#12 Men's Hockey to Face #6 Maine in Springfield Regional Semifinal

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

THE PUCK DROP

• Making its second consecutive appearance and its fifth trip to the NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Championship since 2017-18, the No. 12-ranked Cornell men's hockey team faces No. 6-ranked Maine in the second semifinal of the Springfield Regional at MassMutual Center on Thursday evening.

• Game action will be broadcast on ESPNews, with Clay Matvick on play-by-play and Sean Ritchlin providing analysis. Fans can also access the game with an ESPN+ subscription.

ROAD TO ST. PAUL

• Cornell is participating in its 24th NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship this weekend. It is the 10th-most appearances by any program and the second-most by the 12 members of ECAC Hockey, trailing fellow Ivy League program and bitter rival Harvard (27).

• Joining the Big Red in the Springfield Regional are the third-overall seed Denver (33rd appearance), Maine (19th appearance), and UMass (fifth appearance).

• Last season, Cornell upset Denver, 2-0, in the semifinal of the Manchester Regional behind a 27-save shutout by then-sophomore goaltender Ian Shane. The blanking marked just the second time a Big Red netminder logged a shutout in the NCAA Tournament, joining Ken Dryden (30 saves against North Dakota on March 16, 1967), who did so in the national semifinal setting up Cornell to claim its first national championship title over Boston University.

NOT HIS FIRST RODEO

• Mike Schafer '86, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Cornell Men's Ice Hockey, will be coaching in his 14th NCAA Tournament this weekend. He is one of three head coaches in this year's tournament to have coached in at least 10 tournaments, joined by Minnesota's Bob Motzko (12) and Quinnipiac's Rand Pecknold (10).

• Schafer, who coached his first NCAA Tournament game in his first year at the helm of the Big Red program in 1995-96, has an overall record of 10-13 (.435) in the NCAA postseason.

• Under Schafer, the Big Red has made one Frozen Four, which was in 2003, when it was held in Buffalo, N.Y.

• Schafer, a 1986 Cornell graduate, is one of nine head coaches in this year's tournament to be coaching their alma mater. He is joined by North Dakota's Brad Berry, Boston College's Greg Brown, Denver's David Carle, Western Michigan's Pat Ferschweiler, Omaha's Mike Gabinet, Michigan's Brandon Naurato, Michigan State's Adam Nightengale, and Boston University's Jay Pandolfo.

RED-HOT RED

• Cornell enters this year's NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Championship riding a five-game win streak, tied with Denver and Michigan Tech for the third-longest active win streak among the 16-team tournament field. Boston College (12 games) and RIT (seven games) are the lone programs to have win streaks longer than the Big Red, Pioneers, and Huskies.

• Since Christmas, the Big Red has logged a 15-2-5 record, and its .795 win percentage ranks second among the tournament field only behind Boston College's .900 clip (18-2-0).

• The Big Red's two losses to Clarkson (Feb. 24) and Union (March 1) since Dec. 25 are tied with Boston College for the fewest among the 16 programs entering the NCAA Tournament.

HAVING AN EYE FOR THE GOAL

• With its 112 goals this season, Cornell has surpassed the century mark in scoring in each of its last six years of competition, dating back to the 2017-18 campaign.

• It is the first time the Big Red has netted 100-plus goals in six consecutive seasons since doing so over 27 straight seasons, beginning with the 1964-65 season and ending in 1990-91.

• The 112 goals scored are tied for the 27th-most in a single season, joined by last year's squad. With its next goal, Cornell will have its highest goal total in a single season since it scored 133 markers in 2002-03.

SHANE NAMED GOALTENDER OF THE YEAR

• Last Thursday at the ECAC Hockey Awards banquet in Lake Placid, N.Y., junior goaltender Ian Shane was named the Ken Dryden Goaltender of the Year, presented by MAC Goaltending, becoming the sixth Big Red netminder to receive the award. He was the program's first recipient of the conference's award for the top goaltender since Matthew Galajda as a freshman in 2018. Matt Underhill (2002), David LeNeveu (2003), David McKee (2005), and Ben Scrivens (2010) were the others to receive the honor.

• Shane, who registered a 12-4-4 record in conference games, also had a league-leading 1.81 goals-against average, finishing two points better than Quinnipiac's Vinny Duplessis (1.83).

• The Manhattan Beach, Calif., native was named ECAC Hockey's MAC Goaltending Goaltender of the Month four times (October, November, January, February) and was a six-time MAC Goaltending Goaltender of the Week (Oct. 30, Nov. 6, Nov. 27, Jan. 2, Feb. 12, and Feb. 19).

• Despite not being named one of the three finalists for the Mike Richter Award last Thursday, Shane became the second Cornell goaltender (third instance) to be identified as a semifinalist for the award, as announced by the American College Hockey Association on Feb. 14.

• Galajda was the lone Big Red netminder to be named a semifinalist for the award, finishing as a two-time finalist for his play in the 2017-18 and 2019-20 seasons.

CLEAR THE TROPHY CASE!

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

• Jonathan Castagna and Ben Robertson were named to the All-Rookie Team, becoming Cornell's first tandem to garner All-Rookie honors since Mike Devin and Riley Nash in 2008.

• Sophomore forward Dalton Bancroft and Robertson were announced as Third Team All-ECAC Hockey selections, serving as the first Cornell duo to earn third-team distinctions since goaltender Galajda and defenseman Alex Green in 2020. Robertson is just Cornell's second first-year player (first skater) to earn a spot on any of three All-ECAC Hockey teams, as Galajda was a first-team pick in 2018.

• Senior forward Gabriel Seger and Shane received First Team All-ECAC Hockey honors, as Shane was one of four unanimous first-team selections (Quinnipiac forward Collin Graf, Dartmouth forward Luke Haymes, and Union defenseman John Prokop). It was the 11th time the Big Red had multiple first-team honorees and the first since forward Morgan Barron and defenseman Yanni Kaldis in 2020.

• In addition to ECAC Hockey honors, Shane was unanimously named the Ivy League Player of the Year, and Mike Schafer '86 took home his fourth Coach of the Year award in the last six seasons. Seger, the Big Red's Academic All-Ivy selection, joined Shane in earning First Team All-Ivy distinctions, while Castagna and Robertson garnered Second Team All-Ivy honors.

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.

SHOWSTOPPER SHANE

• Junior goaltender Ian Shane has excelled inside the blue paint during his time on East Hill, posting a 48-20-10 record with a 1.71 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage in his 82 appearances between the pipes.

• Shane's 48 victories are tied with Dave Elenbaas (1970-73) and Corrie D'Alessio (1987-91) for the seventh-most wins by a Cornell goaltender in program history. With his next triumph, Shane will supplant himself as the sole holder of seventh place for the most victories by a Big Red netminder.

• With his shutout of Brown on Feb. 16, Shane increased his career shutout total to 11, matching Dave LeNeveu and Mitch Gillam for the fifth-most shutouts by a Cornell goaltender. Shane is two shutouts away from matching Cornell Athletics and Hockey Hall of Famer 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 15-2-3 record with a 1.62 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage, ranking first and sixth, respectively, among goaltenders with at least 15 games played during the span.

• Shane's 1.71 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). Fellow Big Red goaltender David McKee is four-thousandths of a point behind Shane, 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 fifth among active Division I goaltenders in career save percentage (.9225). Wisconsin's Kyle McClellan (.926), Boston College's Jacob Fowler (.925), Notre Dame's Ryan Bischel (.9245), and Minnesota's Justen Close (.9239) are ahead of the Cornell netminder.

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 115 (35 goals and 80 assists), tied with Minnesota's Bryce Brodzinski (59-56—115) for 10th among active Division I skaters.

• Seger and Brodzinski are tied for the fourth-most points by a player entering this year's tournament, only behind North Dakota's Riese Gaber (64-65—129), Quinnipiac's Collin Graf (54-75—129), and Denver's Massimo Rizzo (39-87—126).

• Among active ECAC Hockey players, Seger is one of three active skaters to eclipse the century mark for points, joining Graf and Clarkson's Mathieu Gosselin (44-73—117).

• Of the 21 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).

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 three-assist performance against Dartmouth last Friday, Seger became just the sixth player in the Mike Schafer '86 era, dating back to 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 weekend's three-point effort made Seger the sixth Cornell player (seventh instance) since 1980-81 to register a 40-point season within his first two seasons 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 33 games this season, Seger has a point in 23 contests, which includes 12 multi-point games. Seger's 12 multi-point games are tied with Quinnipiac's Collin Graf, whom Seger was teammates with at Union in 2021-22, for the second-highest total in ECAC Hockey. Only Graf's teammate, Jacob Quillan, has more multi-point games with 14.

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 one of three Cornell players to record at least 28 assists under Mike Schafer '86's tutelage, joining Kyle Knopp (32) in 1998-99 and Bâby (33) in 2002-03.

• In Cornell's modern era, dating back to 1957-58, Seger is the ninth player to register 23-plus assists in his first two seasons with the Big Red, joining Murray Deathe, 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 Joe Nieuwendyk (1984-86).

• 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).

• Of the players in this year's NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Championship, Seger has the second-most assists, trailing Rizzo and is one of three players with 70-plus helpers, joined by Quinnipiac's Collin Graf (75).

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 years at Cornell since Riley Nash in 2007-08 (12-20—32) and 2008-09 (13-21—34).

• The Feb. 16 assist made Seger 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 instance under Mike Schafer '86, joining Kyle Knopp (1995-97) and Nash (2007-09), and is the 11th time since 1975-76 the feat has been accomplished. The others include Lance Nethery, Brock Tredway, Roy Kerling, John Olds, Gary Cullen, Duanne Moeser, Joe Nieuwendyk, Trent Andison, Knopp, and Nash.

FOUR SCORE…

• Cornell is one of four 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 the Big Red's series-clinching win over Harvard in the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals on Feb. 16.

• Cornell is joined in the rare feat by Denver (Massimo Rizzo — 4; Jack Devine, Tristan Broz, and Zeev Buium — twice), Michigan (Gavin Brindley and Rutger McGroarty — thrice, and T.J. Hughes — twice), and Boston College (Cutter Gauthier and Will Smith — twice).

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 Friday 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 in a season. Walsh also broke away from the nine-way tie for the second-most game-winning goals in a Cornell player's first season.

• His game-winning goal against Dartmouth made Walsh the first player with five game-winning goals in a season since Anthony Angello in 2017-18 while entering 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 also reached the threshold as a sophomore in 1967-68.

YOUTH MOVEMENT

• Freshmen forwards Jonathan Castagna (11-14—25) and Ryan Walsh (12-10—22) and defenseman Ben Robertson (5-18—23) have all registered at least 20 points this season, making them the first Cornell trio of first-year players to register 20 points in the same season.

• Cornell is one of five Division I programs to have three freshmen with at least 23 points, joined by Boston College (Will Smith, Gabe Perreault, and Ryan Leonard), Boston University (Macklin Celebrini, Shane Lachance, and Tom Willander), Denver (Zeev Buium, Miko Matikka, and Boston Buckberger), and Penn State (Aidan Fink, Matt DiMarsico, and Reese Laubach).

CLIMBING THE RANKINGS

• With his assist against Dartmouth last Friday, freshman defenseman Ben Robertson tied Chris Norton (4-19—23 in 1984-85) for the most points by a first-year blueliner in program history.

• Robertson's 18 assists are tied with Bruce Frauley (1-18—19 in 1987-88) for the second-most helpers by a Cornell freshman defenseman in program history since first-year players were eligible to play beginning with the 1975-76 campaign.

• Robertson's 23 points (5-18—23) are tied with Army's Mac Gadowsky (4-19—23) for the eighth-most points by a freshman defenseman in Division I hockey. His 18 helpers are tied with Boston University's Tom Willander for the 10th-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, three ahead of Dartmouth's CJ Foley (5-15—20), and the fourth-most points by an ECAC Hockey freshman. Quinnipiac's Mason Marcellus (14-22—36) and Andon Cerbone (12-14—26), as well as Robertson's teammate Jonathan Castagna (11-14—25), have more points.

STOUT DEFENSE

• Cornell has boasted one of the nation's stingiest defensive units, ranking in the top 10 in scoring defense in the last six seasons it has competed in.

• The Big Red has allowed the fewest goals in Division I hockey this season, surrendering 62 goals across its 33 games, 10 fewer than second-place Quinnipiac (72).

• The Big Red's 1.88 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 744 shots on goal this season, 65 shots fewer than Providence and 116 less than Quinnipiac (860), who has yielded the second-fewest shots allowed among the 16 teams in this year's NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Championship.

SCOUTING MAINE

• Appearing in its first NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Championship since 2012, No. 6-ranked Maine enters Thursday's matchup with an overall record of 23-11-2. The Black Bears concluded Hockey East play with a 14-9-1 record, falling to No. 2-ranked Boston University in the semifinals of the Hockey East Tournament at TD Garden, 4-1, last Friday.

• Maine is seeking its first win in the NCAA Tournament since March 24, 2007, when it defeated UMass, 3-1, to advance to its 11th Frozen Four in St. Louis, Mo. A victory by the Black Bears would also give Maine its most wins in a season since the 2005-06 campaign.

• The freshman brother duo of Bradly (19-27—46) and Josh Nadeau (18-27—45) pace the Black Bears' offense. Lynden Breen has added nine goals and 21 assists, giving Maine its first trio of 30-point scorers in a season since 2011-12.

• Fellow first-year Albin Boija (10-6-1, 2.01, .916) has started the last eight games between the pipes for Maine, assuming starting goaltending duties over senior Victor Ostman (13-5-1, 2.79, .894).

• Thursday will be Maine's 20th game against a ranked opponent this season. The Black Bears are 11-7-1 when squaring off against a foe within the top 20 of the national rankings. Their 11 ranked wins are the most by the program since 2003-04 (12).

45 YEARS, 573 MILES, 17 MEETINGS

• Cornell and Maine have met 17 times, as the series is tied at 7-7-3. After winning six of the first seven games against the Black Bears, Cornell is 1-6-3 against Maine since it moved to Hockey East from ECAC Hockey.

• Each of the last seven meetings came in the Florida College Classic in Estero, Fla., a tournament co-hosted by the two programs.

• Thursday is the first game between the programs since Dec. 29, 2013, when the Big Red posted a shootout victory over the Black Bears following a 1-1 tie in the championship game of the 2013 Florida College Classic.

• The game Thursday will be Cornell and Maine's first time facing each other in the NCAA Tournament and will be just the second postseason meeting between the programs. Cornell edged Maine, 7-4, in the quarterfinals of the 1981 ECAC Hockey Championship at Lynah Rink behind a hat trick by 5-foot-7, 155-pound sophomore centerman Larry Tobin, which sent Cornell to the Boston Garden for a third consecutive season for the ECAC Hockey semifinals.

• A victory by Cornell would be its first over Maine since registering a 4-3 triumph on Dec. 29, 2004, also in the Florida College Classic.

CORNELL - MAINE CONNECTIONS

• Liam Steele and Ryan Hopkins played at Stanstead College during the 2020-21 season … Maine's Liam Lesakowski played with Jake Kraft and Ryan Walsh with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders last season and with Walsh at the Salisbury School in 2020-21 … Sean Donaldson and Ben Poisson were teammates on the 2018-19 Prince George Spruce Kings … Sully Scholle was teammates with Remington Keopple and Luke Devlin on the Des Moines Buccaneers during the 2021-22 season … Brandon Chabrier played on the Sioux Falls Stampede with Donaldson for two seasons (2020-22) and Nick DeSantis in 2019-20 … Dalton Bancroft and Félix Trudeau played on the 2020-21 Amherst Ramblers … Kyler Kovich and Parker Lindauer played on the 2020-21 Tri-City Storm … Reid Pabich and Brandon Chabrier were teammates with DeSantis on the 2021-22 Madison Capitols and played with Donaldson on the 2020-21 Sioux Falls Stampede … Anthony Califiore played on the 2019-20 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders with Michael Suda and Jack O'Leary … Ryan McInchak and Connor Androlewicz played together on the 2019-20 Lincoln Stars … Maine assistant coach Jason Fortier coached Jimmy Rayhill on the Odessa Jackalopes during the 2020-21 season.

MAINE NHL CONNECTIONS

• Grayson Arnott is the nephew of Jason Arnott, who played in 1,244 NHL games over 18 seasons with Edmonton, New Jersey, Dallas, Nashville, Washington, and St. Louis from 1993 to 2011 … Aidan Carney is the son of Keith Carney, who played 1,018 NHL games from 1991 to 2008 with Buffalo, Chicago, Phoenix, Anaheim, Vancouver, and Minnesota.

CRAIG LIFTS NO. 13/15 MEN'S HOCKEY TO FLORIDA TITLE WITH SHOOTOUT WINNER

BOX SCORE I RECAP

ESTERO, Fla. -- Rodger Craig scored in the ninth round of a shootout after a 1-1 tie with Maine, lifting the men's hockey team to its fourth Florida College Hockey Classic title on Sunday evening at Germain Arena. Andy Iles stopped eight of nine shots in the shootout and was named the tournament's most valuable player.

Christian Hilbrich scored the only goal in regulation time for Cornell (8-4-3) with 14 minutes, 25 seconds to play in the third period — though he needed some good fortune. From the right corner, Dustin Mowrey set up Hilbrich for a shot from the circle. Maine (10-6-2) goalie Martin Ouellette made the save with his right pad, but the rebound splayed into the slot and deflected back into the net by a Black Bears defenseman.

Florida native Brian Ferlin had the secondary assist on Hilbrich's goal and was named to the all-tournament team, along with Mowrey and defenseman Kirill Gotovets. Cornell has played in the event in each of its 14 years of existence, with its other titles coming in 2003, 2005 and 2008. While Craig's winning goal in the shootout doesn't officially count as a goal, it was his first strike since scoring the overtime winner against Michigan in the 2012 NCAA Midwest Regional semifinals.

Similar to that win over the Wolverines, Iles played a huge factor in Sunday's title game against defending champion Maine. He finished the game with 32 saves and stopped 76 of 79 shots over the weekend. The only goal he yielded Sunday came with 61 seconds left in the second period, when Devin Shore converted an indefensible shot off a Steven Swavely feed.

Iles then stopped Connor Leen on a shorthanded breakaway, followed by Dan Renouf's rebound offering early in the third period — keeping the Big Red within striking distance just before Hilbrich's goal. After a scoreless overtime, the teams engaged in a marathon nine-round shootout. Shore led off with a goal for Maine, then Patrick McCarron countered with a goal for Cornell. The freshman defenseman avoided Ouellette's poke check, then swept a forehand past the sprawling goalie's left pad. After 15 consecutive unsuccessful tries between the two teams, Craig sent a shot between Ouellette's legs to lead Cornell to win the Ned Harkness Cup.

Cornell — which has lost just once in its last eight games (5-1-2) — returns to the Lynah Rink for its next two games, though the first will be an exhibition. The Big Red plays host to the touring Russian Red Stars at 7 p.m. Friday before returning to regular-season play at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10 against Massachusetts.

#14 MEN'S HOCKEY CLAIMS 13TH WHITELAW CUP WITH WIN OVER ST. LAWRENCE

BOX SCORE | RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS | GALLERY #1 | GALLERY #2

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (MARCH 23, 2024) — Freshman forward Jonathan Castagna scored two goals to lead the No. 14-ranked Cornell men's hockey team to its ECAC Hockey-leading 13th Whitelaw Cup with a 3-1 victory over St. Lawrence before 4,912 at Herb Brooks Arena on Saturday evening.

Cornell's victory was its first time claiming the Whitelaw Cup since 2010, when it shut out Union, 3-0, on March 20 at the then-called Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.

Junior defenseman Hank Kempf and sophomore forward Dalton Bancroft, who each chipped in two assists, joined Castagna in having multi-point nights. Junior forward Jack O'Leary tacked an empty-net goal to solidify the Big Red, clinching ECAC Hockey's automatic qualifying bid for the 2024 NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Championship, which begins next weekend.

Ian Shane made 31 saves in the victory as the junior goaltender secured his 48th collegiate win. Shane is now tied with Dave Elenbaas (1970-73) and Corrie D'Alessio (1987-91) for the seventh-most wins by a Big Red netminder.

Cameron Buhl recorded the lone goal for St. Lawrence (14-19-6), which had a 26-save performance from Ben Kraws between the pipes.

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 Maine on Thursday, the Big Red would face the winner between the third overall seed Denver and UMass in the championship of the Springfield Regional of the 2024 Division I Men's Hockey Champinship.

• The game would be played on Saturday, March 30, at 4 p.m., with the contest airing on ESPN2.