ITHACA, N.Y. — Junior defenseman Hoyt Stanley picked an opportune time for his first goal of the season as his tally with 3:09 remaining in regulation lifted the 13th-ranked Cornell men's hockey team to a 2-1 victory over No. 18 Princeton before 3,473 at Lynah Rink on Friday night.

Stanley's goal, which also snapped his 21-game goalless drought, propelled the Big Red (12-4-0, 7-2-0 ECAC Hockey) to its sixth straight win while improving to a perfect 9-0-0 at home and extending its home winning streak to 11 games. Freshman forward Chase Pirtle also scored for Cornell, which received a 22-save performance from freshman goaltender Alexis Cournoyer.

Princeton's Arthur Smith made 26 saves in the setback for the Tigers (11-6-0, 7-4-0 ECAC Hockey), which have lost consecutive games for the first time since being swept by Bowling Green on Nov. 28-29.

"That was an extremely competitive game," said Casey Jones '90, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Cornell Men's Ice Hockey. "I thought we had some good scoring chances in the first two [periods] that we didn't hit the net on, but I thought in the first period we lacked a little bit of poise. It was a big game. I think we showed maybe a little bit of nerves in the first. We settled down between periods and I thought our game took off from there. Really liked our second and it was a dogfight in the third."

Jaxson Ezman put Princeton ahead early, scoring 2:56 into the contest as he capitalized on a rebound. Nick Marciano's shot from the point was initially saved by Cournoyer, but Ezman was in position to bury the loose puck.

Despite trailing after 20 minutes, Cornell dominated the faceoff circle in the opening period, posting a commanding 15-2 advantage. Junior forward Jonathan Castagna went 9-for-11 at the dot in the first period alone, helping the Big Red control possession even as it searched for the equalizer.

"I think the response was big," Stanley said. "[Princeton] came out flying, were all over us. We weathered the storm, kept calm and collected. Even at the intermission, everyone was kind of stepping up, saying, 'We got this. Everyone just hang in there, do the best they can.' I think we just put our heads down and got to work each shift and went from there."

Cornell completely flipped the script in the middle frame, dominating play with 17 shots on goal compared to Princeton's five while generating 27 shot attempts to the Tigers' nine. The Big Red also won 13 of 22 faceoffs in the period as it pressed for the tying goal.

After Princeton successfully killed Cornell's first two power plays of the night to extend its streak to 18 consecutive penalty kills, Pirtle snapped the Tigers' streak at 11:46 of the second period. With just five seconds remaining on the Big Red's man advantage, Pirtle tallied his third goal of the season, redirecting a shot from the top of the slot by fellow freshman forward Caton Ryan to tie the game, 1-1.

"I thought our second was one of our better periods of the year," Jones said. "Right guys were talking, right guys took charge of the locker room. We came out and I thought we were ready."

Cornell took its first lead of the night with 3:09 left in regulation on Stanley's game-winner. Freshman defenseman Xavier Veilleux sent a pass to Stanley at the right point, leading the junior defenseman to balance the puck at the blue line before using his feet to beat his defender and cut into the slot, where he backhanded a shot past Smith, who was screened by junior forward Tyler Catalano.



"The puck was kind of bobbling on the D-to-D pass, which I had been bobbling all night at the blue line," Stanley explained. "I just said to myself, 'I gotta do something here.' So I did a few tight turns, saw that I had some speed, beat him, and then just kind of put my head down and went backhand. I can't even look at the goalie, so I'm lucky it went in."

When asked about his initial reaction, Stanley smiled: "I don't know, not a whole lot. Just hyped up, I guess. My first reaction was just to start screaming at the student section."
 
"We give our guys a rope," Jones added. "I want them to protect the puck and use their feet to escape. That's a big-time play. That's one he'll remember. That's his first goal of the year, too. It was a nice one."

The Big Red held off a late Princeton push as the Tigers pulled Smith for an extra attacker with 2:37 remaining. A series of offsetting penalties in the final minutes created a chaotic finish, with Princeton briefly enjoying a 6-on-4 advantage for nine seconds before the situation reverted to 6-on-5 for the final 37 seconds. Cournoyer and Cornell's defense stood tall to preserve the one-goal lead and secure the victory.

POSTGAME COMMENTS FROM CASEY JONES '90 AND HOYT STANLEY


GAME NOTES
• Cornell improved its all-time record over Princeton to 103-54-8, as the Big Red has won each of the last four meetings and 22 of the past 26 against the Tigers.

• The Big Red improved to 9-0-0 at home, marking the eighth time in program history and first since 2004-05 that Cornell has started a season 9-0-0 at Lynah Rink. Including wins in its final two home games last season, Cornell's 11-game home winning streak is the longest active streak in Division I and is tied for the sixth-longest in program history. It is the Big Red's longest home win streak since posting 11 straight victories between Feb. 9, 2020, and Nov. 20, 2021, as part of a 21-game home unbeaten streak (19-0-2).

LONGEST ACTIVE HOME STREAKS
Division I Hockey
• 11 games, Cornell
• 9 games, Quinnipiac
• 9 games, RIT
• 6 games, North Dakota
• 5 games, Penn State

LONGEST WIN STREAKS AT HOME
Cornell Program History
• 63 games, Jan. 14, 1967 – Jan. 29, 1972
• 18 games, Feb. 23, 2002 – March 15, 2003
• 16 games, Feb. 12, 1972 – Feb. 17, 1973
• 13 games, Dec. 11, 1965 – Dec. 20, 1966
• 13 games, Jan. 19, 1977 – Dec. 30, 1977
• 11 games, Oct. 29, 2004 – Jan. 29, 2005
• 11 games, Feb. 9, 2020 – Nov. 20, 2021
• 11 games, Feb. 22, 2025 – Present
• 10 games, Feb. 27, 1973 – Feb. 15, 1974

• Cornell's current 11-game win streak is the longest by a Division I program since Boston College won 18 straight at Conte Forum between Dec. 9, 2023, and Dec. 9, 2024. Over the last nine-plus seasons, Cornell is one of four programs to have multiple home win streaks of at least 11 games, joining Minnesota State and North Dakota (three apiece) and Quinnipiac (twice).

• Cornell registered its 12th win in its 16th game of the season, marking the first time the program has posted its 12th wins by game number 16 or earlier since 2021-22, when it had a 12-3-1 record. It is the 16th instance in program history that Cornell has reached a double-digit win total at or before the 16th game.

• The Big Red are 12-0-0 this season when scoring multiple goals and are 8-0-0 when allowing one goal or less this season. The 29 goals allowed through its first 16 games mark the program's fewest by that threshold since 2019-20, when it gave up just 24 opposing tallies.

• Cornell has yet to play overtime this season, marking the seventh time in program history that the Big Red has gone its first 16 games without needing an extra period. It is the first instance since 1987-88, when Cornell played its first 17 games without overtime. The Big Red are one of two teams in the country that have not played in overtime this season, joining Lake Superior State.

MOST GAMES BEFORE FIRST OVERTIME GAME
Cornell Program History
• 24 games, 1978-79
• 22 games, 1975-76
• 21 games, 1959-60 (entire season)
• 20 games, 1965-66
• 17 games, 1987-88
• 16 games, 1964-65
• 16 games, 2025-26

• Ryan extended his point streak to six games, having 11 points (4-7—11) during the span. It is the longest point streak by a Cornell freshman since former defenseman Ben Robertson opened his collegiate career with points in his first seven games in 2023-24 and is the longest by a Big Red freshman forward since Nick DeSantis also had a six-game point streak in 2022-23.

• During his point streak, Ryan has had at least one assist in each game, serving as the longest assist streak by a Cornell player since Robertson's seven-game assist streak to begin his collegiate career. The last Big Red forward to have assists in six straight games was Gabriel Seger '24 between Dec. 3, 2022, and Jan. 14, 2023. It is just the fourth time in program history that a Cornell freshman has had assists in at least six consecutive games, joining Gary Cullen '85 (six in 1981-82), Ryan Vesce '04 (seven in 2000-01) and Robertson (seven in 2023-24).

LONGEST ASSIST STREAKS
Cornell Program History — Since 2005-06
• 7 games, Morgan Barron – Dec. 1, 2018 – Jan. 19, 2019
• 7 games, Ben Robertson – Oct. 27, 2023 – Nov. 17, 2023
• 6 games, Patrick McCarron – Nov. 5, 2016 – Nov. 26, 2016
• 6 games, Yanni Kaldis – Feb. 8, 2019 – Feb. 23, 2019
• 6 games, Gabriel Seger – Dec. 3, 2022 – Jan. 14, 2023
• 6 games, Caton Ryan – Dec. 6, 2025 - Present

LONGEST ASSIST STREAKS BY A FRESHMAN
Cornell Program History
• 7 games, Ryan Vesce – Nov. 26, 2000 – Jan. 12, 2001
• 7 games, Ben Robertson – Oct. 27, 2023 – Nov. 17, 2023
• 6 games, Gary Cullen – Jan. 19, 1982 – Feb. 6, 1982
• 6 games, Caton Ryan – Dec. 6, 2025 - Present

• Stanley extended his point streak to a career-long four games, registering seven points (1-6—7) during the span.

• Castagna won a career-high 22 faceoffs on Friday night, going 22-of-29 at the faceoff circle (73.3 percent). The 22 faceoff wins are the most by a Big Red player since Seger had 23 faceoff wins in an overtime victory over Quinnipiac on Jan. 20, 2024. It was the most faceoff wins by a Cornell player in a game ending in regulation, dating back to 2012-13. His 22 faceoff wins matched Bowling Green's Jaden Grant for the most in Division I hockey this season.

• Cornell netted its 16th power-play goal in the second period, matching last season's power-play goal total (16), which came in 36 games. The Big Red has tallied at least one goal while on the man advantage in 10 of its last 12 games, converting at a 35.0 percent clip (14-for-40), good for second nationally over the span. Across the same span, Cornell has scored 14 power-play goals, which is tied with Bowling Green and Minnesota Duluth for second, only behind Union (15).

TOP POWER PLAYS SINCE NOV. 14
Division I Hockey
• 38.9 percent, Minnesota Duluth (14-for-36)
• 35.0 percent, Cornell (14-for-40)
• 34.5 percent , Minnesota (10-for-29)
• 32.5 percent, North Dakota (13-for-40)
• 30.2 percent, Augustana (13-for-43)

MOST POWER-PLAY GOALS SINCE NOV. 14
Division I Hockey
• 15 goals, Union
• 14 goals, Bowling Green
• 14 goals, Cornell
• 14 goals, Minnesota Duluth
• 13 goals, Augustana
• 13 goals, Merrimack
• 13 goals, North Dakota

• Cournoyer earned his ninth career victory in his 12th career appearance, becoming the fastest netminder to reach that threshold since Matthew Galajda, who also posted nine wins in his first 12 outings during the 2017-18 season. He is one of six Big Red goaltenders to accomplish the feat, joining Ken Dryden '69 (won first 11; unbeaten in first 30 — 29-0-1), Brian Cropper '71, Dave Elenbaas '73, Dave LeNeveu and Galajda (nine wins apiece).

MOST VICTORIES THROUGH FIRST 12 CAREER GAMES
Cornell Program History
• 11 wins, Ken Dryden (1966-67)
• 9 wins, Dave LeNeveu (2001-02)
• 9 wins, Brian Cropper (1968-70)
• 9 wins, Dave Elenbaas (1970-72)
• 9 wins, Matthew Galajda (2017-18)
• 9 wins, Alexis Cournoyer (2025-26)

NEXT UP
Cornell continues its program-record eight-game homestand on Saturday, Jan. 18, when it hosts seventh-ranked Quinnipiac (17-4-2, 9-2-0 ECAC Hockey) in the second game of the weekend series. Puck drop between the Big Red and Bobcats is scheduled for 7 p.m., with game action streamed live on ESPN+. The game will also air regionally live on SNY.

Quinnipiac is coming off a 5-1 win over Colgate on Friday night in Hamilton, N.Y. Tyler Borgula and Braden Blace each scored a goal and added two assists to lead the Bobcats to their 12th win in their last 13 games.

"We have a big game tomorrow with a top-10 team coming in," Jones said. "We're excited about that, but it's just a matter of us staying the course, turning the page to tomorrow and getting ready for Quinnipiac. You're going to find ways to win games. There's going to be a lot of those games. We have seven weekends left. That seems like it's going be fast, doesn't it? We have to take advantage of the moment, enjoy every day, make sure we're prepared."