AMHERST, Mass. — Freshman Gio DiGiulian scored for the second consecutive night, and stellar goaltending from freshman Alexis Cournoyer propelled the No. 20-ranked Cornell men's hockey team to a 3-1 victory over No. 13 UMass at the Mullins Center on Saturday night.

Power-play goals from sophomore forward Charlie Major and freshman defenseman Xavier Veilleux broke open a 1-1 game, giving the Big Red (1-1-0) all the cushion it would need. Cournoyer, who was making his first career start and appearance, stopped 33 of 34 shots in the winning effort.

Casey Jones '90, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Cornell Men's Ice Hockey, opted to give Cournoyer his first collegiate start after senior Remington Keopple started Friday night's opener.

"There's competition at that position," Jones said. "We felt [Cournoyer] earned playing time with his preseason and what he's shown. I thought he answered the bell. He was calm and made some key saves for us. I was impressed with him for his first game."

Mikey DeAngelo scored the lone goal for UMass (6-3-0), while Michael Hrabal made 25 saves in the loss.

DiGiulian gave Cornell a 1-0 lead just 1:41 into the contest. An aggressive forecheck by senior forward Nick DeSantis forced a UMass defender into a hurried backhand pass that junior forward Luke Devlin intercepted. DiGiulian one-timed Devlin's feed at the left post for his second goal in as many nights.



UMass answered late in the first period when Jack Musa used a slick deke to beat sophomore defenseman Michael Fisher, setting up DeAngelo for a one-timer from the right faceoff dot with 4:44 remaining to tie the game.

Major restored Cornell's lead with 3:38 left in the second period on the power play. Junior forward Ryan Walsh fed Major under the goal line, and his quick shot deflected off a UMass defender's skate and in. Freshman forward Caton Ryan earned the secondary assist.



"Last night, their penalty kill frustrated us a little bit," Jones said. "Tonight, I thought we won faceoffs, which gave us possession, and we stuck to the game plan with an attacking mentality. To bounce back and get it done on special teams, I was really excited."

Veilleux ultimately iced the victory on a 5-on-3 advantage with under eight minutes remaining in regulation, burying his first career goal after Walsh set him up following extended offensive zone pressure. Major added the secondary helper, capping multi-point nights for him and Walsh.



Jones offered high praise for the freshman defenseman, who has quickly become a fixture on Cornell's top defensive pairing.

"The one thing about Xavier is, he's won wherever he's been," Jones said. "He plays a really good team game with good hockey sense. It was hard to imagine him being this ready. He's fitting seamlessly here with us."

GAME NOTES
• Cornell increased its lead in the series against UMass to 7-4-2 and is unbeaten in seven of the last nine against the Minutemen (5-2-2).

• DiGiulian became the fourth Cornell freshman to score in the Big Red's first two games of a season and the first since defenseman Sasha Pokulok in 2004-05. Trent Andison (1987-88) and Kent Manderville (1989-90) are the only other forwards to accomplish the feat.

FRESHMEN TO SCORE IN FIRST TWO GAMES OF SEASON
Since 1975-76 (First Year Freshmen Eligible to Play)
• 1987-88 — Trent Andison (3 goals)
• 1989-90 — Kent Manderville (3 goals)
• 2004-05 — Sasha Pokulok (2 goals)
• 2025-26 — Gio DiGiulian (2 goals)

• DiGiulian's two goals are the most by a Big Red freshman through the first two games since Joel Lowry and Joakim Ryan (two apiece) in 2011-12. He is the 12th freshman in program history to have multiple goals through the team's first two games of a season.

MOST GOALS BY A CORNELL FRESHMAN THROUGH FIRST TWO GAMES
Since 1975-76 (First Year Freshmen Eligible to Play)
• 3 goals, Trent Andison (1987-88)
• 3 goals, Kent Manderville (1989-90)
• 3 goals, David Kozier (1998-99)
• 2 goals, Dean Baerg (1978-79)
• 2 goals, Duanne Moeser (1982-83)
• 2 goals, Ryan Moynihan (1996-97)
• 2 goals, Byron Bitz (2003-04)
• 2 goals, Sasha Pokulok (2004-05)
• 2 goals, Dustin Mowrey (2010-11)
• 2 goals, Joakim Ryan (2011-12)
• 2 goals, Joel Lowry (2011-12)
• 2 goals, Gio DiGiulian (2025-26)

• Along with Cournoyer, freshman forward Connor Arseneault made his collegiate debut for the Big Red. Veilleux (goal) and Ryan (assist) recorded their first collegiate points.

NEXT UP
Cornell continues its season-opening four-game road trip next weekend when it opens ECAC Hockey play against Harvard (0-0-1) and Dartmouth (1-0-0). Puck drop for both contests is scheduled for 7 p.m., with game action being broadcast on ESPN+.