#14 Men's Hockey Returns to Lake Placid, Faces Dartmouth in ECAC Hockey Semifinals

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

THE PUCK DROP

• The No. 14-ranked and second-seeded Cornell men's hockey team returns to Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y., for championship weekend of the ECAC Hockey Championship for a second consecutive season as it faces No. 4 seed Dartmouth in the second semifinal of the 2024 ECAC Men's Hockey Championship on Friday night.

• Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., and game action will be broadcast on ESPN+. Phil Murphy (play-by-play) and Pierre McGuire (analyst) will be on the call. Phil Giubileo will serve as the rinkside reporter, and Bob Ahlfeld will host intermission reports.

BACK TO LAKE PLACID

• Cornell is making its fifth appearance in ECAC Hockey's championship weekend in Lake Placid since the 2016-17 season. Following the tournament's return to Lake Placid for the 2013-14 season, the Big Red has reached the final four six times (2013-14, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2022-23, 2023-24).

• Friday's contest will be the 47th time Cornell plays a game in Lake Placid, dating back to its first game on Dec. 26, 1938, an 11-1 win over St. Lawrence at Jack Shea Arena (currently named the 1932 Rink). It will be the Big Red's 30th game played at the 1980 Rink, where Cornell has a 13-14-2 record.

• The Big Red played in Lake Placid this past New Year's weekend in the Adirondack Winter Invitational, where it played to a pair of 2-2 ties against then-No. 11-ranked UMass (Dec. 29 — shootout win) and then-No. 13-ranked Arizona State (Dec. 30 — shootout loss).

TAKE A BREAK!

• With its overtime loss to Clarkson on Feb. 23, Cornell officially clinched one of the coveted top-four seeds in this year's ECAC Hockey Championship.

• Excluding the 2020-21 season in which Cornell did not compete, Cornell has been a top-four seed in the last seven tournaments it has participated in.
The Big Red has moved onto the semifinals in 10 of the last 11 instances in which it has received an opening-round bye. The 2021-22 campaign was the lone year it did not advance.

• Since adopting the 12-team tournament format entering the 2002-03 season, Cornell has been a top-four seed in 17 of the 21 tournaments played. This year's opening-round bye was Cornell's 14th since 2005-06, which extended the Big Red's lead in ECAC Hockey for opening-round byes under the conference's current alignment to 14. This year's top-seeded team, Quinnipiac, is the only other program with a double-digit bye total of 10.

CLEAR THE TROPHY CASE!

• Junior goaltender Ian Shane (Ken Dryden Goaltender of the Year, presented by MAC Goaltending and Player of the Year), junior forward Kyle Penney (Gladiator Best Defensive Forward), junior defenseman Hank Kempf (Howie's Best Defensive Defenseman), and Mike Schafer '86 (Coach of the Year) were named finalists for their respective awards on Wednesday.

• Last week, ECAC Hockey released its all-league teams, with Cornell receiving a pair of players named to the All-Rookie Team and two First- and Third-Team selections.

• Freshmen Jonathan Castagna and Ben Robertson were named to the All-Rookie Team last Monday, becoming the first Big Red tandem to garner All-Rookie honors in the same season since Mike Devin and Riley Nash in 2008.

• Sophomore forward Dalton Bancroft and Robertson were announced as Third Team All-ECAC Hockey selections last Tuesday. Bancroft and Robertson are the first Cornell teammates to receive third-team distinctions since goaltender Galajda and defenseman Alex Green in 2020. Robertson is just the second Cornell freshman (first skater) to earn a spot on the three ECAC Hockey teams, as Galajda was a first-team pick in 2018.

• Senior forward Gabriel Seger and Shane were tabbed First Team All-ECAC Hockey selections last Thursday. Shane was one of four unanimous first-team selections, joined by Quinnipiac forward Collin Graf, Dartmouth forward Luke Haymes, and Union defenseman John Prokop. It was the 11th time Cornell had multiple players named First Team All-ECAC Hockey in a season and the first since forward Morgan Barron and defenseman Yanni Kaldis in 2020.

• In addition to ECAC Hockey honors, the Ivy League announced its all-league teams last Wednesday. Shane was unanimously named Player of the Year, and Mike Schafer '86 took home his fourth Coach of the Year award in the previous six seasons. Seger, the Big Red's Academic All-Ivy selection, joined Shane on the Ivy League's first team, while Castagna and Robertson received Second Team All-Ivy distinctions.

HOCKEY HUMANITARIAN AWARD

• After being named one of 18 nominees for this year's Hockey Humanitarian Award, junior defenseman Hank Kempf was selected as one of five finalists, as announced by the Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation on Feb. 12.

• Kempf is Cornell's third consecutive nominee, and the fifth overall, from either Big Red hockey program to be named a finalist. He joins women's hockey players Erin Schmalz, Alyssa Gagliardi, Morgan Richardson, and former men's player Sam Paolini, who won the award in 2003.

• Since the award was first conferred in 1997, Kempf is the ninth Big Red player nominated for the prestigious award and is just the fourth from the men's program, joining Paolini, Topher Scott, and Andy Iles.

• Kempf is the lone Cornell player nominated for the award that was not in their senior season.

SHANE NAMED SEMIFINALIST FOR RICHTER AWARD

• Junior goaltender Ian Shane was named a semifinalist for the 2024 Mike Richter Award, announced by the American College Hockey Association on Feb. 14.

• Following the announcement, Shane became the second Cornell goaltender (third instance) to be identified as a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award. Shane joins former Big Red netminder Matthew Galajda, who became a two-time finalist for the Richter Award following his play in the 2017-18 and 2019-20 seasons with the Big Red.

• Shane is accompanied on the list of semifinalists by Michigan State's Trey Augustine, Notre Dame's Ryan Bischel, Minnesota's Justen Close, Quinnipiac's Vinny Duplessis, Boston College's Jacob Fowler, Colorado College's Kaidan Mbereko, Wisconsin's Kyle McClellan, RIT's Tommy Scarfone, and St. Thomas' Jake Sibell.

• The three finalists for the Mike Richter Award will be announced sometime in March, and the winner will be revealed in April during the Men's Frozen Four that will take place in St. Paul, Minn., on April 11 and 13.

SHOWTSTOPPER SHANE

• Junior goaltender Ian Shane has excelled inside the blue paint during his time on East Hill, posting a 46-20-10 record with a 1.71 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage in his 80 appearances between the pipes.

• Shane's 46 victories are the 10th-most by a Cornell goaltender in program history. With his next triumph, he will match Mitch Gillam (2013-17) for the ninth-most wins.

• With his shutout over Brown on Feb. 16, Shane upped his career shutout total to 11, matching Dave LeNeveu and Gillam for the fifth-most shutouts by a Cornell goaltender. Shane is two shutouts away from matching Ken Dryden for fourth in program history (13).

• Shane's 13 shutouts are tied with Wisconsin's Kyle McClellan for the third-most by all active Division I goaltenders. Michigan Tech's Blake Pietila (24) and Minnesota's Justen Close (13) are the only two netminders ahead of Shane and McClellan.

SHANE'S WORLD

• Since Jan. 1, junior goaltender Ian Shane has a 13-2-3 record with a 1.58 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage, ranking first and fifth, respectively, among goaltenders with at least 15 games played during the span.

• Shane's 1.70 career goals-against average stands as the fourth-best in NCAA Division I history, trailing former Cornell netminder David LeNeveu (1.29), former Michigan State standout Ryan Miller (1.54), and Cornell Athletics and Hockey Hall of Famer Ken Dryden (1.59). Former Big Red goaltender David McKee is behind Shane by one-hundredth of a point, giving Cornell four of the top five career goals-against averages in NCAA Division I hockey history.

• Among active leaders, Shane is one of two active Division I netminders with a career goals-against average under 2.00, joined by Minnesota State's Keenan Rancier (1.98).

• Along with his impressive career goals-against average, Shane ranks sixth among active Division I goaltenders in career save percentage (.922). Wisconsin's Kyle McClellan (.926), Notre Dame's Ryan Bischel (.9245), Minnesota's Justen Close (.9239), Boston College's Jacob Fowler (.9227), and RIT's Tommy Scarfone (.9222) are ahead of the Cornell netminder.

RACKING UP THE POINTS

• During his tenure on East Hill, senior forward Gabriel Seger has amassed 69 points (21 goals, 48 assists), marking the most points by a Big Red player over his first two seasons at Cornell since Ryan Hughes collected 75 points (25 goals, 50 assists) from 1989-91.

• Seger's 48 assists are tied for the 18th-most assists in a player's first two seasons of his Big Red career, matching John Hughes (1967-69) and Duanne Moeser (1982-84). With two more assists, Seger would become the 17th player in program history to amass 50 assists in his first two seasons at Cornell, becoming the first since Hughes from 1989-91. 

POINT SEGER

• Senior forward Gabriel Seger (14-25—39) has 39 points this season, the most by a Big Red player since Matt Moulson (22-20—42) during the 2004-05 season.

• With his next point, Seger would become the sixth player under Mike Schafer '86 (since 1995-96) to register a 40-point season, joining Brad Chartrand (24-21—43 in 1995-96), Kyle Knopp (10-32—42 in 1998-99), Stephen Bâby (8-33—42 in 2002-03), Ryan Vesce (19-26—45 in 2002-03), and Moulson (22-20—42 in 2004-05). Seger's 39 points make him the lone player to have that high of a point total in either of his first two seasons with the Big Red under Schafer's tutelage.

• Should Seger notch one more point this season, he would become the sixth player (seventh instance) since 1980-81 to register a 40-point season in his first two years with the Big Red program. The previous occurrences came by Jeff Baikie (25-26—51 in 1980-81), Gary Cullen (13-29—42 in 1983-84), Duanne Moeser (19-31—50 in 1983-84), Joe Nieuwendyk (21-24—45 in 1984-85 and 26-28—54 in 1985-86), and Ryan Hughes (18-34—52 in 1989-90).

• In his 31 games this season, Seger has had a point in 22 contests, including 11 multi-point games. Seger is tied with Quinnipiac's Sam Lipkin for the third-most multi-point games by an ECAC Hockey player. Lipkin's teammates Jacob Quillian (14) and Collin Graf (12) are those with more.

FOUR SCORE…

• Cornell is one of three Division I programs with at least two players with multiple four-point games this season. Freshman forward Jonathan Castagna logged four-point games against Princeton on Jan. 19 (3-1—4) and at Union on Feb. 10 (2-2—4), while senior forward Gabriel Seger registered his four-point outings — both of which came via two goals and two assists — at Colgate on Dec. 1 and in last Saturday's series-clinching win over Harvard.

• Joining Cornell in the rare feat is Denver (Massimo Rizzo - 4; Jack Devine, Tristan Broz, and Zeev Buium - 2 apiece) and Michigan (Gavin Brindley and Rutger McGroarty - 3 apiece, and T.J. Hughes - 2).

• Castagna's pair of four-point games makes him one of two Division I freshmen with multiple four-point games in conference contests, joining Boston University phenom Macklin Celebrini.

THANKS FOR THE HELP!

• After registering 23 assists last year in his first season at Cornell, senior forward Gabriel Seger upped his output to 25 assists this season, the most by a Cornell player since Greg Miller also had 25 assists in 2010-11.

• Seger is the first Cornell player since Joe Nieuwendyk (1984-86) to have 23-plus assists in his first two seasons with the Big Red. In Cornell's modern era, dating back to 1957-58, only eight other players have achieved the feat, including Murray Death, David and Doug Ferguson (1964-66), John Hughes (1967-69), Larry Fullan (1969-71), John Harper (1973-75), Lance Nethery (1975-77), and Roy Kerling (1977-78, 1979-80), and Nieuwendyk.

• In addition to his 46 assists at Cornell, Seger had 29 helpers in his first two collegiate seasons at Union, giving him 77 career assists. His assist total ranks as the fourth-most by an active Division I skater, only behind Northern Michigan's Andre Ghantous (103), Denver's Massimo Rizzo (87), and Arizona State's Lukas Sillinger (79).

• With his next assist, Seger would have the most assists by a Big Red player in a season since Ryan Vesce (26) and Stephen Bâby (33) in 2002-03.

REACHING THE CENTURY MARK

• With his third-period goal against RPI on Feb. 9, senior forward Gabriel Seger became the 14th active player to reach the century mark in points. Seger has since upped his career point total to 112 (35 goals and 77 assists), ranking 11th among active Division I skaters entering this weekend.

• Seger is one of three active ECAC Hockey players with at least 100 career points, joining Quinnipiac's Collin Graf (54-75—129) and Clarkson's Mathieu Gosselin (44-73—117).

• Of the active players who have surpassed the century mark for career points, Seger (Union ? Cornell) is one of five who have transferred, joining Graf (Union ? Quinnipiac), Lukas Sillinger (Bemidji State ? Arizona State), Alex Campbell (Clarkson ? Northeastern), and Ryan Naumovski (Niagara ? Augustana).

NET 30

• Following his assist on Kyle Penney's empty-net goal in the Big Red's 3-0 shutout of Brown on Feb. 16, senior forward Gabriel Seger became the first Cornell player to have consecutive 30-point seasons since Morgan Barron in 2018-19 (15-19—34) and 2019-20 (14-18—32).

• Seger, who had seven goals and 23 assists last season, became the first Big Red player with 30 points in his first two seasons with Cornell since Riley Nash during the 2007-08 (12-20—32) and 2008-09 (13-21—34) seasons.

• Seger's Feb. 16 assist made him the 26th player in the program's modern era, since 1957-58, to reach the 30-point plateau in each of his first two seasons. It is just the third time the feat has been accomplished under Mike Schafer '86, as Kyle Knopp (1995-97) and Nash (2007-09) were the others.

• Seger is the 11th player since 1975-76 to have consecutive 30-point seasons to begin his Cornell career, joining Lance Nethery (1975-77), Brock Tredway (1977-79), Roy Kerling (1977-78, 1979-80), John Olds (1978-80), Gary Cullen (1981-83), Duanne Moeser (1982-84), Joe Nieuwendyk (1984-86), Trent Andison (1987-89), Knopp, and Nash.

LIKE A ROCK AT THE DOT

• Seger has won 1,273 career faceoffs during his collegiate career, ranking seventh among active Division I players.

• He is one of nine active skaters with at least 1,200 career faceoff wins entering this weekend. He joins AIC's Dustin Manz (1,700), Omaha's Nolan Sullivan (1,565), Air Force's Clayton Cosentino (1,394), Minnesota's Jaxon Nelson (1,369), RIT's Carter Wilkie (1,338), Wisconsin's David Silye (1,280), Vermont's Ryan Miotto (1,267), and Northeastern's Justin Hryckowian (1,236).

• With 27 more wins, Seger would become at least the sixth active player with 1,300 faceoff wins.

• This season, Seger has won 434 faceoffs, ranking sixth nationally. He is one of 11 Division I players with at least 400 draws won, and his .584 faceoff win rate ranks eighth in the nation among players with 350 draws won.

THE GAME'S ON HIS STICK

• Freshman forward Ryan Walsh has scored 10 goals this season and paces the Big Red in game-winning goals with four.

• With his game-winning tally against Brown on Feb. 17, Walsh joined Brock Tredway (1977-78) and Michael Regush (2018-19) as the lone Cornell freshmen players to pot four game-winning goals in a season.

• Should Walsh record another game-winner this season, he would be Cornell's first player to log five game-winning goals since Anthony Angello in 2017-18 while entering a seven-way tie for the eighth-most game-winning goals in a season.

• John Hughes is the only Big Red player in the program's modern era, since 1957-58, to have five game-winning goals in his first season with the Big Red, doing so as a sophomore in 1967-68.

YOUTH MOVEMENT

• Freshmen forwards Jonathan Castagna (9-14—23) and Ryan Walsh (11-9—20) and defenseman Ben Robertson (5-17—22) have all registered at least 20 points this season, making Cornell one of eight Division I programs to have three freshmen with at least 20 points (Boston College, Boston University, Denver, Michigan Tech, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Robert Morris).

• Castagna, Robertson, and Walsh are the first Big Red freshmen trio in program history to register 20 points in the same season.

CLIMBING THE RANKINGS

• With his next point, freshman defenseman Ben Robertson would tie Chris Norton (4-19—23 in 1984-85) for the most points by a first-year blueliner in program history.

• Robertson's 17 assists are the third-most by a Cornell freshman defenseman, and his next helper would tie Bruce Frauley for second in program history since first-year players were eligible to play beginning in 1975-76.

• Robertson's 22 points (5-17—22) is tied with Boston University's Tom Willander (4-18—22) for the ninth-most points by a freshman defenseman in Division I hockey. Among freshmen in ECAC Hockey, Robertson has the most points by a first-year blueliner, two ahead of Dartmouth's CJ Foley (5-15—20), and is tied with RPI's Tyler Hotson (13-9—22) for fourth overall.

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, surrendering 58 goals across its 31 games, 11 fewer than second-place Quinnipiac (69).

• The Big Red's 1.87 goals allowed per game also leads the nation, making Cornell one of two programs to allow less than two goals per game, joined by Quinnipiac.

• Entering this weekend, the Big Red has allowed just 682 shots on goal this season, 127 fewer than second-place Providence (809). Cornell's 22.0 shots per game average is 1.1 points lower than Providence's 23.1 average.

SCOUTING DARTMOUTH

• Dartmouth, which enters Friday's contest riding a six-game win streak and a nine-game unbeaten streak (7-0-2), has an overall record of 13-9-9 and concluded ECAC Hockey play with a 9-6-7 mark.

• Luke Haymes (18-18—36), one of the four players unanimously named to ECAC Hockey's First Team last week, leads the Big Green in all offensive categories. Cooper Flinton (15-9—24) is the only other Dartmouth player with a double-digit goal total.

• Cooper Black (13-7-8, 2.52, .911) has started in all 29 appearances for Dartmouth. During the Big Green's nine-game unbeaten streak, Black has a 7-0-1 record with a 2.36 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.

114 YEARS, 301 MILES, 146 MEETINGS

• Cornell leads the series against Dartmouth, 87-50-9, and is unbeaten over its last seven (4-0-3) and 12 of its previous 15 games against the Big Green (8-3-4).

• Three of the last five contests between the Big Red and Big Green have gone to overtime, while each of the last eight, nine of the previous 10, and 22 of the prior 32 contests between the programs have been decided by one goal or less.

POSTSEASON HISTORY

• Cornell and Dartmouth will meet for the eighth time in the ECAC Hockey playoffs. This will be the first contest since the Big Red swept a best-of-three quarterfinal series during the 2010-11 season. The Big Red boasts a record of 6-1 against the Big Green in the playoffs.

• Cornell last faced Dartmouth this late in the ECAC Hockey playoffs on March 18, 2011, when the Big Red shut out the Big Green, 3-0, in the semifinals of the 2011 ECAC Hockey Championship held at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

CORNELL - DARTMOUTH CONNECTIONS

• Liam Steele was teammates with CJ Foley and Owen Desilets last season on the Salmon Arm Silverbacks ... Sullivan Mack played with Nate Morgan on the Silverbacks in 2020-21 ... Luke Devlin and Matt Fusco played together last year on the West Kelowna Warriors ... Jimmy Rayhill was teammates with Joey Fusco and Cooper Black on the Odessa Jackalopes during the 2020-21 season ... Hank Kempf and Ryan Sorkin spent time together on the Muskegon Lumberjacks for the 2019-20 season ... Tim Rego and Steven Townley played at the Williston Northampton School in 2016-17, and Rego was teammates with Sean Chisholm for two years on the Brooks Bandits from 2019-21 ... Cameron McDonald was teammates with Kyler Kovich (Powell River Kings in 2017-18) and Nick DeSantis (Sioux Falls Stampede in 2019-20) ... Black was teammates with Jack O'Brien and Sean Donaldson on the Nanaimo Clippers during the 2021-22 season.

#13 MEN'S HOCKEY TIES WITH DARTMOUTH, BIG GREEN TAKE SHOOTOUT

BOX SCORE I RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS

HANOVER, N.H. (JAN. 27, 2024) — The No. 13-ranked Cornell men's hockey team and Dartmouth played to a 2-2 tie at Thompson Arena on Saturday night, and the Big Green took the extra point in the shootout for ECAC Hockey standings purposes.

Freshmen Ryan Walsh and Ben Robertson scored the goals in regulation for Cornell as the Big Red saw its five-game win streak snapped, but its unbeaten streak extended to eight games (5-0-3).

CJ Foley and Sean Chisholm scored in regulation for Dartmouth.

Junior goaltender Ian Shane made 29 saves between the pipes for the Big Red while his counterpart, Cooper Black, shoved aside 20 Cornell shots.

#15 MEN'S HOCKEY STAVES OFF LATE HARVARD RALLY TO TAKE SERIES OPENER

BOX SCORE | RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS

ITHACA, N.Y. (MARCH 15, 2024) — Four unanswered goals over the opening 25 minutes aided the No. 15-ranked Cornell men's hockey team to an early 4-0 lead before it staved off a late third-period rally by Harvard to take a series-opening victory in the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals over its bitter rival before a sold-out, raucous crowd of 4,267 at Lynah Rink on Friday night.

Junior forwards Sullivan Mack and Jack O'Leary (one goal, one assist apiece) and Ondrej Psenicka (two assists) all logged multi-point nights for the Big Red (18-6-6) in its first victory against Harvard at Lynah Rink since Jan. 18, 2019.

Sophomore forward Nick DeSantis and freshman forward Ryan Walsh joined Mack and O'Leary in registering goals for Cornell on the night.

Junior goaltender Ian Shane made a game-high 22 saves en route to his 18th win of the season and the 45th of his collegiate career. Shane's victory tied Jason Elliott for the 10th-most victories by a Big Red netminder in program history.

Joe Miller (two goals) and Ben MacDonald (two assists) each registered multiple points and sophomore goaltender Aku Koskenvuo stopped 19 Cornell shots in the setback for the Crimson (7-18-6).

"We had a good first 30 minutes and did a pretty good job in the second period, and by the third period, we didn't start poorly, but the goal they got to make it 4-2, they got some push. We handled it okay at times and we didn't handle it okay, but the guys know we can be better than we were tonight," said Mike Schafer '86, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Cornell Men's Ice Hockey. "Especially when we got the lead, we stopped moving our feet defensively and offensively, and on the forecheck, we didn't stay aggressive and play with poise. We'll be better tomorrow night."

SEGER'S FOUR-POINT NIGHT SPURS #15 MEN'S HOCKEY TO SWEEP OVER HARVARD

BOX SCORE | RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS | GALLERY

ITHACA, N.Y. (MARCH 16, 2024) — Senior forward Gabriel Seger factored in all four goals scored by the No. 15-ranked Cornell men's hockey team, spurring the Big Red to a series sweep of Harvard, 4-1, in the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals before a sold-out crowd of 4,267 at Lynah Rink on Saturday night.

Seger recorded two goals and two assists in the Big Red's (19-6-6) victory, while freshman defenseman Ben Robertson (two goals) and junior forwards Ondrej Psenicka and Kyle Penney (two assists apiece) also joined in having multi-point nights. Junior goaltender Ian Shane stopped 21 of the 22 Harvard shots he faced.

Ian Moore netted the lone tally for Harvard (7-19-6), which also had a 21-save outing from goaltending Derek Mullahy.

"We had better attention to detail for 60 minutes," said Mike Schafer '86, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Cornell Men's Ice Hockey. "I thought we were hard to play against, patient, and disciplined. I told the guys I'm really proud of how they came back, were ready to play, execute, compete, and do all the little things that makes a difference in a hockey game."

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.

Over this past winter break, updated Cornell branding on the façade and south concourse brought a more modern look to the facility. 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.

• With a win over Dartmouth on Friday, the Big Red would play the winner of the first semifinal between No. 7-ranked and top-seeded Quinnipiac or seventh-seeded St. Lawrence. Puck drop for the 2024 ECAC Hockey Championship Game is scheduled for 5 p.m.