Men’s Hockey Returns to Lynah, Hosts Harvard, Dartmouth This Weekend

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

PUCK DROP

Returning home from its seven-game road trip, the Cornell men’s hockey team will play its first pair of games at Lynah Rink since Dec. 6 when it hosts ECAC Hockey and Ivy League rivals Harvard and Dartmouth this weekend.

Puck drop for both contests on the weekend are slated for 7 p.m. and will air live on ESPN+ with Grady Whittenburg calling play-by-play and former Cornell defenseman Tim Vanini ‘91 supplying analysis. Jason Weinstein (play-by-play) and Tony Eisenhut ‘88 (analysis) will also have the call over the airwaves on WHCU (870 AM, 97.7 FM, cortacatoday.com).

REGO EARNS WEEKLY HONOR

Senior defenseman Tim Rego was named ECAC Hockey’s Defender of the Week, it was announced by the conference office on Monday morning.

The weekly honor is Cornell’s second time earning ECAC Hockey’s Defender of the Week distinctions this season as sophomore blueliner Ben Robertson was honored back on Nov. 25.

It is the Big Red’s fifth weekly award of the season, also joining sophomore forward Ryan Walsh (Forward — Nov. 4), senior goaltender Ian Shane (Goaltender — Nov. 4), and junior forward Dalton Bancroft (Nov. 11 — Forward).

Rego finished last weekend with three assists, the most by any ECAC Hockey defenseman and tied with Quinnipiac forward Mason Marcellus and Dartmouth forward Nikita Nikora for the second-most helpers by an ECAC Hockey player last weekend.

In Cornell’s 6-2 win over Princeton on Friday, Rego assisted on Walsh’s first-period goal before factoring on both Big Red goals in its 2-2 tie with No. 16-ranked and league-leading Quinnipiac on Saturday. Rego’s two-assist performance was his first game with multiple helpers since he had two assists early on in his freshman year against Harvard on Nov. 5, 2021.

HOME, SWEET, HOME

Cornell enters this weekend with a home record of 74-19-9 (.770) at Lynah Rink since the beginning of the 2017-18 season. The win percentage ranks third among Division I programs, trailing Minnesota State (116-27-6 — .799) and Denver (102-24-12 — .783).

The Big Red is one of six programs that has a win percentage of at least .700 on home ice during the period, joined by fellow ECAC Hockey rival Quinnipiac (96-34-5 — .730), North Dakota (98-35-12 — .717), and St. Cloud State (88-33-13 — .705). Rounding out the top 10 programs are the Hockey East leader, Boston College (78-36-8 — .672), Minnesota (99-46-9 — .672), UMass (82-38-9 — .671), and Arizona State (78-37-7 — .668).

This season, Cornell has a record of 5-1-1 at Lynah Rink, tying Boston College (10-1-0), Michigan State and Ohio State (9-1-0), and Colgate and Western Michigan (7-1-1) for having the second-fewest home losses. Long Island (5-0-0) remains the lone team with an undefeated home record.

THE GAME IS ON HIS STICK

Junior forward Dalton Bancroft recorded his fourth game-winning goal of the season and eighth game-winner of his collegiate career last Friday in the Big Red’s 6-2 victory over Princeton at Hobey Baker Memorial Rink.

Bancroft’s game-winner against Princeton made him the first Cornell player with at least four game-winning goals within the first 17 games since defenseman Nick D’Agostino ‘13, who had five game-winners in the first 17 games of the 2011-12 season. It marked the first time a Cornell forward had registered four game-winning goals in the first 17 games of a campaign since Doug Marrett ‘74 had four game-winners in 1972-73.

Should Bancroft net a game-winning goal this weekend, he would become Cornell’s first player with five game-winners within the first 19 games of a season since D’Agostino in 2011-12 and the first forward to accomplish the feat since Dave Peace ‘75 during the 1974-75 campaign.

Entering this weekend, Bancroft is tied with eight other players for the fifth-most game-winning goals in Division I hockey this season. Bancroft is one of three ECAC Hockey players with four game-winning goals, joining Clarkson forward Ayrton Martino and Dartmouth defenseman John Fusco. Nationally, Denver’s Sam Harris, Boston College’s Ryan Leonard, and Michigan State’s Daniel Russell (six), and Western Michigan’s Tim Washe (five) are those with more game-winning goals.

KEMPF NOMINATED FOR NATIONAL AWARD

The Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation announced Jan. 14 that senior defenseman Hank Kempf was named one of 14 nominees for this year’s Hockey Humanitarian Award, marking Kempf’s second consecutive season as a nominee for the prestigious yearly award.

A finalist for last year’s award, Kempf is one of two student-athletes representing ECAC Hockey on this year’s nominee list, joining St. Lawrence women’s hockey graduate student Sarah Thompson, also a finalist for last year’s award.

Kempf’s nomination is the 10th time a Cornell player has been nominated for the award, and he is the first Big Red student-athlete ever to be nominated for the award multiple times.

Bestowed yearly upon college hockey’s finest citizen, the Hockey Humanitarian Award is presented to a student-athlete who makes significant contributions to their team and the community through volunteerism leadership.

MISTER RELIABLE

Sophomore forward Ryan Walsh leads all Cornell centermen with 194 faceoff wins this season, tied for 53rd nationally and ranking sixth in ECAC Hockey, trailing Brown’s Max Scott (256), Clarkson’s Ellis Rickwood (246), Quinnipiac’s Victor Czerneckianair (232), RPI’s Jakob Lee (215), and Dartmouth’s Sean Chisholm (195).

Walsh has won 55.0 percent of his draws this season (194-of-353), ranking 33rd nationally among Division I players with 175 faceoff wins. He ranks fifth among ECAC Hockey players, trailing Rickwood (246-of-412 — .597), Czerneckianair (232-of-389 — .596), Lee (215-of-385 — .558), and Chisholm (195-of-352 — .554).

This season, Walsh has recorded a double-digit faceoff win total in 11 games and has won at least 13 draws on eight occasions, tied with Arizona State’s Artem Shlaine, Holy Cross’ Jack Stockfish, Maine’s Harrison Scott, Niagara’s Glebs Prohorenkovs, North Dakota’s Jake Schmaltz, Penn State’s Charlie Cerrato, and RIT’s Simon Isabelle, for the 10th-most games with at least 13 faceoff wins.

JOINING RAREFIED COMPANY

With his appearance against Princeton last Saturday, senior goaltender Ian Shane became the fourth Big Red goaltender in program history to appear in 100 career games with Cornell, joining Andy Iles ‘14 (118 games), Ben Scrivens ‘10 (117 games), and David McKee ‘06 (102 games).

Among active Division I goaltenders, Shane is one of six netminders to appear in 100 games, joining Western Michigan’s Cameron Rowe (118 games), Boston University’s Mathieu Caron and  Wisconsin’s Tommy Scarfone (109 games), Clarkson’s Ethan Langenegger (105 games), and Bemidji State’s Mattias Sholl (104 games).

Of the six goaltenders with 100-plus appearances, Shane and Sholl are the lone two players to have played all their games with the same program.

SHANE'S WORLD, IT'S PARTY TIME, EXCELLENT!

Senior goaltender Ian Shane has excelled inside the blue paint during his time on East Hill. Over his 100 career appearances between the pipes for the Big Red, Shane has a 55-26-15 record with a 1.82 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.

Shane’s 55 career victories rank sixth among Cornell goaltenders in program history. Entering this weekend, Shane is three wins shy of tying Andy Iles ’14 for fifth in program history. The 55 wins make Shane one of five active Division I goaltenders with 50-plus career victories, joining Western Michigan’s Cameron Rowe (65), Wisconsin’s Tommy Scarfone (64), Boston University’s Mathieu Caron (54), and Denver’s Matt Davis (50).

After making 24 saves to earn his 12th career shutout in a 5-0 victory over Princeton on Nov. 23, Shane’s 12 shutouts are tied with Scarfone for the most by all active Division I goaltenders. Both netminders have three more shutouts than North Dakota graduate student T.J. Semptimphelter (nine).

The 12 shutouts rank fifth all-time among Cornell goaltenders, one shy of matching Cornell Athletics and Hockey Hall of Famer Ken Dryden ‘69, who assumes fourth place with 13 shutouts.

Shane’s 1,961 career saves enter this weekend ranked as the 11th-most stops by a Cornell goaltender in program history. Shane enters this weekend 27 stops shy of surpassing Dryden and officially entering the top 10 in Big Red history, as well as 39 saves away from becoming Cornell’s 10th player in program history to reach the 2,000-save plateau.

MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF

Senior goaltender Ian Shane boasts a 1.82 career goals-against average, the 11th-best figure in Division I hockey history. Shane is among 36 goalies with a sub-2.00 goals-against average with at least 1,500 minutes between the pipes.

Shane’s career goals-against average currently trails LeNeveu (1.29), Quinnipiac’s Yaniv Perets (1.34), Minnesota State’s Dryden McKay (1.46), Michigan State and 18-year NHL veteran Ryan Miller (1.54), UMass’ Filip Lindberg (1.58), Dryden (1.59), UMass Lowell and current Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (1.60), former Big Red netminders Galajda (1.70) and David McKee (1.72), and Maine’s Albin Boija (1.80).

Cornell has five of the top 10 career goals-against averages in NCAA history and is the lone program with multiple representatives within the top 10.

Ben Scrivens ‘10 recorded a goals-against average of 1.93, leading Cornell to have six of the 35 sub-2.00 career goals-against averages in NCAA history — the highest number for any Division I program. Other Division I programs with multiple sub-2.00 averages include Quinnipiac (four), Maine and Notre Dame (three each), and Denver, Miami, Michigan State, and UMass (two each).

Among active Division I goaltenders who have played at least 1,500 minutes, Shane is one of three netminders with a career goals-against average below 2.00, joining Boija and Boston College’s Jacob Fowler (1.99).

Shane’s .9181 save percentage ranks as the 12th-highest figure for an active Division I goaltender with at least 1,500 minutes played and ranks second among eligible ECAC Hockey netminders, trailing Brown’s Lawton Zacher (.9187) by six ten-thousandths of a point.

'TENDY POINT

Senior goaltender Ian Shane recorded an assist on senior defenseman Tim Rego’s second-period goal against Harvard on Nov. 16, becoming Cornell’s first goaltender to earn a point since Matthew Galajda assisted Morgan Barron on a power-play goal in the second period of a 6-0 shutout of Brown on March 22, 2019, at the 2019 ECAC Hockey Championship semifinals in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Shane became the 25th goaltender in Cornell history to record a point and the 24th to earn an assist.

Paired with his 32 saves in the Big Red’s tie with the Crimson, Shane became the 10th Cornell goaltender to make 30 saves and have an assist in the same game, joining Steve Kelleher, Dave Chrastina, Darren Eliot (twice), Doug Dadswell, Corrie D’Alessio, Ian Burt, Ben Scrivens, Mitch Gillam, and Galajda.

Should Shane record another assist this season, he would be the fifth Big Red goaltender to have multiple points in a season, joining Kelleher (two assists in 1973-74), Parris Duffus (three assists in 1991-92), Troy Davenport (two assists in 2006-07), and Gillam (two assists in 2014-15).

STOUT DEFENSE

Cornell has established itself as one of the nation’s top defensive units, ranking in the top 10 for scoring defense over the last seven seasons and in nine of the past 10 seasons in which it has competed.

The Big Red has ranked within the top 10 in scoring defense seven times over the last eight seasons, the most by any Division I program. Minnesota State (six) and ECAC Hockey rival Quinnipiac (five) are the closest programs to Cornell.

Over the last eight-plus seasons, Cornell has averaged 1.98 goals allowed per game, making it one of only two programs, alongside Minnesota State (1.91), to allow fewer than two goals per game during the period.

So far this season, through its first 17 games, Cornell is allowing an average of 2.47 goals per game, ranking 20th in Division I hockey. Its average is fourth among ECAC Hockey programs, trailing Brown (2.33 — 11th), Quinnipiac (2.35 — 12th), and Clarkson (2.41 — T-15th). Minnesota State leads the nation with 1.54 goals allowed per game, conceding 37 goals over 24 games.

Cornell is tied with Augustana, Brown, and Denver for the fifth-fewest goals conceded this season (42), trailing Minnesota State and Western Michigan (37), Boston College (38), and Maine (41).

ON THE PLUS SIDE…

Entering this weekend’s contests, Cornell is one of two Division I programs (Minnesota) to have at least four players with a plus-minus rating of at least plus-40.

Senior forward Ondrej Psenicka and senior defenseman Tim Rego lead the Big Red’s group with plus-49 ratings, followed by classmates Kyle Penney (plus-47) and Jack O’Leary (plus-40).

Psenicka and Rego’s plus-49 ratings are tied with Minnesota’s Mason Nevers for the ninth-highest plus-minus rating among active Division I players. Penney’s plus-47 rating is tied with Boston College’s Ryan Leonard for 12th nationally, while O’Leary stands alone in 17th.

Cornell is one of three Division I programs (Minnesota — four; Boston College — two) with at least three players with a plus-minus rating of plus-45.

Since the 2002-03 season, when plus-minus ratings began to be tracked for an entire season, Psenicka and Rego are tied for the third-highest career plus-minus ratings in program history, only trailing forward Greg Miller ‘13 (plus-52) and defenseman Travis Mitchell ‘23 (plus-51).

SPREADING THE WEALTH

Cornell saw scoring contributions from nearly every skater who appeared in at least one game last season. Of the 23 skaters who appeared in at least one contest last year, 21 registered at least one point (91.3 percent), and 19 players (82.6 percent) recorded at least two points.

Across its first 17 games this season, Cornell has succeeded in maintaining the scoring levels achieved from last year. This year, 21 of the 25 players who have appeared in at least one game have at least one point (84.0 percent), and 19 have at least two points (76.0 percent).

The sophomore class, which led the team last season in all three major scoring categories — goals (44), assists (70), and points (114), has accounted for a team-high 44.3 percent of Cornell’s scoring this season, leading in assists (40) and points (58). Only Robert Morris (99 of 191 points — 51.8 percent) and Army (85 of 179 points — 47.5 percent) are the lone Division I programs with a higher percentage of points from their sophomore class.

BLUELINE HELPING OUT

Of the Big Red’s 131 points on the season, 42 (five goals, 37 assists) have come from defensemen (32.1 percent of scoring production).

Cornell is one of 11 programs to have at least 30 percent of its scoring from defensemen, joining Princeton (32.6 percent — 31 of 95), Omaha (31.9 percent — 51 of 160), Air Force (31.7 percent — 44 of 139), Colorado College (31.5 percent — 52 of 165), Colgate (31.5 percent — 62 of 197), Minnesota Duluth (31.3 percent — 55 of 176), Notre Dame (30.5 percent — 57 of 187), Merrimack (30.4 percent — 42 of 138), RPI (30.3 percent — 57 of 188), and Lindenwood (30.0 percent — 36 of 120).

The 37 assists by Cornell blueliners (45.1 percent of its assist total) is the highest average among Division I hockey programs this season and one of two programs with at least 40 percent of its assists coming from blueliners (Omaha — 42 of 100 — 42.0 percent).

ALL HE DOES IS WIN, WIN, WIN

Mike Schafer ‘86, the Jay R. Bloom ‘77 Head Coach of Cornell Men’s Ice Hockey, is one of six active Division I men’s hockey head coaches with 500 career victories.

Schafer’s 549 wins are the 18th-most wins by a Division I head coach in college hockey history and is six wins shy of matching former Michigan Tech head coach John MacInnes, who won 555 games with the Huskies during his 26-year tenure from 1956-82.

Among active Division I men’s head coaches, Schafer has the fourth-most career wins, trailing Quinnipiac’s Rand Pecknold (656), Mercyhurst’s Rick Gotkin (610), and Notre Dame’s Jeff Jackson (597).

SCOUTING HARVARD

Harvard arrives at Lynah Rink on Friday with a 6-9-2 overall record and a 5-5-2 mark in ECAC Hockey play. The Crimson’s 18 points is good enough for sixth in the league standings, holding a two-point advantage over Cornell.

Last weekend, Harvard split its trip to Central New York, defeating RPI, 5-2, before suffering a 4-1 setback to Union. Despite the weekend split, Harvard has won three of its last five games (3-2-0) after logging a 1-6-2 record between Nov. 15 and Jan. 4.

Joe Miller is one of three Crimson players with at least 10 points this season, leading the team in assists (10) and points (13). Casey Severo has scored a team-high eight goals and has 12 points. Mick Thompson (four goals, seven assists) is the only other Harvard player with 10-plus points.

Goaltending duties have favored Ben Charette recently as the first-year netminder has appeared in nine of the Crimson’s last 11 contests, starting in eight outings. Charette has a 2-5-1 record with a 2.49 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. Aku Koskenvuo (4-4-1, 2.66, .909) has started in nine of his 11 outings but has only appeared in three games since December.

115 YEARS, 329 MILES, 167 MEETINGS

Friday will be the 168th meeting between the two bitter Ivy League rivals. Cornell leads the series over Harvard, 82-71-14. Eight of the previous 11 meetings have been decided by one goal or less.

Cornell aims to increase its unbeaten streak against Harvard to five games on Friday. With a win or tie, it would be the first time the Big Red has not lost five consecutive games to its Ancient Eight rival since going 3-0-2 between Feb. 16, 2013, and Feb. 14, 2015.

After sweeping last year’s best-of-three ECAC Hockey Championship quarterfinal series, Cornell is vying for its third consecutive home win against Harvard. The last time the Big Red defeated the Crimson in three straight games at Lynah Rink was when it posted a four-game win streak between Nov. 21, 2008, and March 13, 2010.

During Mike Schafer ‘86 tenure as the Jay R. Bloom ‘77 Head Coach of Cornell Men’s Hockey, the Big Red has registered a 21-10-5 (.653) record against Harvard at Lynah Rink.

CORNELL - HARVARD CONNECTIONS

Cornell director of hockey operations and assistant coach Corey Leivermann coached Casey Severo and Nick DeSantis on the 2021-22 Madison Capitols ... and Ian Shane was teammates with Jack Bar, Ian Moore, and Joe Miller on the 2020-21 Chicago Steel, which featured former Cornell goaltender Mike Garman as associate head coach ... Charlie Major was teammates Mick Thompson for two seasons on the Steel (2022-24) while Garman was head coach ... Major, Cam Johnson, and Thompson were teammates on Steel in 2022-23 ... Kyle Aucoin and Philip Tresca played on the 2020-21 Muskegon Lumberjacks with Hank Kempf and Luke Devlin ... Alex Gaffney spent two years (2018-20) with Kempf on the Lumbjeracks, while George Fegaras teamed up with Michael Callow, William Hughes, Matthew Morden, and Justin Solovey on the 2022-23 Lumberjacks ... Moore played with Remington Keopple on the 2022 United States World Junior team ... Keopple and Zakary Karpa played with the Des Moines Buccaneers in 2020-21 ... Justin Katz, Devlin, and Ben MacDonald spent 2022-23 on the West Kelowna Warriors ... Katz and Sean Keohane also on last year’s West Kelowna squad ... Ben Robertson was teammates with Callow, Ryan Healey, and Marek Hejduk on the 2020-21 USNTDP Juniors ... Healey also played with Sean Donaldson for two seasons on the Sioux Falls Stampede (2020-22), which also included Will McDonough in 2021-22 ... Devlin was teammates with Salvatore Guzzo, Marek Hejduk, and Ryan Fine on the 2021-22 USNTDP Juniors ... Aucoin played with Kyler Kovich on the 2020-21 Tri-City Storm ... Morden played at St. Andrew’s College with Devlin and Jonathan Castagna in 2021-22 ... Parker Murray spent two years (2021-23) on the Wenatchee Wild with David Hejduk ... Tommy Lyons was teammates with DeSantis (Sioux Falls Stampede) and Kyle Penney (Chilliwack Chiefs) in 2019-20 ... Penney was also teammates with Johnson on the 2020-21 Chiefs.

WALSH'S GAME-TYING GOAL AIDS #6 MEN'S HOCKEY TO TIE WITH #20 HARVARD

BOX SCORE I RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (NOV. 16, 2024) — Sophomore forward Ryan Walsh scored the game-tying goal on the power play with 6:43 left in the third period as the No. 6-ranked Cornell men's hockey team played to a 2-2 tie with No. 20-ranked Harvard before a near-sold-out crowd at Bright-Landry Hockey Center on Saturday evening.

Senior defenseman Michael Suda and sophomore Ben Robertson scored for Cornell in the shootout to give the Big Red the extra point in the ECAC Hockey standings.

Joining Walsh in scoring was senior defenseman Tim Rego, a native of nearby Mansfield, Mass., who had a goal and an assist to record his second multi-point game of the season and his fifth career outing with multiple points. Senior goaltender Ian Shane made a season-high 32 saves between the pipes for the Big Red (3-1-2, 1-1-2 ECAC Hockey).

Ryan Fine and Mason Langenbrunner registered the tallies for the Crimson (2-2-1, 2-2-1 ECAC Hockey), and junior goaltender Aku Koskenvuo made 24 saves in goal for the Crimson.

Harvard opened the scoring with 57 seconds left in the first period as Fine one-timed a pass from Ben MacDonald on the edge of Shane's crease two seconds after the expiration of a Cornell penalty.

Cornell successfully killed a five-minute major penalty to junior forward Dalton Bancroft for direct contact to the head which came with 15 seconds left in the opening period.

Upon returning to 5-on-5 play, Rego tied the game wristing a shot from the mid-slot off a backhand feed from junior forward Nick DeSantis. Shane earned the secondary assist after rimming the puck around the corner to DeSantis at the near half-wall in the defensive zone.

Four-plus minutes later, Harvard regained the lead as Langenbrunner scored his second goal in as many days, benefitting from passes from Michael Callow and Cam Johnson.

During Cornell's fourth power play, Walsh helped snap the Big Red's season-opening 0-for-18 start with the man advantage, tapping a crisp pass by freshman forward Charlie Major from the right faceoff circle at the far post past Koskenvuo.

Cornell out-shot Harvard in the five-minute overtime period, 3-0, and recorded the final eight shots on goal.

Marek Hedjuk took the initial shot attempt in the shootout and Shane got his left pad on the puck to hold Harvard off the board. Suda took the Big Red's first attempt, utilizing a quick backhand-forehand deke to beat Koskenvuo to his low right pad side. Mick Thompson had his backhand attempt go wide of goal and Robertson beat the Crimson goaltender to his blocker side to give Cornell the extra point in the standings. 

SCOUTING DARTMOUTH

Dartmouth enters this weekend with a 10-6-2 overall record and a 7-3-1 mark in ECAC Hockey play. The Big Green’s 22 points in ECAC Hockey only trails Quinnipiac (28 points — 9-3-1).

After defeating Cornell 4-3 at Thompson Arena on Nov. 15, Dartmouth struggled over its next 10 games, posting a 2-6-2 record. The Big Green has righted the ship since, winning its last three games and scoring at least four goals in each contest, defeating Brown, 5-2, Union, 4-0, and RPI, 5-3.

The Big Green has nine players with at least 10 points this season, tied with Arizona State, North Dakota, Notre Dame, Penn State, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, UConn, UMass Lowell, Union, and Western Michigan for the 12th-most players with double-digit point totals.

Nikita Nikora (three goals, 16 assists) leads all ECAC Hockey players with a 1.06 points-per-game average (19 points in 18 games), which ranks 30th in Division I Hockey. Nikora’s 0.89 assists per game average ranks sixth nationally.

Goaltending duties have favored Roan Clarke, who has started 11 of his 14 outings. Clarke has a 5-5-2 record with a 2.66 goals-against average. Emmett Croteau is 5-1-0 with a 2.07 goals-against average and has started in all seven of his appearances. Both Clarke and Croteau have .898 save percentages.

115 YEARS, 301 MILES, 148 MEETINGS

Cornell leads the all-time series with Dartmouth, 88-51-9, and is unbeaten in eight of the last nine meetings (5-1-3).

Contests between Cornell and Dartmouth have been close, with nine of the last 10, 10 of the previous 12, and 23 of the prior 34 contests decided by one goal or less.

The Big Red is 4-0-2 against Dartmouth at Lynah Rink over the last six meetings and is 11-4-3 over the previous 18 meetings on East Hill.

CORNELL - DARTMOUTH CONNECTIONS

Cornell associate head coach Casey Jones coached Emmett Croteau last season while at Clarkson ... Matt Fusco was teammates with Luke Devlin and Justin Katz on the 2022-23 West Kelowna Warriors ... Sullivan Mack and Nate Morgan played on the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in 2020-21, while Liam Steele, Owen Desilets, CJ Foley, and Hayden Stavroff played on the Silverbacks during the 2022-23 season ... Nicholas Wolfenberg was teammates on the Okotoks Oilers with Tucker McRae (2021-22) and Jack Silverberg (2023-24) ... Colin Grable played alongside Jake Kraft and Ryan Walsh on the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in 2022-23 ... Hoyt Stanley and Tim Busconi played on the 2022-23 Victoria Grizzlies ... Tim Rego and Sean Chisholm spent two years together on the Brooks Bandits (2019-21).

PENNEY LOGS FIRST MULTI-GOAL GAME AS #6 MEN'S HOCKEY FALLS TO #17 DARTMOUTH

BOX SCORE I RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS

HANOVER, N.H. (NOV. 15, 2024) — Steven Townley's goal with 3:24 left in the third period helped lift No. 17-ranked Dartmouth past the No. 6-ranked Cornell men's hockey team, 4-3, in a seesaw battle between ECAC Hockey and Ivy League rivals at Thompson Arena on Friday night.

Senior forward Kyle Penney logged his first multi-goal game with the Big Red (3-1-1, 1-1-1 ECAC Hockey) while sophomore forward Tyler Catalano also found the back of the net for Cornell. Senior goaltender Ian Shane made 19 saves in the setback.

A quartet of Dartmouth players concluded the night with two points, highlighted by Nikita Nikora and Cooper Flinton registering two assists apiece. Sean Chisholm and Hayden Stovroff both had a goal and assist to join Townley and John Fusco in recording goals for the Big Green (5-0-0, 4-0-0 ECAC Hockey). Sophomore goaltender Roan Clarke made 29 saves en route to his third victory of the season.

Shane was tested with numerous close-range shots throughout the first period but was able to hold the Big Green off the scoreboard in the opening period.

Dartmouth took the lead early in the second period as it capitalized on a second-chance opportunity with nine seconds left on an interference penalty to sophomore forward Ryan Walsh. A shot from the point by CJ Foley was deflected by Stovroff in the middle of the slot and Flinton was able to kick the puck to his stick and passed it to Chisholm, whose wrist shot from the left circle beat Shane to his near-blocker side.

Penney evened the contest with his first tally of the night past the halfway point. While Dartmouth was setting up a breakout in its defensive zone during a power play, Penney poke-checked the puck away from Braiden Dorfman and gained possession of it in the near corner. Cutting inside and beating a pair of Big Green defenders, Penney carried the puck to the far post and roofed his shot past Clarke.

The Big Green retaliated with a marker of its own 33 seconds following Penney's tally to regain the lead. Stavroff potted a power-play marker with one second left on the man advantage, lasering a one-timer from the left side of the right faceoff circle.

Stavroff would later serve a five-minute major penalty for goaltender interference after hitting Shane in open ice as he was attempting to play the puck inside the right faceoff circle. Cornell generated numerous scoring opportunities with the man advantage but could not find the back of the net.

Shortly following the expiration of Stavroff's five-minute penalty, Penney redirected a shot by sophomore defenseman Hoyt Stanley to notch his second goal of the night and tie the contest, 2-2, 80 seconds into the third period. Freshman forward Charlie Major recorded the secondary helper.

For the third time on the night, Dartmouth regained control of the lead, this time with under nine minutes left. A one-timed shot from the point by Fusco off a feed from Nikora evaded traffic and slowly crossed the goal line.

Cornell evened the game at 3-all with 5:10 left as Catalano pounced on a loose puck in front of Dartmouth's crease after Clarke halted sophomore defenseman Ben Robertson's shot from the point. Junior defenseman Jack O'Brien picked up the secondary assist for his first collegiate point.

Continuing with the seesaw battle, Dartmouth took its fourth lead of the game with 3:24 left as an attempted clear from Cornell's defensive zone was intercepted by Fusco at the blue line. Townley received Fusco's pass and wristed his shot past Shane to his far-blocker side.

Cornell had four shot attempts while having an extra attacker over the final minute and 47 seconds. The Big Red had two shots on goal, both of which were stopped by Clarke, and another pair of attempts that were blocked by Big Green defenders.

DESANTIS NETS TYING GOAL AS MEN'S HOCKEY TIES WITH #16 QUINNIPIAC

BOX SCORE | RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS

HAMDEN, Conn. (JAN. 18, 2025) — Junior forward Nick DeSantis scored the game-tying goal with 9:03 left in the third period, aiding the Cornell men's hockey team (7-5-5, 4-3-3 ECAC Hockey) to a 2-2 tie with No. 16-ranked and ECAC Hockey-leading Quinnipiac (14-7-2, 9-3-1 ECAC Hockey) at M&T Bank Arena on Saturday night.
 
Senior defenseman Tim Rego assisted on both Big Red goals, serving as the lone Cornell player to have a multi-point night. Senior forward Ondrej Psenicka joined DeSantis in scoring for the Big Red, who had a 22-save performance from senior goaltender Ian Shane in his 100th career appearance.
 
Tyler Borgula and Chris Pelosi were the goal scorers for the Bobcats, who had a 23-save performance from Dylan Silverstein between the pipes.
 
Psenicka opened the scoring with nine seconds remaining on a first-period power play, redirecting a one-timer taken from the point by sophomore defenseman George Fegaras. DeSantis had a shot from the left faceoff circle hit the crossbar, leading Rego to collect the loose puck at the opposite faceoff circle.

Quinnipiac came out of the locker room for the second period with a roar as Borgula tied the game 1:17 into the frame, one-timing a shot in the low slot off a pass from Victor Czerneckianair from underneath Cornell's goal line.
 
Nearly seven minutes later, the Bobcats took the lead when Pelosi and Marcellus teamed up for a near-carbon copy result of Borgula's marker.
 
Later in the second, Cornell continued its strong penalty kill of late, killing its 11th penalty in its last 13 chances, holding Quinnipiac's power play – which entered the night ranked second in the nation with a 28.9 success rate – to one shot attempt that went wide.
 
Following the expiration of a Quinnipiac penalty early in the third period, the Bobcats had a 2-on-0 scoring chance with Jeremy Wilmer and Pelosi, but Shane nabbed the shot to keep it a one-goal Bobcat lead.

DeSantis tied the game up with 9:03 left in the third when he redirected a shot by Rego from the right point after keeping the puck inside the Big Red's offensive zone following a pass from senior forward Kyler Kovich.

Quinnipiac opened the first minute of overtime controlling possession of the puck before Cornell controlled the remainder of the five-minute stanza. The Big Red ended up outshooting the Bobcats, 6-0, in overtime, which included a couple of scoring chances in the final minute while Silverstein was without a stick.
 
In typical Cornell and Quinnipiac fashion, even the shootout had a flair for the dramatic. Wilmer opened the shootout with a goal but was reviewed by the officials to determine if the attempt was legal. Following a lengthy review, it was determined the attempt was in fact legal.
 
Junior forward Dalton Bancroft countered with a goal on Cornell's first-round attempt before Quinnipiac's Travis Treloar had his shot stopped by Shane. Senior defenseman Michael Suda gave the Big Red the advantage by scoring on Cornell's second-round attempt, forcing Andon Cerbone to score and extend the shootout. Cerbone's shot ended up missing the net entirely, giving Cornell the shootout victory and the extra point in the ECAC Hockey standings.

2024-25 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 68th year serving as the home of Big Red hockey this season, was formally dedicated on April 6, 1957, a month after its opening to the public on March 4, 1957. The facility, which was built following a $500,000 anonymous donation (approximately $5.59 million in 2024), honors the late James Lynah '05, who served as the director of athletics at Cornell from 1935-43.

The donation to build Lynah Rink reresurrected the Cornell hockey  program following a 10-year hiatus, ensuring hockey returned as a varsity sport for the 1957-58 season.

Cornell began sponsoring hockey as a varsity sport with 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 — literally — on thin ice, causing Cornell to drop the program entirely after the 1947-48 campaign.

Since its opening in March of 1957, Lynah Rink has received numerous face-lifts since hosting its inaugural event on March 21, 1957, a 7-3 victory for the NHL’s New York Rangers in an exhibiton against the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL). Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Gump Worsley stopped 44 shots in the victory for the Rangers.

Among the renovations, Cornell spent nearly $1 million in the summer of 2000, to replace 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 last season’s 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 13 tournament championships (1967-70, 1973, 1980, 1986, 1996-97, 2003, 2005, 2010, 2024) and 26 Ivy League titles, 22 of which have been won outright.

Cornell will make its annual trip to the North Country when it squares off against the Route 11 rivals in St. Lawrence (6-15-1, 2-7-1 ECAC Hockey) and No. 20-ranked Clarkson (13-7-2, 7-3-0 ECAC Hockey).

Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. puck drops. Game action will be broadcast on ESPN+ and over the airwaves on WHCU (870 AM, 97.7 FM, cortacatoday.com).

Overall, the Big Red is unbeaten in six of its last seven games against the North Country opponents (5-1-1).

Friday's contest against St. Lawrence will be a rematch of last year's ECAC Hockey Championship in Lake Placid, N.Y., where the Big Red prevailed, 3-1, to claim the Whitelaw Cup for the first time since 2010. The Big Red is unbeaten in 13 of its last 15 against the Saints (12-2-1), averaging 3.47 goals per game while allowing just 1.20 goals per contest against St. Lawrence during the span.

Saturday's game versus Clarkson will be the first game against the Golden Knights since Casey Jones ‘90 returned to East Hill to assume duties of associate head coach before he takes over as the Jay R. Bloom ’77 Head Coach of Cornell Men's Hockey next season. Cornell is 9-5-3 against the Golden Knights in its last 17 outings.