Men's Hockey Set to Conclude Regular Season With Trip to Union, RPI

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

PUCK DROP

With two first-round byes still up for grabs, the Cornell men’s hockey team (12-9-6, 9-7-4 ECAC Hockey) concludes the 2024-25 regular-season slate this weekend with a pivotal road trip, heading to the Capital Region for matchups against Union (18-11-3, 11-7-2 ECAC Hockey) and RPI (12-18-2, 7-13-0 ECAC Hockey).

Puck drops for both contests are slated for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+. 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).

SCENARIO CENTRAL

Cornell is guaranteed at least the No. 7 seed in the ECAC Hockey Championship, which begins next weekend with a quartet of first-round matchups.

The Big Red, guaranteed to host at least one playoff game at Lynah Rink, can achieve as high as the No. 3 seed with two wins this weekend and assistance from other programs.

If Cornell secures a top-four seed in this year’s ECAC Hockey Championship, it will mark the program’s seventh consecutive season earning a bye into the quarterfinal round. Since the 2005-06 season, Cornell has received a bye 14 times, which is three more than the second-highest total of 11 by Quinnipiac, who has already clinched a first-round bye in this year’s tournament for the seventh consecutive season.

BANCROFT EARNS WEEKLY HONOR

Junior forward Dalton Bancroft was named ECAC Hockey’s Forward of the Week, presented by Bluebird Hotels, the conference office announced Monday morning.

Bancroft recorded a career-high four points in the Big Red’s victory over St. Lawrence on Saturday night, with three of those points coming from goals, marking Bancroft’s second career hat trick with the Big Red. His first three-goal game came against then-No. 6-ranked UConn on Nov. 26, 2022, at the Frozen Apple in Madison Square Garden, leading to a 6-0 victory for Cornell. Bancroft’s three goals were the most scored by any ECAC Hockey player during the past week.

The weekly honor marked Bancroft’s second Player of the Week award from ECAC Hockey this season, having also been recognized on Nov. 11.

LOOKING TO EXTEND THE STREAK

With one win this weekend, Cornell will register its eighth consecutive season with at least 10 victories in ECAC Hockey play.

The streak would mark the third-longest duration in program history for achieving 10 or more conference wins, falling short of the 19-year span from 1964-65 to 1982-83 and the most recent streak of 13 consecutive seasons between 1999-00 and 2011-12.

Entering this weekend, under Mike Schafer ‘86, the Big Red have won at least 10 conference contests in 23 of the previous 28 seasons in which Cornell has played a season.

If Cornell sweeps the Capital Region trip, it will mark the Big Red’s eighth consecutive season of winning at least 11 conference games, representing the program’s second-longest streak of achieving 11 or more conference wins in successive seasons, behind a 17-year span from 1964-65 to 1980-81.

KILL, RED, KILL

Cornell’s penalty kill has excelled recently, killing 38 of its opponent’s last 42 power-play opportunities (90.5 percent), ranking as the fourth-best penalty kill in Division I hockey since Jan. 4. The Big Red’s clip only trails Quinnipiac (95.2 percent — 40-of-42), Western Michigan (92.6 percent — 25-of-27), and Holy Cross (91.3 percent — 42-of-46).

Since Jan. 18, Cornell has killed 28 of its opponent’s last 30 power plays (93.3 percent), ranking as the third-best penalty kill nationally and one of seven programs with at least a 90 percent success rate. Four of the seven teams with penalty kill percentages of at least 90 percent are ECAC Hockey programs. Cornell is tied with Quinnipiac for the best percentage among ECAC Hockey programs, with Dartmouth (91.7 percent — 22-of-24) and Clarkson (90.6 percent — 29-of-32) slightly behind the Big Red and Bobcats.

Over the 2025 portion of the season, Cornell’s 88.4 percent penalty kill (38-of-43) ranks sixth nationally and third in ECAC Hockey.

HOCKEY HUMANITARIAN AWARD

After being one of 14 nominees for the 2025 Hockey Humanitarian Award, senior defenseman Hank Kempf was announced as one of five finalists by the Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation on Feb. 12.

Joining Kempf as finalists are Bemidji State’s Kendra Fortin, Boston College’s Keri Clougherty, Merrimack’s Raice Szott, and St. Lawrence’s Sarah Thompson.

Kempf is the fourth consecutive nominee from either Big Red hockey program and the sixth finalist from Cornell for the award, joining former women’s hockey players Erin Schmalz ’99, Alyssa Gagliardi ’14, and Morgan Richardson ’16. Sam Paolini ’03 is the only other men’s player named a finalist, winning the award in 2003.

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 110 career appearances between the pipes for the Big Red, Shane has a 60-30-16 record with a 1.85 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage.

Following his win over St. Lawrence last Saturday, Shane tied Matthew Galajda ‘20 for fourth on the Big Red’s all-time wins chart, becoming one of five Cornell goaltenders to amass 60-plus victories, joining Ken Dryden ‘69 (76), David McKee ‘06 and Ben Scrivens ‘10 (65), and Galajda (60). 

Among active Division I goaltenders, Shane is one of only three players with over 60 wins, joining Western Michigan’s Cameron Rowe (69) and Wisconsin’s Tommy Scarfone (65). Additionally, Shane is one of nine goaltenders with at least 50 victories, alongside Denver’s Matt Davis (55), Boston College’s Jacob Fowler and Boston University’s Mathieu Caron (54), Minnesota’s Liam Souliere (51), and Bemidji State’s Mattias Sholl and Clarkson’s Ethan Langenegger (50).

After making 13 saves in Cornell’s 6-0 win over St. Lawrence last Saturday, Shane earned his 13th career shutout, breaking a tie with Scarfone for the most shutouts by an active Division I goaltender. Shane’s shutout also matched Dryden for the fourth-highest total in program history.

2K SHANE

With his first save against St. Lawrence on Jan. 31, senior goaltender Ian Shane recorded his 2,000th save, becoming Cornell’s 10th goaltender to achieve the milestone, joining Andy Iles ‘14, Ben Scrivens ‘10, Jason Elliott ‘98, Mitch Gillam ‘17, Corrie D’Alessio ‘91, Brian Hayward ‘82, David McKee ‘06, Darren Eliot ‘83, and Matt Underhill ‘02.

Entering this weekend, Shane trails McKee by 51 saves for the seventh-most stops by a Cornell goaltender in program history and is 71 stops away from matching D’Alessio for fifth in program history. Shane’s 2,157 career stops rank 16th among active Division I goaltenders.

Shane is one of nine active goaltenders to have recorded all of their 2,000-plus saves with the same team, joining Bemidji State’s Mattias Sholl (2,617), Colorado College’s Kaidan Mbereko (2,387), Bowling Green’s Christian Stoever (2,297), Omaha’s Simon Latkoczy (2,260), Air Force’s Guy Blessing (2,160), RPI’s Jack Watson (2,125), St. Thomas’ Aaron Trotter (2,059), and Providence’s Philip Svedebäck (2,027).

JOINING RAREFIED COMPANY

With his appearance against Quinnipiac on Jan. 18, 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).

Shane is one of seven active Division I goaltenders to have appeared in 100 career games, joining Western Michigan’s Cameron Rowe (120), Wisconsin’s Tommy Scarfone (113), Boston University’s Mathieu Caron (110), Clarkson’s Ethan Langenegger (109), Bemidji State’s Mattias Sholl (107), and Minnesota’s Liam Souliere (101).

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

MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF

Senior goaltender Ian Shane boasts a 1.85 career goals-against average, the 15th-best figure in Division I hockey history. Shane is among 39 goalies who have played at least 1,500 minutes between the pipes and registered a sub-2.00 goals-against average.

Cornell has four of the top 10 career goals-against averages in NCAA history, one of two programs (Michigan State) with multiple representatives inside the top 10.

Shane and Ben Scrivens ‘10 (1.93) give Cornell six of the 38 sub-2.00 career goals-against averages in NCAA history — the highest number for any Division I program. Other Division I programs to have multiple sub-2.00 goals-against averages include Quinnipiac (four), Maine (three), Denver, Miami, Michigan State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State, and Notre Dame (two each).

Among active Division I goaltenders with at least 1,500 minutes, Shane is one of four netminders with a career goals-against average below 2.00, joining Boija (1.75), Boston College’s Jacob Fowler (1.97), and Minnesota State’s Alex Tracy (1.97).

Shane’s .9163 save percentage enters this weekend ranked as the 11th-highest figure for an active Division I goaltender with at least 1,500 minutes played. He leads all eligible ECAC Hockey netminders, ahead of Brown’s Lawton Zacher (.9162) by one ten-thousandths of a point.

JONNY-ON-THE-DOT

Since the calendar year flipped to 2025, sophomore forward Jonathan Castagna has been one of Cornell’s go-to players for taking faceoffs.

Castagna has won 126 of the 201 draws he’s taken in the new year, leading to a 62.7 percent success rate that ranks as the fourth-best faceoff win percentage among Division I players with at least 125 faceoff wins during the timeframe, trailing Western Michigan’s Tim Washe (70.1 percent — 169-of-241), Long Island’s Josh Zary (64.9 percent — 131-of-202) and Colorado College’s Klavs Veinbergs (63.7 percent — 158-of-248).

Castagna has won a team-leading 58.4 percent of the faceoffs (209-of-358) this season, ranking 13th nationally and second among ECAC Hockey players with at least 200 faceoff wins, only trailing Clarkson’s Ellis Rickwood (59.4 percent — 357-of-601).

LUCK OF THE DRAW

The success that sophomore forwards Ryan Walsh (325 faceoff wins, 57.6 percent) and Jonathan Castagna (209 faceoff wins, 58.4 percent) have had at the faceoff dot this season has led Cornell to be one of four Division I programs with multiple players to have won at least 200-plus faceoff wins and have at least a 57 percent success rate on their draws taken, joined by Maine, Penn State, and Wisconsin.

Walsh’s team-leading total of 325 faceoff wins ranks as the 20th-highest in Division I hockey and is third among ECAC Hockey players, trailing only Brown’s Max Scott (392) and Clarkson’s Ellis Rickwood (357).

Averaging 12.04 faceoff wins per game this season, Walsh is one of seven Division I hockey players to average at least 12-plus faceoff wins per game, joined by Scott (14.52), Air Force’s Clayton Cosentino (13.28), Niagara’s Tyler Wallace (13.06), Notre Dame’s Danny Nelson (12.93), Denver’s Carter King (12.28), and Bentley’s Ethan Leyh (12.19).

After winning at least 13 faceoffs in both games last weekend, Walsh increased his season total to 18 games with a double-digit faceoff win total. Walsh has also won at least 13 draws on 14 occasions, standing alone as the seventh-most games with 13-plus faceoff wins this season.

FINDING HIS SCORING TOUCH

After his four-point game against St. Lawrence last Saturday, junior forward Dalton Bancroft (13-7—20) has recorded at least 20 points in each of his first three seasons with the Big Red, becoming the 49th player in program history to reach the milestone and only the 10th player to achieve it under Mike Schafer ‘86.

Bancroft became the first Big Red player to begin his career at Cornell with three consecutive 20-point seasons since Anthony Angello (2015-18). The others to accomplish the feat under Schafer include Kyle Knopp (1995-98), Ryan Moynihan (1996-99), Ryan Vesce (2000-03), Matt Moulson (2002-05), Topher Scott (2004-07), Riley Nash (2007-10), Brian Ferlin (2011-14), and Joel Lowry (2011-14).

Powered by his 34 goals, Bancroft is tied with Moynihan (1996-99) and Morgan Barron (2017-20) for the sixth-most goals scored by a player in his first three seasons with the Big Red during Schafer’s 30-year tenure as head coach.

Bancroft’s 0.362 goals-per-game average ranks as the fifth-highest clip by a player under Schafer within their first three seasons, trailing Matt Moulson (0.54 — 53 goals in 99 games), Colin Greening (0.369 — 38 goals in 103 games), Ben Berard (0.368 — 32 goals in 87 games), and Riley Nash (0.363 — 37 goals in 102 games).

Going along with his 34 goals, Bancroft’s 72 points (34-38—72) are tied with Ferlin for the 10th-most points by a player within their first three seasons with the Big Red. Bancroft is two points shy of tying Stephen Bâby (21-53—74 from 1999-02) for the ninth-most points in a player’s first three seasons with the Big Red.

WHAT CAN BLUE(LINERS) DO FOR YOU?

Of the Big Red’s 218 points recorded this season, 64 (10 goals, 54 assists) have come from defensemen (29.36 percent of scoring production), ranking as the eighth-highest percentage of points from defensemen entering this weekend.

Ahead of the Big Red for the highest percentage of points from defensemen include Merrimack (32.0 percent — 63 of 197), Robert Morris (31.7 percent — 79 of 249), Colgate (31.1 percent — 88 of 283), Air Force (31.0 percent — 65 of 210), Minnesota Duluth (30.8 percent — 69 of 224), Colorado College (30.7 percent — 79 of 257), and Notre Dame (29.37 percent — 74 of 252).

The 54 assists by Cornell blueliners, representing 39.4 percent of the overall assist total, rank as the nation’s third-highest average among Division I hockey programs this season, trailing Merrimack at 42.6 percent (52 of 122) and Robert Morris at 39.5 percent (62 of 157).

ON THE PLUS SIDE…

As they enter this weekend’s contests, senior forward Ondrej Psenicka and senior defenseman Tim Rego both boast career plus-minus ratings of plus-52, making Cornell one of four Division I programs (Minnesota — three; Denver and Boston College — two) with multiple players achieving a career plus-minus rating of at least plus-50.

Psenicka and Rego are also tied with Minnesota’s Mike Koster and Western Michigan’s Brian Kramer for the ninth-highest career plus-minus rating.

Senior forward Kyle Penney’s plus-48 rating allows Cornell to be one of only three Division I teams, alongside Boston College and Minnesota, that feature at least three players with a plus-48 rating.

With the ratings of Psenicka, Rego, and Penney, senior forward Jack O’Leary’s plus-41 rating ranks Cornell among four Division I programs (Minnesota — five; Boston College and Denver — four) that have four players with career plus-minus ratings of plus-40.

Psenicka and Rego’s plus-52 ratings are tied with Greg Miller ’13 for the highest career plus-minus rating in program history, which dates back to the 2002-03 season when plus-minus ratings were first fully tracked for an entire season. Along with this trio, Travis Mitchell ‘23 (plus-51) is the only other Big Red player to achieve at least a career plus-50 rating.

SHARING 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 25 games this season, Cornell has succeeded in maintaining the scoring levels achieved from last year, with 20 of the 24 skaters who have appeared in at least one game having at least two points (83.3 percent). Along with senior goaltender Ian Shane’s assist at Harvard on Nov. 21, 21 of the 26 players who have played this year have had at least one point (80.8 percent).

The sophomore and senior classes are tied for the team lead in goals (28), while the seniors have a slight edge in assists (54) and points (82).

Among Division I programs, Cornell’s 39.4 percent of points from sophomores is the ninth-highest average, trailing Robert Morris (52.8 percent), Army (48.8 percent), Notre Dame (44.7 percent), RIT (43.2 percent), Boston College (41.3 percent), Penn State (40.1 percent), Denver (40.0 percent), and Luke Superior State (39.6 percent).

ALL HE DOES IS WIN, WIN, WIN

Mike Schafer ‘86, the Jay R. Bloom ‘77 Head Coach of Cornell Men’s Hockey, is one of four active Division I men’s hockey head coaches with 550 career victories, joined by Quinnipiac’s Rand Pecknold (663), Mercyhurst’s Rick Gotkin (611), and Notre Dame’s Jeff Jackson (599).

Schafer is also one of six Division I head coaches with 500 career wins, accompanied by Air Force’s Frank Serratore (518) and Ferris State’s Bob Daniels (508), who, like Schafer, is also retiring following the season.

Schafer’s 554 wins rank as the 18th-most victories by a Division I head coach in college hockey history and is one win away from matching Michigan Tech’s John MacInnes (555 wins — 1956-82).

With his victory on Jan. 24 over Harvard, Schafer became the 10th Division I men’s hockey head coach to win at least 550 games with a single program, joining Jack Parker (Boston University), Red Berenson (Michigan), Bob Peters (Bemidji State), Pecknold, Jerry York (Boston College), Ron Mason (Michigan State), Gotkin, Richard Umile (New Hampshire), and MacInnes.

SCOUTING UNION

Union enters the final weekend of regular season play with an 18-11-3 overall record and an 11-7-2 mark in ECAC Hockey play. The Garnet Chargers are tied with Colgate for third place in the conference standings with 37 points.

The Garnet Chargers are one of seven Division I programs to have at least five players with at least 26 points entering this weekend, joining Arizona State and Denver (six) and Boston College, Minnesota, Quinnipiac, and UMass (five apiece).

Brandon Buhr (18-9—27) leads Union with 18 goals, tied for 12th in Division I hockey. Buhr and Ben Muthersbaugh (12-15—27) are one point away from matching Nate Hanley (10-18—28) for the team lead in points. Colby MacArthur (6-20—26) and Caden Villegas (6-20—26) are tied for the team lead in assists.

Kyle Chauvette (17-10-3, 2.69, .899) has started 31 of Union’s 32 games in goal this season.

97 YEARS, 155 MILES, 83 MEETINGS

Cornell has a 49-24-10 edge over Union as the Big Red is unbeaten in nine of its last 11 against the Garnet Chargers (8-2-1). Over the previous 11 games, Cornell has outscored Union by 30 goals, 50-20.

The Big Red aims to avoid losing a third consecutive game to Union on Friday night. If the Garnet Chargers secure a victory, it will mark their first three-game win streak over Cornell since winning three straight meetings between Nov. 9, 2013, and March 21, 2014. Union has not swept the first regular-season series against Cornell since the 2013-14 season.

At Messa Rink, Cornell is unbeaten in its last five trips to Schenectady (4-0-1) while outscoring Union 24-7, which includes a 12-2 clip over the previous two meetings.

CORNELL - UNION CONNECTIONS

Union head coach Josh Hauge spent seven seasons at Clarkson under Cornell associate head coach Casey Jones ‘90, serving as an assistant coach from 2015-19 and associate head coach from 2019-22 ... Cornell director of hockey operations and assistant coach Corey Leivermann coached John Prokop (2018-19 Janesville Jets) and Nick DeSantis and D.J. Hart (2021-22 Madison Capitols) ... Hart also played with DeSantis on the 2018-19 Sioux Falls Stampede and was teammates with Jimmy Rayhill on the 2020-21 Odessa Jackalopes ... Hart and Lucas Massie spent the 2022-23 season on the Fargo Force with Marian Mosko ... Prokop was also teammates with Hank Kempf (2019-20 Muskegon Lumberjacks) as well as Remington Keopple (2020-22) and Luke Devlin (2021-22) on the Des Moines Buccaneeers ... Josh Phillips played on the Sioux Falls Stampede with DeSantis (2019-20) and Sean Donaldson (2020-21) ... Connor Smith was teammates with Jake Kraft and Ryan Walsh on the 2022-23 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders ... Parker Lindauer and Caden Villegas spent the 2020-21 season together on the Tri-City Storm with Kyler Kovich ... Jacob Jeannette played on the Waterloo Black Hawks with Ondrej Psenicka (2019-20) and Ben Robertson (2021-22) ... Nate Hanley spent time on the same teams as Jack O’Leary (2018-20) and Michael Suda (2019-20) on the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and with Tyler Catalano and Winter Wallace on the 2020-21 Youngstown Phantoms ... Kyle Chauvette played on the Phantoms for two seasons (2020-22) with Catalano and Wallace.

BUHR'S HAT TRICK LIFTS UNION PAST MEN'S HOCKEY

BOX SCORE I RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS

ITHACA, N.Y. (FEB. 8, 2025) — Union junior forward Brandon Buhr scored two third-period goals to punctuate his second hat trick of the season and spark the visiting Garnet Chargers (16-9-3, 9-5-2 ECAC Hockey) to a 4-1 victory over Cornell (9-8-6, 6-6-4 ECAC Hockey) before 3,893 at Lynah Rink in ECAC Hockey action on Saturday night.

Buhr became the first visiting player to score three goals in a game at Lynah Rink since St. Lawrence's John Poapst recorded a natural hat trick in a 3-1 victory over the Big Red on March 5, 1999. It was the first overall hat trick allowed by Cornell since Nov. 5, 2016, when Harvard's Lewis Zetter-Gossage had a hat trick at the Bright-Landry Hockey Center in Cambridge, Mass.

Joining Buhr in scoring for Union was Josh Nixon, who tallied a second-period power-play goal. Junior goaltender Kyle Chauvette made 30 saves between the pipes for the Garnet Chargers, logging his seventh 30-save performance on the year.

Senior forward Kyler Kovich potted the lone goal for the Big Red as fellow seniors Ondrej Psenicka and Tim Rego registered the assists. Senior goaltender Ian Shane stopped 20 Garnet Charger shots in the setback.

"I didn't like the way we started the game," said associate head coach Casey Jones '90, who assumed Cornell's head coaching duties for the weekend as Mike Schafer '86 attended his son's wedding. "I didn't think we had the same pop that started the game yesterday. We had tremendous momentum at certain points in the game. We just needed one to go in for us."

Union wasted no time taking the lead as Buhr opened the scoring 1:49 into the contest, pouncing at a loose rebound in the mid-slot after freshman Ben Muthersbaugh's shot from the far half-wall was saved by Shane.

Both teams had a chance on the power play in the opening 20 minutes but could not convert. Union had three shots on goal during its first power play, which included six shot attempts. Cornell had a pair of shots on goal during its man advantage.

The Garnet Chargers extended their lead 4:53 into the second period, 48 seconds into their second power play of the game. Nixon scored with a snapshot from the left side of the right faceoff circle, beating Shane to his short side.

Union's two-goal lead was short-lived when Kovich responded with his third goal of the season just 38 seconds later. He took advantage of a rebound after redirecting shot taken by Psenicka from the middle of the point, which hit the crossbar. Rego also earned his 11th assist of the season.

Cornell maintained possession of the puck in its offensive zone for several minutes during the second period as it hoped to tie the game but was ultimately held off the scoreboard.

"I thought we had a ton of momentum," Jones said of the Big Red's play in the second period. "We had unbelievable opportunities to mount that attack. When you have guys healthy, it's emblematic of the hockey you want to play, shift after shift after shift, sustaining momentum. I thought we had a lot of times they had that in the third period, too."

Buhr regained the Garnet Chargers' two-goal lead 2:13 into the third period, one-timing a backhanded pass by Nate Hanley past Shane following a breakout from Union's defensive zone.

Cornell nearly cut Union's lead in half for a second time on the night 20 seconds into its third power play. Sophomore defenseman Ben Robertson sent a centering pass from the near half-wall to sophomore forward Ryan Walsh, who was at the right side of the crease. However, Chauvette made an impressive sprawling cross-crease glove save, denying Walsh a power-play goal.

With 1:50 remaining in the contest, Buhr potted his third goal of the night into an empty Cornell goal to solidify Union's victory.

SCOUTING RPI

RPI enters this weekend with an overall record of 12-18-2 and a 7-13-0 mark in ECAC Hockey play. The Engineers are still fighting for the right to host a first-round matchup and can finish anywhere between the No. 8 and 12 seeds.

Will Gilson (8-16—24) and Tyler Hotson (6-16—22) are tied for the team lead in assists while also serving as the lone two RPI players with 20-plus points on the season. Jakob Lee (12-7—19) has scored a team-high 12 goals, four more than Gilson, Jagger Tapper (8-11—19), Dovar Tinling (8-10—18), and Jake Gagnon (8-7—15).

Goaltending duties have favored Noah Giesbrecht (11-16-0, 3.33, .900) as Jack Watson (1-2-2, 3.90, .898) has started in five of his six appearances.

117 YEARS, 170 MILES, 121 MEETINGS

Cornell enters Saturday’s matchup against RPI with a record of 71-39-11 versus the Engineers, having won eight of the last nine contests. During this stretch, Cornell averages 4.44 goals per game and maintains an average victory margin of 2.22. All eight of Cornell’s victories have come by a margin of at least two goals.

The Big Red has won its last five games against RPI, tying for the third-longest win streak against the Engineers in program history. A victory on Saturday would mark Cornell’s longest win streak against RPI since stringing seven consecutive wins from Nov. 10, 2001, to March 15, 2003.

At Houston Field House, Cornell is unbeaten in six of the last seven trips to Troy (5-1-1).

With a point Saturday, senior defenseman Tim Rego (2-6—8) would tie Jason Dailey ‘98 (2-7—9) for the most points recorded by a Big Red blueliner against RPI in program history.

CORNELL - RPI CONNECTIONS

Kyle Penney and Jack Agnew played on the 2019-20 Chilliwack Chiefs ... Kyler Kovich and Max Smolinski were teammates on the 2020-21 Tri-City Storm ... Ian Shane and Will Gilson spent three years together at Connecticut-based Westminster Prep ... Jordan Tonelli and Jack Brackett played on the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders with Jack O’Leary during the 2018-19 season ... Tonelli and Brackett also played with O’Leary and Michael Suda on the 2019-20 RoughRiders ... Suda and Nick Strom played on the 2020-21 Fargo Force ... Sean Donaldson and Gustavs Ozolins spent the 2021-22 season on the Sioux Falls Stampede ... Jérémie Payant played on the 2021-22 Nanaimo Clippers with Donaldson and Jack O’Brien ... Luke Devlin and Félix Caron played on the 2022-23 West Kelowna Warriors ... Tim Rego and Jakob Lee were both on the 2019-20 Brooks Bandits ... Sutter Muzzatti and Noah Giesbrecht played on the 2019-20 Muskegon Lumberjacks with Hank Kempf ... Dovar Tinling was teammates with Devlin and Remington Keopple on the 2021-22 Des Moines Buccaneers ... Tyler Hotson played at St. Andrew’s College with Devlin (2020-22) and Jonathan Castagna (2021-22) ... Hotson also spent the 2022-23 season with George Fegaras on the Muskegon Lumberjacks ... Brody Maguire and Jagger Tapper spent the past three seasons on the Okotoks Oilers (2021-24) with Nicholas Wolfenberg ... Lucas Matta and Mathieu Bourgault played on the Silver Arm Silverbacks during the 2020-21 campaign with Sullivan Mack.

DESANTIS, REGO POST MULTI-POINT NIGHTS AS MEN'S HOCKEY DEFEATS RPI

BOX SCORE I RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS | POSTGAME INTERVIEWS | GALLERY

ITHACA, N.Y. (FEB. 7, 2025) — Sophomore forward Nick DeSantis and senior defenseman Tim Rego each had multi-point nights to lead the Cornell men's hockey team (9-7-6, 6-5-4 ECAC Hockey) to its 4-2 victory over RPI (10-15-2, 5-10-0 ECAC Hockey) before 3,981 at Lynah Rink on Friday night.
 
DeSantis had a goal and an assist for his second multi-point game in his last four games. Rego assisted DeSantis' goal and aided senior forward Jack O'Leary in scoring his third-period tally, which proved to be the game-winning marker. Fellow senior forward Kyle Penney also found the back of the net for the Big Red, potting his first marker since having a two-goal outing at Dartmouth on Nov. 15.
 
Senior goaltender Ian Shane made 16 saves between the pipes for Cornell, who improved to 7-2-1 at Lynah Rink this season.
 
RPI's Dovar Tinling factored in both goals scored by the Engineers, assisting Will Gilson on his early third-period marker before netting an extra-attacker goal with three minutes left. Graduate student transfer Noah Giesbrecht made 26 saves in the setback for the Engineers.
 
"I thought we showed a little bit of nerves at the end trying to close that one out, but for the most part, we liked our team," said associate head coach Casey Jones '90, as he is assuming Cornell's head coaching duties this weekend as Mike Schafer '86 attends his son's wedding. "When you battle, get good goaltending, and score four goals, that's usually going to be a good night."
 
Cornell struck first with a power-play goal that grazed DeSantis' skate before ricocheting off an RPI defender's skate at the edge of the crease. Rego set up the marker by sending the puck toward the net from the right point. Sophomore defenseman George Fegaras earned the secondary assist as the Big Red snapped its 0-for-16 stretch on the power play.

Penney doubled the Big Red's lead at the 16:26 mark of the second period, lasering a wrist shot from the top of the right faceoff circle that beat Giesbrecht to his high-glove side.

Three-plus minutes into the third period, RPI cut Cornell's lead in half as Gilson tallied a goal while playing at 4-on-4 after a pair of coincidental roughing penalties.
 
Nearly 10 minutes later, Cornell regained its two-goal lead as O'Leary snapped his 10-game goalless streak, benefiting from a nifty backdoor pass by DeSantis while completing a spin move at the left elbow of the goal crease.

RPI wouldn't go down quietly as Tinling scored seven seconds after pulling its goaltender to make it a 3-2 contest with exactly three minutes left.
 
A takeaway by Psenicka in the neutral zone led to him scoring his sixth goal of the season and extend his career-long point streak to five games as he beat Giesbrecht to his high-glove side with 1:46 remaining in regulation.

Cornell was assessed a bench penalty for too many men on the ice, setting up RPI for a 6-on-4 power play. The Big Red stood tall, blocking five Engineers shots in 20 seconds while RPI had a two-man advantage. Senior defenseman Michael Suda blocked two of the shots in the fury, including a game-saving stop in the crease with 35 seconds left to prevent Tinling of his second goal.

"That's Cornell hockey," Penney said of the Big Red's five blocked shots in 20 seconds. "Everybody's putting their body on the line to get wins, especially coming down the stretch of the season. Guys will do whatever it takes. That's what makes it so fun playing with this team."

BANCROFT'S HAT TRICK, SHANE'S SHUTOUT HIGHLIGHT SCHAFER'S FINAL REGULAR-SEASON HOME GAME

BOX SCORE | RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS | POSTGAME INTERVIEWS | SCHAFER TRIBUTE VIDEO | GALLERY

ITHACA, N.Y. (FEB. 22, 2025) — Junior forward Dalton Bancroft tallied his second career hat trick, while senior goaltender Ian Shane recorded a 13-save shutout, leading the Cornell men's hockey team (12-9-6, 9-7-4 ECAC Hockey) to a commanding 6-0 victory over St. Lawrence (9-21-2, 5-13-2 ECAC Hockey) in front of a sold-out crowd at Lynah Rink on Senior Night during Mike Schafer '86's last regular-season home game on Saturday evening.
 
Bancroft's career-high four-point night showcased five Big Red players who achieved multi-point performances. Senior forwards Jack O'Leary and Sullivan Mack each recorded a goal and an assist, while freshman forward Charlie Major and sophomore defenseman Ben Robertson both notched two assists. Senior defenseman Hank Kempf also scored in the victory.
 
Shane's shutout marked his 13th career blanking, tying him with Cornell Athletics and Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Ken Dryden '69 for the fourth-most shutouts by a Cornell goaltender in program history.
 
St. Lawrence's Mason Kucenski made 25 saves in the setback for the Saints.
 
Cornell is assured of hosting at least a first-round playoff game following Saturday night's victory and can finish no lower than the No. 7 seed for next month's ECAC Hockey Championship.
 
Scoring two goals in all three periods, the Big Red began strong by netting two goals in just 29 seconds, quickly establishing a 2-0 lead over the Saints in the first period and prompting St. Lawrence to call a timeout.
 
O'Leary opened the scoring at the 13:12 mark, backhanding a shot past Kucenski after he picked up a loose puck when Major was knocked off it by a St. Lawrence defender underneath the goal line.

Almost 30 seconds later, Cornell's lead was doubled by Bancroft's first goal of the night, firing a shot over Kucenski's glove from the right hash mark of the left faceoff circle. Robertson set up the goal with a pass to Mack along the near-side boards.

Continuing its trend of scoring goals rapidly, Cornell doubled its lead in the second period with goals from Mack and Bancroft that came just 93 seconds apart.
 
Mack scored his fourth goal of the season by diving for a loose rebound after a Kucenski save on a Bancroft slap shot from the top of the right faceoff circle.

The Big Red's lead grew to four when Bancroft scored his second goal of the night while Cornell was on a power play. Rego assisted Bancroft with a one-timer from the right point to the top of the left faceoff circle. Bancroft's shot struck Kucenski's pad and trickled into the net.

With less than three minutes left, Kempf scored the Big Red's fifth goal of the night with a shot from the left point that slipped between Kucenski's legs, marking the senior blueliner's first career goal at Lynah Rink.

While both teams skated with four players after coinciding penalties, Bancroft won an offensive zone faceoff and used a nifty deke to skate past a St. Lawrence defender and snap his shot from the top of the left faceoff circle to score his third goal of the night. Sophomore defenseman Hoyt Stanley and senior defenseman Jimmy Rayhill assisted on the goal, with Rayhill achieving his first career point with the secondary assist.

After the game, Cornell's 10-player senior class was honored during the program's traditional postgame ceremony. Following the Senior Night festivities, Schafer and his family received gifts from various Cornell administrators. Among the gifts presented was an Adirondack chair adorned with Cornell logos, presented to Schafer by ECAC Hockey Commissioner Doug Christiansen. Additionally, a tribute video was played for those in attendance, which can be found below.

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 the regular-season portion of the 2024-25 season next weekend when it heads to the Capital Region to square off against Union and RPI.

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).

The Big Red defeated RPI, 4-2, back on Feb. 7, powered by multi-point nights by junior forward Nick DeSantis and senior defenseman Tim Rego. Cornell ended up suffering a 4-1 setback the following night, as Union's Brandon Buhr registered the first hat trick by an opposing player at Lynah Rink since St. Lawrence's John Poapst on March 5, 1999.