Men's Hockey Entertains Yale for ECAC Hockey Opening Round Matchup on Saturday

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

PUCK DROP

For an 11th consecutive season, the No. 6-seeded Cornell men’s hockey team (13-10-6, 10-8-4 ECAC Hockey) will host a playoff hockey contest at Lynah Rink as it welcomes No. 11-seeded Yale (6-20-3, 5-14-3 ECAC Hockey) for an Opening Round single-elimination contest this evening.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Grady Whittenburg providing 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).

ECAC HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP

Assuming the No. 6 seed in this year’s ECAC Hockey Championship, it is the first time in the 55 ECAC Hockey Championships that Cornell has participated in that it has been the No. 6 seed.

After having a bye each of the last seven tournaments, it is Cornell’s first time not being a top-four seed since 2016, when it was the No. 8 seed. It is just the fifth time since 2005-06 that the Big Red has had to play on the first weekend of the tournament.

STREAK EXTENDED

With its win over RPI last weekend, Cornell registered its eighth consecutive season with at least 10 victories in ECAC Hockey play.

The streak is 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.

Under Mike Schafer ‘86, the Big Red has won at least 10 conference contests in 24 of the 29 seasons in which Cornell has played a season (82.8 percent).

'TENDY POINT!

Junior goaltender Remington Keopple became the second Cornell goaltender this season to register a point, assisting on freshman forward Charlie Major’s third-period goal in the Big Red’s 6-0 shutout of RPI in its regular-season finale last Saturday.

Keopple became the sixth Cornell goaltender in program history to record a point in a shutout and the first since Matthew Galajda on March 22, 2019, against Brown in the semifinals of the 2019 ECAC Hockey Championship in Lake Placid, N.Y. The others to achieve the feat include Errol McKibbon (Nov. 30, 1963, at Penn), Ken Dryden (Nov. 23, 1968, vs. Guelph), Jim Crozier (Nov. 9, 1990, vs. Army) and Ben Scrivens (March 9, 2008, vs. Dartmouth). Keopple and McKibbon are the only two players who had an assist in a shutout in a true road game.

After senior goaltender Ian Shane had an assist against Harvard on Nov. 16, Keopple and Shane are the fifth pair of Cornell goaltenders to have points in the same season, and the first since David LeNeveu and Matt Underhill in 2001-02. The other instances came during the 1980-81, 1990-91, and 1999-00 campaigns.

Shane and Keopple are the ninth pair of Division I goaltenders this season with a point, joining tandems from AIC (Chase Clark & Adam Manji), Army (JJ Cataldo & Jacob Biron), Boston University (Mathieu Caron & Mikhail Yegorov), LIU (Ty Outen & Noah Rupprecht), Minnesota (Nathan Airey & Liam Souliere), Northeastern (Quentin Sigurdson & Cameron Whitehead), RPI (Noah Giesbrecht & Jack Watson), and Western Michigan (Cameron Rowe & Hampton Slukynsky).

FINDING HIS SCORING TOUCH

Riding a season-high three-game point streak into tonight’s game, junior forward Dalton Bancroft (14-9—22) 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 the 10th player to achieve it under Mike Schafer ‘86.

Bancroft is 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 35 goals, Bancroft has 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. Should Bancroft score a goal tonight, he would tie Angello and Vesce for the fourth-most goals within his first three seasons with the Big Red.

Along with his 40 assists, Bancroft is one of five players to accumulate at least 35 goals and assists across his first three seasons with Cornell, joining Vesce (36-66—102), Nash (37-64—101), Moulson (53-47—100), and Colin Greening (38-42—80).

KILL, RED, KILL

Cornell’s penalty kill has excelled recently, killing 44 of its opponent’s last 49 power-play opportunities (89.8 percent), ranking as the third-best penalty kill in Division I hockey since Jan. 4. The Big Red’s clip only trails Quinnipiac (93.8 percent — 45-of-48) and Holy Cross (91.3 percent — 42-of-46).

Since Jan. 18, Cornell has been successful on 34 of its last 37 penalty kills (91.9 percent), also ranking third during the span, trailing Holy Cross (94.3 percent — 33-of-35) and Dartmouth (92.9 percent — 26-of-28). The Big Red is one of four programs with a 90 percent success rate, joined by Quinnipiac (91.7 percent — 33-of-36).

Over the 2025 portion of the season, Cornell’s 88.0 percent penalty kill (44-of-50) ranks fifth nationally and third among ECAC Hockey. Ahead of the Big Red is Quinnipiac (94.1 percent — 48-of-51), Holy Cross (92.2 percent — 47-of-51), Dartmouth (89.2 percent — 33-of-37), and Western Michigan (88.9 percent — 32-of-36).

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. Since introducing the award in 1997, Kempf’s nomination marked the 10th time a Big Red player has been nominated for the award and is the lone Big Red student-athlete to be nominated multiple times.

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 111 career appearances between the pipes for the Big Red, Shane has a 60-31-16 record with a 1.88 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage.

Following his win over St. Lawrence on Feb. 22, 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 10 goaltenders with at least 50 victories, alongside Denver’s Matt Davis (56), Boston College’s Jacob Fowler (55), Boston University’s Mathieu Caron (54), Minnesota’s Liam Souliere (52), Clarkson’s Ethan Langenegger (51), Bemidji State’s Mattias Sholl (50), and North Dakota’s TJ Semptimphelter (50).

After making 13 saves in Cornell’s 6-0 win over St. Lawrence on Feb. 22, 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 49 saves for the seventh-most stops by a Cornell goaltender in program history and is 69 stops away from matching D’Alessio for fifth in program history. Shane’s 2,159 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 (2,667), Colorado College’s Kaidan Mbereko (2,387), Bowling Green’s Christian Stoever (2,339), Omaha’s Simon Latkoczy (2,295), Air Force’s Guy Blessing (2,194), RPI’s Jack Watson (2,134), St. Thomas’ Aaron Trotter (2,059), and Providence’s Philip Svedebäck (2,056).

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, Ben Scrivens ‘10, and David McKee.

Shane’s 111 career appearances currently ranks third in Cornell program history, only trailing Iles (118 from 2010-14) and Scrivens (117 from 2006-10).

Entering this weekend, Shane is one of seven active Division I goaltenders that have appeared in at least 100 career games. He joins the likes of Western Michigan graduate student Cameron Rowe (123), Wisconsin graduate student Tommy Scarfone (119), Clarkson graduate student Ethan Langenegger (115), Bemidji State senior Mattias Sholl (113), Boston University senior Mathieu Caron (111), and Minnesota graduate student Liam Souliere (107).

Of the seven goaltenders with at least 100 career appearances, Shane and Sholl are the lone two players that have registered all of their games with the same program.

MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF

Senior goaltender Ian Shane boasts a 1.88 career goals-against average, the 16th-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 39 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 (1.79), Boston College’s Jacob Fowler (1.94), and Minnesota State’s Alex Tracy (1.96).

Shane’s .9152 save percentage enters this weekend ranked as the 14th-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 (.9143) by one-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 140 of the 229 draws he’s taken in the new year, leading to a 61.1 percent success rate that ranks as the sixth-best faceoff win percentage among Division I players with at least 125 faceoff wins during the timeframe, trailing Western Michigan’s Tim Washe (68.7 percent — 193-of-281), Colorado College’s Klavs Veinbergs (63.7 percent — 158-of-248), Long Island’s Josh Zary (63.0 percent — 148-of-235), Wisconsin’s Gavin Morrsiey (62.5 percent — 187-of-299), and Long Island’s Anthony Lucarelli (62.0 percent — 127-of-205).

Castagna has won a team-leading 57.8 percent of the faceoffs (223-of-386) this season, ranking 17th nationally and second among ECAC Hockey players with at least 200 faceoff wins, only trailing Clarkson’s Ellis Rickwood (59.2 percent — 380-of-642).

LUCK OF THE DRAW

The success sophomore forwards Ryan Walsh (340 faceoff wins, 56.0 percent) and Jonathan Castagna (223 faceoff wins, 57.8 percent) have had on faceoffs has enabled Cornell to be one of nine Division I programs this season with multiple players having at least a 56 percent success rate on 200-plus faceoff wins, joined by Bentley, Colorado College, Denver, Long Island, Maine, Penn State, RIT, and Wisconsin.

Walsh’s team-leading total of 340 faceoff wins is tied with Holy Cross’ Jack Stockfish for the 17th-highest in Division I hockey and is fourth among ECAC Hockey players, trailing only Brown’s Max Scott (436), Clarkson’s Ellis Rickwood (380), and RPI’s Jakob Lee (341).

Averaging 11.72 faceoff wins per game this season, Walsh is one of 10 Division I hockey players to average at least 11.50 faceoff wins per game.

Entering this weekend, Walsh has had a double-digit faceoff win total in 18 games this season and has won at least 13 draws on 14 occasions, standing alone as the eighth-most games with 13-plus faceoff wins this season trailing Air Force’s Clayton Cosentino (23), Brown’s Max Scott (21), Niagara’s Tyler Wallace (20), Notre Dame’s Danny Nelson (18), Bemidji State’s Jackson Jutting (16), and Bentley’s Ethan Leyh and Denver’s Carter King (15).

ON THE PLUS SIDE…

As they enter this weekend’s contests, senior forward Ondrej Psenicka (plus-55) and senior defenseman Tim Rego (plus-51) both boast career plus-minus ratings of at least plus-50, making Cornell one of four Division I programs (Boston College and Minnesota — three; Denver — two) with multiple players achieving a career plus-minus rating of at least plus-50.

Psenicka has the eighth-best plus-minus rating while Rego is tied with Minnesota defenseman Mike Koster for the 10th-highest career plus-minus rating.

Senior forward Kyle Penney’s plus-46 rating allows Cornell to be one of only four Division I teams, alongside Boston College, Denver, and Minnesota (four apiece), that feature at least three players with a plus-45 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 — six; Boston College and Denver — four) that have four players with career plus-minus ratings of plus-40.

Psenicka’s plus-55 rating ranks as the highest career plus-minus rating in program history, while Rego’s plus-52 rating is tied with Greg Miller ’13 for second, dating back to 2002-03, when plus-minus was first tracked for an entire season. Along with the trio, Travis Mitchell ‘23 (plus-51) is the only other Big Red player to have a career rating of at least plus-50.

WHAT CAN BLUE(LINERS) DO FOR YOU?

Of the Big Red’s 239 points recorded on the season, 71 (12 goals, 59 assists) have come from its defense corps (29.71 percent of scoring production), ranking as the ninth-highest percentage of points from blueliners entering this weekend.

Ahead of the Big Red for the highest percentage of points from defensemen includes Colgate (31.8 percent — 98 of 308), Robert Morris (31.8 percent — 82 of 258), Merrimack (31.7 percent — 65 of 205), Minnesota Duluth (30.93 percent — 73 of 236), Princeton (30.90 percent — 55 of 178), Colorado College (30.7 percent — 79 of 257), Air Force (30.6 percent — 68 of 222), and Ohio State (29.74 percent — 91 of 306).

The 59 assists by Cornell blueliners, representing 39.1 percent of the overall assist total, rank as the nation’s third-highest average among Division I hockey programs this season, trailing Merrimack at 41.7 percent (53 of 127) and Robert Morris at 39.9 percent (65 of 163).

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 29 games this season, Cornell has succeeded in maintaining the scoring levels achieved from last year, with 21 of the 24 skaters who have appeared in at least one game having at least two points (87.5 percent).

Along with assists from senior goaltender Ian Shane (Nov. 16 at Harvard) and junior goaltender Remington Keopple (last Saturday at RPI), 23 of the 26 players who have appeared in at least one game this year have at least one point (88.4 percent).

The senior class (35-63—98) has produced 41.0 percent of Cornell’s scoring this season, which ranks second in Division I hockey, only behind St. Lawrence (46.6 percent — 88 of 308).

Cornell enters the weekend with 14 players having at least 10-plus points, tied with Minnesota and Providence for the fourth-most players with a double-digit point total in Division I hockey this season. Only Long Island, Michigan State, and Western Michigan are the programs ahead of the Big Red, all of whom have 15 players that match the criteria. Among ECAC Hockey programs, Cornell edges out Clarkson and Colgate, who both have 13 players with a double-digit point total.

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 (664), 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 (520) and Ferris State’s Bob Daniels (510), who, like Schafer, is also retiring following the season.

Schafer’s 555 wins are tied with Michigan Tech’s John MacInnes (555 wins — 1956-82) for the 18th-most victories by a Division I head coach in college hockey history.

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 YALE

Yale enters the ECAC Hockey Championship as the No. 11 seed after concluding conference play with a 5-14-3 record. The Bulldogs posted a 6-20-3 overall record during the regular season and enters the postseason on a five-game winless streak (0-4-1), which began with Cornell’s 5-3 victory on Feb. 15 at Ingalls Rink, and having only one win over its last 12 games (1-9-2).

Ronan O’Donnell (11-9—20) leads the Bulldogs in goals and points, serving as the lone player with 20-plus points and one of two players (David Chen — 10-6—16) with a double-digit goal total. William Dineen (5-12—17) has the team lead in assists.

Goaltending duties has been shared across the board this season as Jack Stark (3-13-2, 3.73, .879) has played a bulk of the minutes, starting in all 19 of his appearances. Noah Pak (3-4-0, 3.86, .872) has started six of his eight outings, while Luke Pearson (0-3-1, 3.65, .875) has made four starts over his six games played.

122 YEARS, 259 MILES, 166 MEETINGS

Cornell owns a 93-62-10 lead in the series against Yale and is 11-1-4 across the previous 16 games versus the Bulldogs. Over the last 16 games, the Big Red has scored at least three goals all but four times, averaging 3.56 goals per game while holding Yale to just 1.81 goals per contest.

The Big Red has dominated the series against Yale recently, going unbeaten over the last 10 games (8-0-2) and having a plus-25 edge in goals (37-12). Cornell’s defense has stymied the Bulldogs’ offense during its unbeaten streak, holding Yale to two or fewer goals in all but one contest.

Tonight will be the ninth time Cornell and Yale are meeting in the ECAC Hockey Championship. The Big Red has won six out of the eight meetings, but has lost the last two meetings by a combined score of 11-0 in the championship games of the 2009 and 2011 ECAC Hockey Championships. The previous six meetings came in the 1985 quarterfinals (swept series 9-2 and 4-2), 1986 semifinals (won 3-2 in double overtime), 1992 quarterfinals (won 4-1), and 2002 first round (swept series 2-1 and 4-2).

Over the last eight games against Yale at Lynah Rink, Cornell has a 5-0-3 record while outscoring the Bulldogs 26-13.

CORNELL - YALE CONNECTIONS

Jack Stark was teammates on the Chicago Steel with Ian Shane (2020-21) and Charlie Major (2022-23) ... Bayard Hall played on the Youngstown Phantoms for two seasons (2020-22) with Tyler Catalano and Winter Wallace ... Sullivan Mack and Tucker Hartmann played on the 2020-21 Salmon Arm Silverbacks ... Will Dineen played on the Sioux Falls Stampede with Nick DeSantis (2019-20) and Sean Donaldson (2020-21) ... Micah Berger also spent time with Donaldson in Sioux Falls during the 2021-22 season ... Berger and Parker Murray played with the Wenatchee Wild in 2022-23 ... Kieran O’Hearn was teammates with Donaldson for two years on the Trail Smoke Eaters (2017-19) ... Kalen Szeto and Hoyt Stanley were teammates on the 2021-22 Victoria Grizzlies ... Elan Bar-Lev-Wise and Justin Katz played on the 2021-22 West Kelowna Warriors ... Jimmy Rayhill and Luke Pearson played on the 2019-20 Alberni Valley Bulldogs.

WALSH, BANCROFT SCORE TWICE, LEAD MEN'S HOCKEY TO WIN OVER YALE

BOX SCORE I RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (FEB. 15, 2025) — Two-goal performances by sophomore forward Ryan Walsh and junior forward Dalton Bancroft aided the Cornell men's hockey team (11-8-6, 8-6-4 ECAC Hockey) to its 5-3 victory over Yale (6-17-2, 5-11-2 ECAC Hockey) in ECAC Hockey action at Ingalls Rink on Saturday night.

Walsh's two-goal outing capped his second straight game with multiple goals, becoming the first Cornell player with two-plus goals in consecutive games since Greg Miller during the 2012-13 season.

Joining Walsh and Bancroft in scoring was sophomore forward Jake Kraft, who scored the middle goal of Cornell's three-goal second period that enabled the Big Red to secure its third consecutive sweep of the annual southern New England road trip.

Senior goaltender Ian Shane made 23 saves between the pipes for the Big Red en route to his 59th career victory, breaking a tie with Andy Iles '14 for the fifth-most wins in program history.

Donovan Frias scored two goals and David Chen also found the back of the net for the Bulldogs in the setback. Noah Pak made 11 saves before being pulled in favor of Luke Pearson, who stopped six of seven Cornell shots in relief.

Picking up where he left off from Friday night, Walsh opened the scoring 3:34 into the contest on a wrist shot from the top of the left faceoff circle after picking up a loose puck at the far half-wall. Walsh's shot glanced off Pak's glove and lofted over his left shoulder and into the goal.

Cornell doubled its lead 7:45 into the contest on the power play as Bancroft backhanded a rebound of a shot by Charlie Major. Walsh set the backhanded shot up by playing the puck off his skate and chipping the puck below the left faceoff circle to Bancroft.

Yale turned Cornell's two-goal lead into a 2-2 tie 1:54 into the second period with goals from Chen and Frias. Chen's marker came as he tipped a centering pass by Kieran O'Hearn from the left faceoff circle. Frias' tally came on a misplay by Shane behind his net as the puck hit sophomore defenseman George Fegaras' skate and went right onto the stick of Julian Frias. Will Richter took a shot from the mid-slot off a pass from Julian Frias and hit Donovan Frias in the shoulder as he skated past Shane on the edge of the crease.

In what proved to be a game of quick tallies, Cornell regained its two-goal lead with goals 98 seconds apart from Bancroft – for his second goal of the night – and Kraft.

Following a defensive zone faceoff win by Walsh, Cornell briefly had a 3-on-2 scoring chance, but senior forward Sullivan Mack set sophomore defenseman Hoyt Stanley up for a one-timer from the right point that was stopped by Pak. Bancroft pounced at the rebound, leading to his second rebound goal of the night.

An indirect pass off the boards by junior defenseman Jack O'Brien and a chipped puck into the middle of the neutral zone by sophomore forward Tyler Catalano led Kraft – fresh off the bench on a line change – to streak down the right side of the ice and snap a shot past Pak, leading Yale to opt for a goaltender change.

Past the halfway point of the contest, Walsh netted his second goal of the night after batting a pass by Mack at the left goal post out of mid-air and past Pearson to give Cornell a 5-2 lead.

Yale trimmed Cornell's lead with 3.3 seconds left as a shot from the left faceoff circle by Hughie Hooker was deflected past Shane by Donovan Frias for his second goal of the game.

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

BOX SCORE | RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS

TROY, N.Y. (MARCH 1, 2025) — Junior goaltender Remington Keopple recorded 21 saves on his way to achieving his first career shutout in the Cornell men's hockey team's (13-10-6, 10-8-4 ECAC Hockey) 6-0 victory against RPI (12-20-2, 7-15-0 ECAC Hockey) at Houston Field House on Saturday night.
 
Along with his shutout, Keopple notched his first career point, assisting freshman forward Charlie Major on his third-period goal.
 
Junior forward Dalton Bancroft and senior forward Sullivan Mack each tallied a goal and an assist in the victory. Sophomore defenseman George Fegaras added two assists to round out the trio of Cornell players with multi-point nights. A total of 15 players appeared on the scoresheet for the Big Red.
 
Joining Bancroft, Mack, and Major in scoring were senior forward Kyler Kovich, sophomore defenseman Ben Robertson, and junior forward Nick DeSantis.

Kovich's goal was his second career game-winning marker, joining his go-ahead tally against North Dakota on Jan. 7, 2022.
 
RPI's Noah Giesbrecht made 25 saves in between the pipes for RPI before giving way to Jack Watson, who stopped nine of 11 shots he faced in relief.
 
For the second consecutive night, the Big Red opened the scoring within the first two minutes as Kovich lasered a shot from the left faceoff circle past a screened Giesbrecht off a feed from sophomore defenseman Hoyt Stanley.

Cornell's lead was doubled at the 9:32 mark of the second period on a backhanded shot by DeSantis, who pounced at a loose rebound on the edge of the goal crease.
 
A four-goal third period separated Cornell from RPI, with all four Big Red goals scored in a span of 5:56.
 
Bancroft netted the period's first goal, lasering a shot from the point following a breakout from the Big Red's defensive zone.

Major followed Bancroft with his own goal 47 seconds later, picking up the puck at the far half-wall inside the Big Red's defensive zone off a pass from Keopple, ultimately chasing Giesbrecht from the game after scoring from the point on a snap shot - similar to Bancroft's tally.

Robertson extended Cornell's lead to 5-0, snapping his 20-game goalless streak, before Mack tacked on an insurance marker 37 seconds later.

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.