#18 Men’s Hockey Headed to Sacred Heart For Two-Game Series

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

THE PUCK DROP

The No. 18-ranked Cornell men’s hockey team continues its seven-game road trip when it plays its final two non-conference games of the regular season this weekend against Sacred Heart at Martire Family Arena in Fairfield, Conn.

Puck drop for Friday’s contest between the Big Red and Pioneers from the Martire Family Arena is slated for 7 p.m. Saturday’s start is scheduled for 5 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on FloHockey.tv and available over the airwaves on WHCU (870 AM, 97.7 FM, cortacatoday.com), featuring Jason Weinstein on play-by-play and Tony Eisenhut ‘88 providing analysis. Saturday’s game will air on SNY on a tape delay.

THE GAME IS ON HIS STICK

Junior forward Dalton Bancroft broke open a 2-2 tie with a third-period goal, guiding Cornell to a 4-2 victory over UMass last Friday in the first semifinal of the Desert Hockey Classic. Bancroft’s goal was his third game-winning goal of the season and the seventh of his Cornell career.

Bancroft became the first Cornell player to have at least three game-winning goals across the first 13 games of a season since forward Matt Stienburg ‘23 also had three  game-winners during the 2021-22 season.

With a game-winning goal this weekend, Bancroft would become Cornell’s first player with four game-winning goals in its first 15 games of a season since defenseman Nick D’Agostino ‘13 (five) in 2011-12. No Cornell forward has had four game-winning goals in the first 15 games of a campaign since Doug Marrett ‘74 also had four game-winners in 1972-73.

Entering this weekend, Bancroft is tied with 23 players for the eighth-most game-winning goals. Bancroft is tied for the ECAC Hockey lead in game-winning goals with Clarkson forward Ayrton Martino, Colgate forward Daniel Panetta, and Dartmouth defenseman John Fusco.

Nationally, only Michigan State forward Daniel Russell (six), Boston College forward Ryan Leonard, Denver forward Sam Harris and Western Michigan forward Tim Washe (five), and Ferris State forward Caiden Gault, Michigan forward Michael Hage, and Minnesota State forward Rhett Pitlick (four) have more game-winning goals this season.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING

Cornell is playing a two-game road series against an Atlantic Hockey opponent for the first time in program history this weekend.

The Big Red has only played an Atlantic Hockey opponent on the road twice prior to this weekend’s series, both of which came in season openers, as Cornell dropped a 4-1 decision to RIT at Frank Ritter Memorial Ice Arena on Oct. 27, 2007, before defeating Niagara, 3-2, at Dwyer Arena on Oct. 30, 2015.

Since the 2003-04 season, when the hockey portion of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) broke off and reorganized as Atlantic Hockey, Cornell is 12-4-2 all-time against Atlantic Hockey programs. The Big Red is 8-0-1 over its last nine matchups against AHA opponents, which includes tying AIC, 3-3, in the last meeting against an Atlantic Hockey foe on Dec. 30, 2022, concluding a two-game series at Lynah Rink.

MISTER RELIABLE

Sophomore forward Ryan Walsh leads all Cornell centermen with 154 faceoff wins this season, ranking 64th nationally and sixth among ECAC Hockey players, trailing Clarkson’s Ellis Rickwood (199), Quinnipiac’s Victor Czerneckianair (189), Brown’s Max Scott (178), RPI’s Jakob Lee (175), Dartmouth’s Sean Chisholm (171).

Walsh has won 56.2 percent of the draws he has taken this season (154-of-274) ranking 23rd nationally among Division I players with at least 150 faceoff wins. He ranks fifth amongng ECAC Hockey players, trailing Czerneckianair (189-of-316 — .598), Rickwood (199-of-334 — .596), Lee (175-of-299 — .585), and Chisholm (171-of-298 — .574).

This season, Walsh has recorded a double-digit faceoff win total in nine games and has won at least 13 draws on eight occasions, tied with Holy Cross’ Jack Stockfish, North Dakota’s Jake Schmaltz, Western Michigan’s Tim Washe, and Wisconsin’s Gavin Morrissey for the seventh-most games with at least 13 faceoff wins. Air Force’s Clayton Cosentino (13), Notre Dame’s Danny Nelson (12), Bemidji State’s Jackson Jutting and Niagara’s Tyler Wallace (11), Bentley’s Ethan Leyh (10), and Northeastern’s Jack Williams (9) have more games with 13-plus faceoff wins.

Entering this weekend’s slate, Walsh is one of 13 Division I players to average at least 11.50 faceoff wins per game this season. Nelson (13.72), Brown’s Max Scott (13.69), Cosentino (12.95), Leyh (12.45), Wallace (12.33), Chisholm (12.21), Jutting (12.15), Denver’s Carter King and Minnesota Duluth’s Dominic James (12.00), and Stockfish (11.95) are those ahead of Walsh while RIT’s Simon Isabelle and Tyler Fukukasa are just behind with their respective 11.60 and 11.55 averages.

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 97 career appearances between the pipes for the Big Red, Shane has a 55-25-13 record with a 1.80 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage.

Shane’s 55 career victories place him sixth among Cornell goaltenders in program history. Entering this weekend, Shane needs three more wins to tie Andy Iles ’14 for the fifth-most wins in program history. His 55 wins make him one of four active Division I goaltenders with 50-plus career victories, joining Western Michigan’s Cameron Rowe (64), Wisconsin’s Tommy Scarfone (63), and Boston University’s Mathieu Caron (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, just one shy of matching Ken Dryden ‘69, a Cornell Athletics and Hockey Hall of Famer, who assumes fourth place with 13 shutouts.

Entering this weekend, Shane’s 1,915 saves rank as the 11th-most stops by a Cornell goaltender in program history. Shane’s 26-save performance against Quinnipiac at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 30 lifted him ahead of Doug Dadswell (1,824 saves from 1984-86) and Matthew Galajda (1,844 stops from 2017-20). Shane enters this weekend 73 stops shy of surpassing Dryden and officially entering the top 10 in Big Red history.

MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF

Senior goaltender Ian Shane boasts a 1.80 career goals-against average, standing as the 10th-best figure in Division I hockey history. Shane is among 35 goalies with a sub-2.00 goals-against average while logging 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), and former Big Red netminders Galajda (1.70) and David McKee (1.72).

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 only two netminders with a career goals-against average below 2.00, joined by Maine’s Albin Boija (1.81).

Shane’s career save percentage of .919 ranks 12th among active Division I goaltenders with at least 500 saves, while leading all active ECAC Hockey players by one point (Brown’s Lawton Zacher — .918). Shane is eight hundred-thousandths of a point shy of being in top 10.

'TENDY POINT!

Senior goaltender Ian Shane recorded an assist on senior defenseman Tim Rego’s second-period goal against Harvard on Nov. 16, making Shane the first Cornell 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 over 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 in a game and the 24th to earn an assist.

Paired with his 32 saves in the Big Red’s tie with the Crimson, Shane is one of 10 Cornell goaltenders to have an assist and make at least 30 saves in the same game, joining Steve Kelleher (March 5, 1974, vs. St. Lawrence), Dave Chrastina (Jan. 5, 1975, vs. St. Lawrence), Darren Eliot (twice — March 15, 1980, vs. Dartmouth and Jan. 26, 1981, vs. Princeton), Doug Dadswell (Jan. 19, 1985, vs. Yale), Corrie D’Alessio (Jan. 23, 1988, vs. Yale), Ian Burt (Feb. 12, 2000, at St. Lawrence), Ben Scrivens (March 9, 2008, vs. Dartmouth), Mitch Gillam (Nov. 29, 2014, vs. Penn State at Madison Square Garden), and Galajda.

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 1.97 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 13 games, Cornell is allowing an average of 2.54 goals per game, ranking 26th in Division I hockey. Its average is fifth among ECAC Hockey programs, trailing Clarkson (2.11 — 11th), Brown (2.23 — 12th), Princeton (2.31 — 15th),  and Quinnipiac (2.47 — 24th). Minnesota State leads the nation with 1.50 goals allowed per game, conceding 30 goals over 20 games.

Cornell is tied with Maine for the fifth-fewest goals conceded this season (33), trailing Brown (29),  Boston College, Minnesota State, and Princeton (30).

THAT'LL LEAVE A MARK…

Sophomore defenseman Hoyt Stanley blocked four shots in the Big Red’s 5-0 shutout of Princeton on Nov. 23, marking the third time he absorbed at least four shots in a game this season. Stanley’s four blocked shots match his single-game high, all of which have come this season.

According to data from College Hockey News, Stanley is one of 13 Cornell players to block at least four shots in at least three games in a season since the statistic began being tracked in 2012-13.

Should Stanley block at least four shots in either game this weekend, he will tie Reece Willcox (2014-15 & 2015-16), Alec McCrea (2017-18), Yanni Kaldis (2017-18), Matthew Nuttle (2018-19), and Tim Rego (2023-24) for the 10th-most games with four-plus blocked shots by a Cornell player in a season.

Heading into this weekend, Stanley’s 1.92 blocks per game are tied for the 21st-highest average nationally and is tied with Yale’s Dylan Herzog for sixth among ECAC Hockey players. Ahead of Stanley is Brown’s Alex Pineau (2.69), Clarkson’s Tristan Sarsland (2.17), Colgate’s Reid Irwin (2.14), Harvard’s Ian Moore (2.08), and Clarkson’s Trey Taylor (1.94).

ON THE PLUS SIDE…

Entering this weekend’s contests, Cornell is the only Division I program with five players having at least a plus-minus rating of plus-40. Senior forward Ondrej Psenicka paces the quintet with a plus-50 rating and is joined by his fellow classmates Kyle Penney (plus-47), Tim Rego (plus-46), Jack O’Leary (plus-41), and Hank Kempf (plus-40).

Psenicka’s plus-50 rating places him among one of seven active Division I players with a plus-minus rating of at least plus-50, joining Denver’s Jack Devine (plus-65),

Minnesota State’s Rhett Pitlick and Ohio State’s Aidan Hansen-Bukata (plus-59), Boston College’s Eamon Powell (plus-55), and Minnesota’s Mike Koster (plus-53) and Luke Mittelstadt (plus-50).

Penney’s plus-47 rating is tied with Boston College forward Ryan Leonard for ninth nationally. Rego (plus-46) is even with Minnesota’s Mason Nevers and Michigan’s Jacob Truscott for the 11th-highest career plus-minus rating.

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  were tracked throughout the season by Cornell, Psenicka is one of three players with at least a plus-50 rating in program history, joining forward Greg Miller (plus-52) and defenseman Travis Mitchell (plus-51).

SPREADING THE WEALTH

Cornell saw scoring contributions from nearly every skater who appeared in at least one game last season. Out of the 23 players, 21 (91.3 percent) registered at least one point, and 19 of those players (82.6 percent) recorded two or more points.

During its first 13 games this season, Cornell has succeeded in maintaining the scoring levels achieved from last year. Once again, 21 of the 23 players (91.3 percent) who have appeared in at least one game have at least one point, and 18 players have at least two points.

The sophomore class, which led the team last season in goals (44), assists (70), and points (114), has accounted for 43.4 percent of the team’s scoring this season, leading in assists (30) and points (43), while the 10-player senior class has contributed 38 points, highlighted by its team-leading 16 goals.

BLUELINE HELPING OUT

Of the Big Red’s 89 points scored this season, 27 (four goals, 23 assists) have come from defensemen (30.3 percent of scoring production).

Cornell is one of seven programs to have at least 30 percent of their scoring from defensemen, joining Colgate (34 of 102 — 33.3 percent), Omaha (34 of 102 — 33.3 percent), Air Force (35 of 107 — 32.7 percent), Notre Dame (43 of 133 — 32.3 percent), Robert Morris (48 of 153 — 31.4 percent), Northeastern (36 of 118 — 30.5 percent).

The 23 assists by Cornell blueliners (41.8 percent of its assist total) is the second-highest average among Division I hockey programs this season, trailing Omaha (30 of 63 — 47.6 percent).

HAIL TO THEE, OUR ALMA MATER!

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

Roughly 38 percent of the 64 active Division I programs will have an alumnus as their head coach this season. ECAC Hockey paces the nation with six alums as Schafer is joined by Yale's Keith Allain, Harvard's Ted Donato, Colgate's Mike Harder, Clarkson's Jean-François Houle, and Brown's Brendan Whittet. The NCHC is right behind ECAC Hockey with five alums.

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 547 wins are the 18th-most wins by a Division I head coach in college hockey history and is eight 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 (653), Mercyhurst’s Rick Gotkin (609), and Notre Dame’s Jeff Jackson (595).

CORNELL NOTABLES IN THE NATIONAL

Former Cornell forward Morgan Barron found the back of the net for the fourth time on the season on Tuesday evening as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Nashville Predators, 5-2, inside the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

After having his first point streak of the season (two games) snapped on Jan. 2, Barron returned to the scoresheet following a two-game break after being awarded a goal after a Predators player poked a loose puck past their goaltender, Juuse Saros, at the right post. The marker sparked a three-goal first period for the Jets, which included the first two markers coming 16 seconds apart.

Recently, Barron has found his scoring touch, registering four points (two goal, two assists) over his last eight games. Barron also tallied a first-period marker in Winnipeg’s 5-0 shutout of Minnesota on Dec. 21.

Across 42 games with the Jets this season, Barron has seven points (four goals, three assists) while having the fourth-most hits on the team (69), trailing Adam Lowry (79), Nino Neiderreiter (75), and Dylan DeMelo (73).

• • •

Sam Malinski ‘23 snapped a 21-game pointless streak with an assist on the first of three Artturi Lehkonen goals as the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Utah Hockey Club, 4-1, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Dec. 27.

Malinski’s helper was his first in 26 games after he aided Casey Mittelstadt in scoring against Chicago in a 5-2 loss back on Oct. 28.

In 41 appearances with the Avalanche this season, Malinski has five points (one goal, four assists) and has blocked 61 shots, only trailing fellow blueliner Samuel Girard (66) for the team lead.

SCOUTING SACRED HEART

Sacred Heart, who is in the midst of an eight-game homestand at Martire Family Arena, enters this weekend’s two-game series against Cornell with an 11-8-3 overall record and an 10-6-2 mark in Atlantic Hockey play, pacing the conference with 35 points.

The Pioneers saw its five-game unbeaten streak (4-0-1) come to an end last Saturday after Air Force and Sacred Heart swapped 3-0 shutouts in Fairfield, Conn.

Forward Félix Trudeau (11-12—23) leads the Pioneers in all major scoring categories and is tied with Denver’s Carter King for 36th nationally with his 1.05 points-per-game average. Defenseman Mikey Adamson (5-11—16) is the only other Sacred Heart player with a double-digit total in goals or assists.

Goaltending duties have been split between sophomore Cullen DeYoung (10 starts in 11 appearances) and freshman Ajeet Gundarah (12 starts in 13 outings). Gundarah has a 9-3-1 record with a 2.00 goals-against average, a .926 save percentage, and a pair of shutouts over Army (Dec. 3) and Air Force (Jan. 3). DeYoung is sporting a 2-5-2 record with a 3.69 goals-against average and .874 save percentage.

24 YEARS, 247 MILES, 4 MEETINGS

Cornell and Sacred Heart will be meeting for the fifth and sixth times this weekend, and will be the first pair of contests played away from Lynah Rink.

This weekend’s series will be the first time the Big Red and Pioneers are playing each other since Nov. 22, 2022, where Cornell used a pair of third-period goals from Kyle Penney and Sullivan Mack to record a come-from-behind 2-1 victory.

CORNELL - SACRED HEART CONNECTIONS

Reid Pabich was coached by Cornell director of hockey operations and assistant coach Corey Leivermann on the 2021-22 Madison Capitols, which also featured Cornell forward Nick DeSantis ... Pabich also spent the 2020-21 season on the Sioux Falls Stampede with Sean Donaldson ... Aiden VanRooyan was teammates with Michael Suda on the 2020-21 Fargo Force ... Garrett Sundquist was teammates with Jack O’Leary and Suda (2019-20 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders) and Donaldson (2020-21 Sioux Falls Stampede) ... Paul Minnehan was teammates with Hank Kempf on the 2019-20 Muskegon Lumberjacks and spent four seasons rising the ranks of the Los Angeles Jr. Kings program from PeeWee to 16U AAA with Parker Murray ... Cullen DeYoung played with Kempf on the 2018-19 Muskegon Lumberjacks ... Willyam Gendron and Murray played on last year’s Chilliwack Chiefs ... John Driscoll was teammates on the Des Moines Buccaneers with Remington Keopple (2020-22) and Luke Devlin (2021-22) ... Keopple and Devlin also spent the 2021-22 season on the Buccaneers with Michael Rubin, who was also teammates with Tyler Catalano and Winter Wallace on the Youngstown Phantoms for parts of two seasons (2020-22) ... Rylee Hlusiak played on the 2022-23 West Kelowna Warriors with Devlin and Justin Katz ... Jake Hewitt played on the 2021-22 Nanaimo Clippers with Donaldson and Jack O’Brien ... Tyler Ghirardosi spent two seasons (2017-19) on the Trail Smoke Eaters with Donaldson ... Charles Tardif spent the 2020-21 season with O’Brien (Nanaimo Clippers) and Jimmy Rayhill (Odessa Jackalopes) before returning to Nanaimo and playing with Donaldson in 2021-22 ... Hunter Sansbury played with Rayhill at The Frederick Gunn School in Washington, Conn., for three seasons (2016-19) ... Sansbury also played on the 2020-21 Salmon Arm Silverbacks with Sullivan Mack ... Marcus Joughin and Félix Trudeau were teammates with Katz on the 2021-22 West Kelowna Warriors ... Trudeau and Dalton Bancroft also played on the 2020-21 Amherst Ramblers ... John Jaworski and Ian Shane played on the 2019-20 Chicago Steel, which featured former Cornell goaltender Mike Garman as an assistant coach ... Jérémie Tremblay and Liam Steele spent the 2020-21 season together at Stanstead College.

PENNEY, MACK SCORE THIRD-PERIOD GOALS TO LIFT MEN'S HOCKEY PAST SACRED HEART

BOX SCORE I RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS

ITHACA, N.Y. (NOV. 22, 2022) — Kyle Penney and Sullivan Mack scored third-period goals to avenge a 1-0 deficit and lead the Cornell men's hockey team to a 2-1 come-from-behind win at Lynah Rink on Tuesday night.

The win is Cornell's third straight, improving the Big Red's overall record to 5-4-0.

"Tough start. I thought [Sacred Heart] came out and played very well," said Mike Schafer '86, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Men's Hockey. "We talked to our guys about it all day, showing them clips of how well they play, and still didn't buy into it. I thought we didn't play physical, we didn't win battles. They outworked us. Then we got it going."

Aidan Connolly opened the scoring for Sacred Heart (6-6-1) when Julian Kislin and Braeden Tuck used quick passes in succession to set-up Connolly for his one-time goal.

Despite the shots on goal in the first period being even, 7-7, Cornell struggled to gain any offensive pressure in the opening 20 minutes.

Coming out of the locker room, Cornell peppered Sacred Heart in the second period, posting 29 shot attempts compared to the Pioneers' six. The Big Red had a 17-4 advantage in shots on goal – including numerous grade-A scoring chances – but Sacred Heart goaltender Luke Lush stopped all 17 shots to keep Sacred Heart ahead.

Lush concluded the night with a game-high 30 saves, while his counterpart, Ian Shane, improved to 4-4-0 on the year behind his 17-save performance.

Just over two minutes into the third period, Sean Donaldson drove to the net and allowed Penney to deposit a loose puck past Lush to even the game.

Beyond halfway through the third period, Jack Lagerstrom sent a stretch pass from behind Cornell's goal to freshman Dalton Bancroft at the blue line, ultimately leading the Big Red's go-ahead goal. Lagerstrom's pass led to Bancroft using a deke to set up Mack for the eventual game-winning goal.

"Outstanding play to not only beat the guy, I think everyone anticipated he was going to shoot it," Schafer said. "He's got great hockey sense and awareness. Just having that poise to make that play was huge for us."

Sacred Heart threatened late in the period when it had an empty net, but a pair of blocked shots by Ben Berard helped Cornell solidify the victory.

#19 ARIZONA STATE SHUTS OUT #16 MEN'S HOCKEY TO RETAIN DESERT HOCKEY CLASSIC TITLE

BOX SCORE | RECAP

TEMPE, Ariz. (JAN. 4, 2025) — For a second consecutive season, No. 19-ranked Arizona State (10-7-1) retained the Desert Hockey Classic title as it posted a 4-0 shutout over the No. 16-ranked Cornell men's hockey team (6-4-3) at Mullett Arena on Saturday night.
 
Sam Court, Lukas Sillinger, and Ryan Kirwan each had a goal and an assist to guide the Sun Devils to their seventh consecutive win, matching the longest win streak in program history. Ty Jackson also scored for Arizona State, who has scored at least four goals in four of its last five contests.

Making his first start since Nov. 8 against Colorado College, Arizona State junior goaltender Gibson Homer logged a season-high 34 saves for his second shutout of the season and the third of his collegiate career.
 
Dating back to last season, where he made 22 saves off the bench in a loss to the Big Red, Homer has stopped all 56 shots he has faced against Cornell.
 
Cornell senior netminder Ian Shane made 24 saves in between the pipes for the Big Red in the setback.
 
Arizona State took the lead just past the halfway point of the first period when Ty Jackson poked at a loose puck on the edge of the crease following a shot by his twin brother, Dylan. Lukas Sillinger set up the goal on a breakout pass from the Sun Devils' defensive zone for his 90th career assist.
 
The Sun Devils doubled their lead with 26 seconds left in the first period as a defensive zone turnover by the Big Red led to Kirwan wristing a shot past Shane from the left faceoff circle.
 
Sillinger netted his first goal of the season that increased the Sun Devils lead to 3-0 at the 11:39 mark of the second period, concluding a stretch of 11 straight shot attempts by Arizona State across 73 seconds.
 
Court registered his second point of the night and second goal of the season to give Arizona State a 4-0 lead with 12 seconds left, one-timing a feed from Kirwan during a 4-on-3 power play.
 
The Big Red peppered Arizona State in the third period hoping to thwart Arizona State's aspirations of registering a shutout, but Homer made 17 of his 34 saves during the final 20 minutes of play. Cornell had 35 shot attempts compared to the Sun Devils' eight as the Big Red had a 17-5 edge in shots on goal.

Cornell concluded the game with a 75-45 edge in shot attempts and a 34-28 advantage in shots on goal.

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 conclude its seven-game road trip next weekend when it returns to ECAC Hockey play against Princeton (6-6-1, 3-4-1 ECAC Hockey) and No. 20-ranked Quinnipiac (11-7-1, 6-3-0 ECAC Hockey).

Puck drop for both contests are scheduled for 7 p.m. Both games will air live on ESPN+ and over the airwaves on WHCU (870 AM, 97.7 FM, cortacatoday.com).

The Big Red, who sports a 101-54-8 all-time record against Princeton, shut out the Tigers, 5-0, in its previous meeting on Nov. 23 at Lynah Rink. Ian Shane made 24 saves to register his 12th career shutout while senior forward Ondrej Psenicka, sophomore defenseman Ben Robertson, and sophomore forward Ryan Walsh all had a goal and an assist.

Quinnipiac and Cornell will be facing each other for a third time this season as the Bobcats posted a 3-1 victory at Lynah Rink on Nov. 22 before the Big Red registered a shootout victory in a 3-3 tie at the biennial Frozen Apple game at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 30.

Next Saturday's meeting with Quinnipiac will be the first time the two ECAC Hockey foes will be playing at least three times within a season since 2017-18 when the Big Red went 4-0 against the Bobcats (2-0 in regular season, 2-0 in 2018 ECAC Hockey Championship quarterfinals).