#14 Men's Hockey Vies For 13th Whitelaw Cup, Squares Off Against St. Lawrence

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 vies for its 13th Whitelaw Cup, and its first since 2010, when it faces seventh-seeded St. Lawrence in the championship game of the 2024 ECAC Hockey Championship at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y., this evening.

• Puck drop is scheduled for 5 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).

• Tonight's contest will be the 48th 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 31st game played at the 1980 Rink, where Cornell has a 14-14-2 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 47-20-10 record with a 1.72 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage.

• Shane's 47 victories is tied with Mitch Gillam (2013-17) for the ninth-most wins by a Cornell goaltender in program history. With his next triumph, Shane will match Dave Elenbaas (1970-73) and Corrie D'Alessio (1987-91) for seventh.

• With his shutout over Brown on Feb. 16, Shane upped his 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 (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 14-2-3 record with a 1.65 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage, ranking first and ninth, respectively, among goaltenders with at least 15 games played during the span.

• Shane's 1.72 career goals-against average stands as the fifth-best in NCAA Division I history, trailing former Cornell netminder David LeNeveu (1.29), former Michigan State standout Ryan Miller (1.54), Cornell Athletics and Hockey Hall of Famer Ken Dryden (1.59), and fellow Big Red goaltender David McKee (1.71), 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 seventh among active Division I goaltenders in career save percentage (.9215). Wisconsin's Kyle McClellan (.926), Notre Dame's Ryan Bischel (.9244), Boston College's Jacob Fowler (.92395), Minnesota's Justen Close (.92391), RIT's Tommy Scarfone (.9222), and Michigan Tech's Blake Pietila (.9220) are ahead of the Cornell netminder.

RACKING UP THE POINTS

• During his tenure on East Hill, senior forward Gabriel Seger has amassed 72 points (21 goals, 51 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 51 assists are tied with Murray Deathe (1964-66), Steve Giuliani (1967-69), Bob Murray (1971-73), and Dave Ambrosia (1975-77) for the 11th-most assists by a player in his first two seasons at Cornell. With his next assist, he would Pete Tufford (1966-68) and Joe Nieuwendyk (1984-86) for the ninth-most assists by a player in his first two seasons at Cornell.

POINT SEGER

• Senior forward Gabriel Seger (14-28—42) has 42 points this season, the most by a Big Red player since Matt Moulson (22-20—42) during the 2004-05 season.

• Should Seger log another point, he would have the most points in a season since Ryan Vesce (19-26—45) in 2002-03.

• With his two-assist performance last night, Seger became 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).

• Last night's two-point effort made Seger 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 other occurrences came from Jeff Baikie in 1980-81 (25-26—51), Gary Cullen in 1983-84 (13-29—42), Duanne Moeser in 1983-84 (19-31—50), Joe Nieuwendyk in 1984-85 (21-24—45) and 1985-86 (26-28—54), and Ryan Hughes in 1989-90 (18-34—52).

• In his 32 games this season, Seger has had a point in 23 contests (71.9 percent of his games played), which includes 12 multi-point games. Seger is tied with Quinnipiac's Collin Graf — which he was teammates at Union — for the second-most multi-point games by an ECAC Hockey player. Only Graf's teammate, Jacob Quillan, has more multi-point games with 14.

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 28 assists this season, the most by a Cornell player since Stephen BÂBY had 33 assists during the 2002-03 campaign.

• 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 51 assists at Cornell, Seger had 29 helpers in his first two collegiate seasons at Union, giving him 80 career assists, standing as the third-most by an active Division I skater, trailing Northern Michigan's Andre Ghantous (103) and Denver's Massimo Rizzo (87).

• Seger is one of three Cornell players, joining Kyle Knopp (32) in 1998-99 and Bâby (33) in 2002-03, to have 28-plus assists with Mike Schafer '86 serving as Cornell's head coach.

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 114 (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).

THE GAME'S ON HIS STICK

• Freshman forward Ryan Walsh has scored 12 goals this season and paces the Big Red in game-winning goals with five.

• With his game-winning tally last night against Dartmouth, Walsh broke his tie with Brock Tredway (1977-78) and Michael Regush (2018-19) for the most game-winning goals by a Cornell freshman player in a single season. Walsh also broke away from the nine-way tie for the second-most game-winning goals in a Cornell player's first season.

• Last night's game-winning goal made Walsh the first player with five game-winning goals since Anthony Angello in 2017-18, and entering into a seven-way tie with Doug Marrett (1972-73), Joe Nieuwendyk (1985-86), Trent Andison (1990-91), Doug Stienstra (1997-98), Ryan Vesce (2002-03), Nick D'Agostino (2011-12), and Angello for the eighth-most game-winning goals in a season.

• Walsh and John Hughes are the lone Big Red players in the program's modern era, since 1957-58, to net at least five game-winning goals in his first season with the Big Red, as Hughes had five game-winners as a sophomore in 1967-68.

YOUTH MOVEMENT

• Freshmen forwards Jonathan Castagna (9-14—23) and Ryan Walsh (12-9—21) and defenseman Ben Robertson (5-19—24) 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 two assists last night, freshman defenseman Ben Robertson surpassed Chris Norton (4-19—23 in 1984-85) for the most points by a first-year blueliner in program history.

• Robertson's 19 assists are tied with Norton for the most by a Cornell freshman defenseman in program history since first-year players were eligible to play beginning in 1975-76.

• Robertson's 24 points (5-19—24) is tied with Bemidji State's Eric Pohlkamp (11-13—24) for the sixth-most points by a freshman defenseman in Division I hockey. The 19 helpers are tied with Michigan Tech's Chase Pietila, Ohio State's Theo Wallberg, Army's Mac Gadowsky, and Denver's Boston Buckberger for the sixth-most assists by a first-year blueliner in Division I Hockey.

• Among ECAC Hockey rookies, Robertson has the most points by a first-year blueliner, four ahead of Dartmouth's CJ Foley (5-15—20), and has the third-most points by a freshman player in ECAC Hockey, behind Mason Marcellus (14-22—36) and Andon Cerbone (12-14—26) of Quinnipiac.

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 61 goals across its 32 games, 11 fewer than second-place Quinnipiac (72).

SCOUTING ST. LAWRENCE

• Seventh-seeded St. Lawrence enters tonight's championship game winners of its last four and with an overall record of 14-18-6.

• Felikss Gavars (13-12—25) leads the Saints in goals and points, while Mason Waite (4-16—20) paces St. Lawrence in assists. Gavars is the lone Saint with a double-digit goal total.

• Ben Kraws (14-16-6, 2.50, .919) has been stellar for the Saints lately, allowing two goals or fewer in all four of his postseason appearances.

96 YEARS, 184 MILES, 125 MEETINGS

• Cornell and St. Lawrence are meeting for the 126th time tonight since the inaugural meeting between the programs on Feb. 19, 1927, on Beebe Lake in Ithaca.

• The Big Red has a 69-47-9 record against the Saints, which includes being unbeaten in 13 of the last 16 against its Empire State rival (12-3-1). During the span, Cornell has averaged 1.25 goals allowed per game and has not yielded any more than two goals to the Saints.

• Tonight will be the 10th all-time meeting in the postseason between Cornell and St. Lawrence, and the third with the Whitelaw Cup on the line (1992 and 2001).

CORNELL - ST. LAWRENCE CONNECTIONS

• St. Lawrence head coach Brent Brekke spent nine seasons as an assistant coach under Mike Schafer '86 at Cornell from 1999-08. During Brekke's time on East Hill, Cornell recorded a 185-90-30 (.656) record, including four NCAA Tournament appearances, three ECAC Hockey regular-season titles, two ECAC Hockey Championships, and a trip to the 2003 NCAA Frozen Four in Buffalo, N.Y.

• Cornell assistant coach Sean Flanagan, a native of Canton, N.Y., was a four-year player at St. Lawrence from 2006-11. While with the Saints, Flanagan amassed 52 points (12 goals, 40 assists) in 121 career games.

• Ryan McInchak and Anthony Mollica spent the 2019-20 season together on the Lincoln Stars ... Tomáš Mazura played at Kimball Union Academy with Kyle Penney (2016-19) and Sullivan Mack (2017-20) ... Penney was teammates with Tyler Cristall for the 2019-20 season on the Chilliwack Chiefs ... Mack and Logan Ritchie played on the Kenai River Brown Bears during the 2019-20 season ... Gabriel Seger and Nicholas Trela played on the Amarillo Bulls during the 2018-19 campaign ... Jake Lammens was teammates with Liam Steele on last year's Salmon Arm Silverbacks and with Ryan Walsh at the Salisbury School for the 2020-21 season ... Mason Kucenski played in the USHL with Nick DeSantis (2021-22 Madison Capitols) and Ben Robertson (2021-22 Omaha Lancers) ... DeSantis also played with Grant Adams on the 2019-20 Madison Capitols ... Hank Kempf and Jan Lasak spent time together on the 2019-20 Muskegon Lumberjacks.

PAIR OF EXTRA-ATTACKER GOALS AID #11 MEN'S HOCKEY TO TIE WITH ST. LAWRENCE

BOX SCORE I RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS

CANTON, N.Y. (FEB. 24, 2024) — Two extra-attacker goals by junior forward Ondrej Psenicka over the final 1:31 in the third period avenged a 2-0 deficit to force overtime before the No. 11-ranked Cornell men's hockey team took the extra point in the standings with a shootout victory following a 2-2 tie with St. Lawrence before 1,579 at Appleton Arena on Saturday night.

Along with Psenicka's multi-goal performance — his first since doing so against AIC on Dec. 29, 2022 —  junior goaltender Ian Shane made a season-high 36 saves between the pipes for the Big Red (16-5-6, 11-5-4 ECAC Hockey)

Greg Lapointe and Drake Burgin scored power-play goals for St. Lawrence, and goaltender Ben Kraws stopped 32 shots in the draw for the Skating Saints (10-17-5, 8-9-3 ECAC Hockey).

FIVE-GOAL THIRD LIFTS #14 MEN'S HOCKEY TO VICTORY OVER DARTMOUTH

BOX SCORE | RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS | GALLERY #1

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (MARCH 22, 2024) — The No. 14-ranked Cornell men's hockey team scored five goals in the third period to guide the Big Red to a 6-3 victory over Dartmouth, clinching its spot in the ECAC Hockey championship game for the first time since 2019.

Sophomore forward Nick DeSantis registered a team-high three points (two goals, one assist) and was one of six Cornell players with multi-point nights. He was joined by junior forwards Kyle Penney and Ondrej Psenicka and sophomore forward Dalton Bancroft (one goal, one assist apiece), and senior forward Gabriel Seger and freshman defenseman Ben Robertson each tallied two assists in the victory for the Big Red (20-9-9), marking the 14th 20-win season under Mike Schafer '86's tenure.

Junior goaltender Ian Shane stopped 27 shots for Cornell in its victory, matching Mitch Gillam for the ninth-most wins by a Big Red goaltender (47).

John Fusco scored two of Dartmouth's three goals in the second period, while Sean Chisholm (one goal, one assist) and Braiden Dorfman (two assists) also had multi-point nights for the Big Green, which concludes the 2023-24 season with a 13-10-9 overall mark.

Dartmouth sophomore goaltender Cooper Black also made 27 saves in the setback.

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 St. Lawrence on Saturday, the Big Red would clinch ECAC Hockey's automatic qualifying bid into the 2024 Division I Men's Hockey Champinship, that will begin next weekend at regional sites in Springfield, Mass., Providence, R.I., Sioux Falls, S.D., and Maryland Heights, Mo.

• The selection show for the upcoming NCAA Tournament is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, and will air live on ESPNU and on ESPN+.