. The elder Dirven registered 15 career points on the power of three goals and 12 assists.

Sullivan Mack and Julian Recine were teammates on the 2020-21 Salmon Arm Silverbacks ... Parker Murray and Jacob King played on the Provo Riverblades in the USPHL Premier in 2020-21 ... George Fegaras and Sean Clarke spent two seasons together on the North York Rangers in the OJHL from 2020-22 ... Fegaras also played with Nicholas Athanasakos for Team Greece this past summer at the Challenger Series in Oshawa, Ontario ... Dalton Bancroft was teammates with Ben Woodhouse (2018-19 Wellington Dukes) and Graham Dickerson (2016-17 Quinte Red Devils U16 AAA) ... Nathaniel Davis was teammates with Nicholas Wolfenberg last season on the Salmon Arm Silverbacks and with Luke Devlin on the Toronto Titans U15 AAA team in 2018-19 ... Tim Rego and Mason Reeves were teammates on the 2019-20 Brooks Bandits ... Aidan Reeves was teammates with Justin Katz and Luke Devlin on the 2022-23 West Kelowna Warriors.