ITHACA, N.Y. — Freshmen forwards Caton Ryan and Gio DiGiulian each recorded the first multi-point games of their collegiate careers as the No. 20-ranked Cornell men's hockey team defeated Brown 4-1 in its sixth consecutive home opener victory before a sold-out crowd Friday night at Lynah Rink.

Ryan scored the first and third goals of the night for the Big Red, who improved to 3-2-0 overall, 2-1-0 in ECAC Hockey play. DiGiulian assisted on the first goal before scoring the game-winner 10:18 into the second period. Junior defenseman George Fegaras was the only other Cornell player with a multi-point night, assisting on both of Ryan's goals.

Freshman goaltender Alexis Cournoyer continued to shine between the pipes for Cornell, stopping 27 of 28 shots he faced. Brown's Brian Nicholas broke up Cournoyer's shutout bid with 3:32 remaining in the third period, scoring after cycling the puck and benefiting from multiple screens in front of the Big Red netminder.

The game held special significance as Cornell honored legendary goaltender Ken Dryden '69, who passed away this past September. Cournoyer's composed, 27-save performance seemed a fitting tribute to the Hall of Famer, as the freshman netminder stood tall in the Cornell crease much like Dryden did during his storied career that began at Lynah Rink.

"It was very nice. It was special from the start," Cournoyer said. "The ceremonial puck drop was my first one too, so it was kind of cool to do it for him. We played our game for him tonight."
 
Casey Jones '90, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Cornell Men's Ice Hockey, noted the unique connection between his goaltender and Dryden.

"It was pretty special that they did the two goaltenders," Jones said. "Alexis is a Quebec guy. It was kind of neat to see that."

Cournoyer, who was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens this past June — the same team Dryden backstopped to six Stanley Cups — said the tribute held special meaning.

"It's more about the person he was," Cournoyer said. "What he did after hockey and what he did for Cornell — he's such a great person. I talked with a lot of people in the Canadiens organization and they all said when you were talking to Ken Dryden, you could feel the aura."



After a sluggish start to the game, Cornell benefited from a late penalty called against Brown. Ryan took a pass from Fegaras at the point, lasering a wrist shot from the top of the left faceoff circle to break the ice with 55 seconds left in the first period, igniting the first of four unanswered goals for the Big Red.

"We've been in a bit of a cold streak, so we thought we'd switch things up," Ryan said of the power play. "I just thought I'd put one on the net, and good things happen from there."

DiGiulian doubled the Big Red's lead, pouncing on a loose rebound after Brown goaltender Tyler Shea could not corral a shot taken by sophomore defenseman Michael Fisher from the left point.

Cornell quickly extended its lead to 4-0 early in the third period as Ryan and junior forward Ryan Walsh tallied goals 55 seconds apart. Ryan deflected a point shot by sophomore defenseman Luke Ashton in the low slot.

"Ash had a really nice shot and I was able to deflect it," Ryan said. "I think the goalie thought it was going low and it went high."

Walsh tallied his goal on a rebound after Shea couldn't hold onto a wide shot taken by freshman defenseman Xavier Veilleux.

Shea finished the night with 21 saves in the setback for the Bears (1-4-0, 1-2-0 ECAC Hockey).

A neutral zone giveaway from Cornell led Nicholas to gain control of the puck, carrying it all the way behind Cornell's goal before beating Cournoyer with a wrist shot from the top of the right faceoff circle. The Big Red netminder was screened by numerous players on the play.

With six of the team's 11 points on the night coming from freshmen, Jones was pleased with the contributions from his young core.

"DiGiulian has a scoring touch and certainly took advantage of his opportunities," Jones said. "It's very important for Caton to get going — he's an offensive player that can get hot. We need to get our depth going in scoring. That's going to be our strength."

POSTGAME COMMENTS FROM CASEY JONES '90, ALEXIS COURNOYER, AND CATON RYAN


GAME NOTES
• Cornell's victory extended its win streak against Brown to seven games, tying the longest streak in program history against the Bears (also accomplished from Jan. 22, 1988 - Dec. 8, 1990, and Nov. 10, 2007 - March 19, 2010). The Big Red have dominated the recent series, going 21-1-3 over the last 25 meetings while outscoring Brown 92-31.

LONGEST WIN STREAKS AGAINST BROWN
Cornell Program History
• 7 games, Jan. 22, 1988 – Dec. 8, 1990
• 7 games, Nov. 10, 2007 – March 19, 2010
• 7 games, Nov. 19, 2022 – Present
• 6 games, Dec. 22 ,1967 – Feb. 7, 1970
• 6 games, March 6, 1971 – Dec. 8, 1973

• The win gave Cornell its 90th all-time victory against Brown (90-44-8), making the Bears the fourth program the Big Red has posted 90-plus wins against, joining Princeton (102), Yale (94), and Colgate (92).

MOST WINS AGAINST ONE OPPONENT
Cornell Program History
• 102, Princeton (102-54-8 - .646)
• 94, Yale (94-63-10 - .593)
• 92, Colgate (92-63-17 - .584)
• 90, Brown (90-44-8 - .662)
• 88, Dartmouth (88-53-9 - .617)

• Cornell's defensive effort marked the 12th consecutive games holding Brown to under three goals, tying for the program's fourth-longest streak against any opponent and matching an active streak with Vermont (12 games). Only its current 19-game streak against St. Lawrence is longer.

LONGEST STREAK OF HOLDING OPPONENT TO UNDER THREE GOALS
Against Active Division I Programs
• 19 games - St. Lawrence (Dec. 4, 2015 – Present)
• 17 games – Yale (Feb. 10, 2001 – Jan. 26, 2008)
• 16 games – RPI (Feb. 19, 2000 - Nov. 26, 2006)
• 12 games – Vermont (Feb. 12, 1999 - Present)
• 12 games – Brown (March 22, 2019 - Present)
• 11 games – Brown (Nov. 14, 1998 – March 21, 2003)
• 11 games – Colgate (Jan. 18, 2002 – March 17, 2006)
• 11 games – Dartmouth (Feb. 11, 1967 – Jan. 29, 1972)

• DiGiulian's game-winning goal made him the first freshman in Cornell history to record two game-winners within the first five games of a season. He also became just the third Cornell freshman to score in four of the team's first five games, joining Gary Cullen (1981-82) and Kent Manderville (1989-90).

• The Big Red improved to 11-0-1 against Brown at Lynah Rink over the last 12 meetings, outscoring the Bears 40-15 during that span.

• Cornell's sixth consecutive home opener victory stands as the second-longest streak in program history, trailing only a 16-season span from 1963 to 1978. The Big Red are now 52-28-8 (.660) in home openers, including a 48-14-6 (.750) mark at Lynah Rink since its debut in 1957.

MOST CONSECUTIVE WINS IN HOME OPENERS
Cornell Program History
• 16 seasons, 1963-78
• 6 seasons, 2019-Present
• 5 seasons, 1995-99
• 4 seasons, 1982-85

NEXT UP
Cornell returns to action Saturday, Nov. 15, when it welcomes Yale (2-2-0, 2-1-0 ECAC Hockey) to Lynah Rink. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.

Saturday will mark the 168th meeting between ECAC Hockey and Ivy League rivals, with Cornell holding a 94-63-10 series edge. The Big Red have been dominant in recent years, going 12-1-4 in the last 17 matchups, which includes Cornell's current 11-game unbeaten streak (9-0-2).

Yale is coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y., on Friday night. Despite entering the third period with a 3-2 lead, the Bulldogs allowed a short-handed goal 5:17 into the final regulation period before conceding the game-winning goal 42 seconds into overtime.