THE PUCK DROP
• The No. 15-ranked Cornell men’s hockey team returns to action following its opening-round bye as it hosts bitter rival Harvard in a best-of-three quarterfinal series of the 2024 ECAC Men’s Hockey Championship.
• Friday and Saturday’s games are scheduled for 7 p.m. puck drops, while Sunday’s winner-take-all game, if necessary, would start at 4 p.m. All games on the weekend will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and over the airwaves on WHCU (870 AM, 97.7 FM, whcuradio.com).
TAKE A BREAK!
• With its overtime loss to Clarkson on Feb. 23, Cornell officially clinched an opening-round bye in this year’s ECAC Hockey Championship.
• The opening-round bye was Cornell’s 14th time since 2005-06 that it did not play in the opening round of the ECAC Hockey Championship. Since Quinnipiac joined ECAC Hockey before the 2005-06 season, Cornell has reached the quarterfinals in all but one tournament (2015), excluding 2021, which had just three teams participate after Clarkson withdrew before the tournament.
• Cornell’s bye extended the Big Red’s lead in ECAC Hockey for opening-round byes under the conference’s current alignment to 14. Quinnipiac (10) is the only other program with double-digit byes.
CLEAR THE TROPHY CASE!
• Earlier this week, ECAC Hockey released its all-league teams, featuring a pair of All-Rookie selections and two First Team and Third Team All-ECAC Hockey choices.
• Freshman forward Jonathan Castagna and freshman defenseman Ben Robertson were named to ECAC Hockey’s All-Rookie Team on Monday. Castagna and Robertson are the first Big Red tandem to garner ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team honors in the same year since Mike Devin and Riley Nash in 2008.
• Sophomore forward Dalton Bancroft and Robertson were announced as Third Team All-ECAC Hockey selections on Tuesday. Bancroft and Robertson are the first pair of Cornell teammates to receive third-team distinctions since goaltender Matthew Galajda and defenseman Alex Green in 2020. Robertson is the second Cornell freshman (first skater) to earn a spot on an ECAC Hockey all-league team, as Galajda was a first-team pick in 2018.
• Senior forward Gabriel Seger and junior goaltender Ian Shane were tabbed First Team All-ECAC Hockey selections on Thursday. Shane was one of four unanimous first-team selections, joined by Quinnipiac forward Collin Graf, Dartmouth forward Luke Haymes, and Union defenseman John Prokop. It was the 11th instance that Cornell had multiple players named First Team All-ECAC Hockey and was the first since forward Morgan Barron and defenseman Yanni Kaldis in 2020.
• In addition to the ECAC Hockey honors, the Ivy League announced its all-league teams on Wednesday. Shane was unanimously named the Ivy League Player of the Year, and Mike Schafer ’86, the Jay R. Bloom ’77 Head Coach of Cornell Men’s Ice Hockey, took home his fourth Coach of the Year honor in the last six seasons. Seger, also the Big Red’s Academic All-Ivy selection, joined Shane on the Ivy League’s first team, while Castagna and Robertson were named Second Team All-Ivy.
HOBEY BAKER NOMINEES
• Senior forward Gabriel Seger and junior goaltender Ian Shane were named nominees for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, as announced on Jan. 12.
• Fans are encouraged to create an account and vote for Seger and Shane daily by logging onto hobeybaker.com/awards/vote-for-hobey/.
• This year’s nomination was Seger’s first time being named as a nominee for the award, while Shane is on the ballot for a second consecutive season.
HOCKEY HUMANITARIAN AWARD
• After being named one of 18 nominees for this year’s Hockey Humanitarian Award, junior defenseman Hank Kempf was selected as one of five finalists, as announced by the Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation on Feb. 12.
• Kempf is Cornell’s third consecutive nominee, and the fifth overall, from either Big Red hockey program to be named a finalist. He joins women’s hockey players Erin Schmalz, Alyssa Gagliardi, Morgan Richardson, and former men’s player Sam Paolini, who won the award in 2003.
• Since the award was first conferred in 1997, Kempf is the ninth Big Red player nominated for the prestigious award and is just the fourth from the men’s program, joining Paolini, Topher Scott, and Andy Iles.
SHANE NAMED SEMIFINALIST FOR RICHTER AWARD
• Junior goaltender Ian Shane was named a semifinalist for the 2024 Mike Richter Award, announced by the American College Hockey Association on Feb. 14.
• Following the announcement, Shane became the second Cornell goaltender (third instance) to be identified as a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award. Shane joins former Big Red netminder Matthew Galajda, who became a two-time finalist for the Richter Award following his play in the 2017-18 and 2019-20 seasons with the Big Red.
• Shane is accompanied on the list of semifinalists by Michigan State’s Trey Augustine, Notre Dame’s Ryan Bischel, Minnesota’s Justen Close, Quinnipiac’s Vinny Duplessis, Boston College’s Jacob Fowler, Colorado College’s Kaidan Mbereko, Wisconsin’s Kyle McClellan, RIT’s Tommy Scarfone, and St. Thomas’ Jake Sibell.
• The three finalists for the Mike Richter Award will be announced sometime in March, and the winner will be revealed in April during the Men’s Frozen Four that will take place in St. Paul, Minn., on April 11 and 13.
SHOWSTOPPER SHANE
• Junior goaltender Ian Shane has excelled inside the blue paint during his time on East Hill, posting a 44-20-10 record with a 1.70 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage in his 78 appearances between the pipes.
• Shane is one victory shy of equalling Jason Elliott’s 45 wins for the 10th-most wins by a Cornell goaltender in program history.
• With his shutout over Brown on Feb. 16, Shane upped his career shutout total to 11, matching Dave LeNeveu and Mitch Gillam for the fifth-most shutouts by a Cornell goaltender. Shane is two shutouts shy of matching Cornell Athletics and Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Ken Dryden for fourth in Big Red program history (13).
• Shane’s 13 shutouts are tied with Wisconsin’s Kyle McClellan for the third-most by all active Division I goaltenders. Michigan Tech’s Blake Pietila (24) and Minnesota’s Justen Close (13) are the only two netminders ahead of Shane and McClellan.
SHANE’S WORLD
• Since Jan. 1, junior goaltender Ian Shane has an 11-2-3 record with a 1.53 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage, ranking first and fifth, respectively, among goaltenders with at least 15 games played during the span.
• Shane’s 1.70 career goals-against average stands as the fourth-best in NCAA Division I history, trailing former Cornell netminder David LeNeveu (1.29), former Michigan State standout Ryan Miller (1.54), and Cornell Athletics and Hockey Hall of Famer Ken Dryden (1.59). Former Big Red goaltender David McKee is behind Shane by one point, giving Cornell four of the top five career goals-against averages in NCAA Division I hockey history.
• Among active leaders, Shane is one of two active Division I netminders with a career goals-against average under 2.00, joined by Minnesota State’s Keenan Rancier (1.98).
• Along with his impressive career goals-against average, Shane ranks fifth among active Division I goaltenders in career save percentage (.922). Wisconsin’s Kyle McClellan (.926), Notre Dame’s Ryan Bischel (.9245), Boston College’s Jacob Fowler (.9242), and Minnesota’s Justen Close (.9237) are ahead of the Cornell netminder.
RACKING UP THE POINTS
• During his tenure on East Hill, senior forward Gabriel Seger has amassed 65 points (19 goals, 46 assists), marking the most points by a Big Red player over his first two seasons at Cornell since Riley Nash (25-41—66) from 2007-09. Two more points would give Seger the most points across his first two seasons with the program since Ryan Hughes collected 25 goals and 50 assists (75 points) from 1989-91.
• Seger’s 46 assists are tied for the 21st-most assists in a player’s first two seasons of his Big Red career, matching Gary Cullen (1981-83) and John Olds (1978-80), and would tie Dave Peace (1972-73) for 20th-most with his next helper.
POINT SEGER
• Senior forward Gabriel Seger (12-23—35) has 35 points this season, the most by a Big Red player since Colin Greening (15-20—35) and Riley Nash, who had identical stat lines of 12-23—35, in 2009-10.
• Seger is the ninth player (11th occurrence) in the Mike Schafer ’86 era (since 1995-96) to notch at least 35 points in a season and is just the second player under Schafer to have at least 35 points in his first two seasons with Cornell, joining Matt Moulson (18-17—35) as a sophomore in 2003-04. Over the last 40 seasons, only six players (seven instances) have had 35-point seasons in their first two years with the Big Red, joining Duanne Moeser (1983-84), Joe Nieuwendyk (twice — 1984-86), Trent Andison (1987-88), Joe Dragon (1989-90), Ryan Hughes (1989-90), and Moulson.
• In his 29 games this season, Seger has had a point in 21 contests, including 10 multi-point games. Seger is tied with Quinnipiac’s Sam Lipkin for the third-most in ECAC Hockey. Lipkin’s teammates Jacob Quillian (12) and Collin Graf (11) have more multi-point games.
THANKS FOR THE HELP!
• After registering 23 assists in his first season at Cornell last year, senior forward Gabriel Seger has followed up with another 23-assist season.
• Seger is the first Cornell player since Joe Nieuwendyk (1984-86) to have 23-plus assists in his first two seasons with the Big Red. In Cornell’s modern era, dating back to 1957-58, only eight other players have accomplished the feat, including Murray Death, David and Doug Ferguson (1964-66), John Hughes (1967-69), Larry Fullan (1969-71), John Harper (1973-75), Lance Nethery (1975-77), and Roy Kerling (1977-78, 1979-80).
• In addition to his 46 assists at Cornell, Seger had 29 helpers in his two seasons at Union, giving him 75 career assists. His assist total is tied with Quinnipiac’s Collin Graf and Augustana’s Ryan Naumovski for the fourth-most helpers by an active Division I skater. Only Northern Michigan’s Andre Ghantous (103), Denver’s Massimo Rizzo (87), and Arizona State’s Lukas Sillinger (79) have registered more assists.
• Seger is one of nine active Division I skaters with 70-plus career helpers. Behind Seger is Sacred Heart’s Braeden Tuck (74), Minnesota State’s Brandon Koch (73), and Clarkson’s Mathieu Gosselin (73).
• With his next assist, Seger would increase his assist total on the season to 24, signifying the most helpers by a Cornell player since defenseman Yanni Kaldis (24) in 2018-19. No Big Red forward has had that many assists in a season since Greg Miller (25) in 2010-11.
REACHING THE CENTURY MARK
• With his third-period goal against RPI on Feb. 9, senior forward Gabriel Seger became the 14th active player to reach the century mark in points. Seger has since upped his career point total to 107 (32 goals and 75 assists), tied with Sacred Heart’s Braden Tuck for the 11th-most points by an active Division I skater entering this weekend.
• Seger is one of three active ECAC Hockey players with at least 100 career points, joining Quinnipiac’s Collin Graf (51-73—124) and Clarkson’s Mathieu Gosselin (41-70—111).
• Of the active players who have surpassed the century mark for career points, Seger (Union ? Cornell) is one of four who has transferred, joining Graf (Union ? Quinnipiac), Lukas Sillinger (Bemidji State ? Arizona State), Alex Campbell (Clarkson ? Northeastern), and Ryan Naumovski (Niagara ? Augustana).
NET 30
• Following his assist on Kyle Penney’s empty-net goal in the Big Red’s 3-0 shutout of Brown on Feb. 16, senior forward Gabriel Seger became the first Cornell player to have consecutive 30-point seasons since Morgan Barron in 2018-19 (15-19—34) and 2019-20 (14-18—32).
• Seger, who had seven goals and 23 assists last season, became the first Big Red player with 30 points in his first two years at Cornell since Riley Nash in 2007-08 (12-20—32) and 2008-09 (13-21—34).
• The Feb. 16 assist made Seger the 26th player in the program’s modern era, since 1957-58, to reach the 30-point plateau in each of his first two seasons. It is just the third instance under Mike Schafer ’86, joining Kyle Knopp (1995-97) and Nash (2007-09), and is the 11th time since 1975-76 the feat has been accomplished. The others include Lance Nethery, Brock Tredway, Roy Kerling, John Olds, Gary Cullen, Duanne Moeser, Joe Nieuwendyk, Trent Andison, Knopp, and Nash.
THE GAME’S ON HIS STICK
• Freshman forward Ryan Walsh has scored 10 goals this season and paces the Big Red in game-winning goals with four.
• With his game-winning tally against Brown on Feb. 17, Walsh joined Brock Tredway (1977-78) and Michael Regush (2018-19) as the lone Cornell freshmen players to pot four game-winning goals in a season.
• Should Walsh record another game-winner this season, he would be Cornell’s first player to log five game-winning goals since Anthony Angello in 2017-18 while entering a seven-way tie for the eighth-most game-winning goals in a season.
• John Hughes is the only Big Red player in the program’s modern era, since 1957-58, to have five game-winning goals in his first season with the Big Red, doing so as a sophomore in 1967-68.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
• Freshmen forwards Jonathan Castagna (9-13—22) and Ryan Walsh (10-9—19) and defenseman Ben Robertson (3-16—19) have all registered at least 19 points this season, making Cornell one of seven Division I programs to have three freshmen with at least 19 points (Boston College, Boston University, Denver, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Robert Morris).
• Castagna, Robertson, and Walsh are the first Big Red freshmen trio with at least 19 points in the same season since Joel Lowry (6-16—22), Brian Ferlin (8-13—21), and John McCarron (6-13—19) in 2011-12.
• It is the third instance where a trio of Cornell freshmen have had 19-plus points in a season since 1975-76, which was the inaugural season first-year students were eligible to play for the Big Red. Trent Andison, Doug Derraugh, and Bruce Frauley initially accomplished the feat in 1987-88.
• Should Robertson and Walsh also reach the 20-point plateau this season, it would be the first time in program history a trio of freshmen logged 20-plus points in the same season.
CLIMBING THE RANKINGS
• With his next point, freshman defenseman Ben Robertson would become the third Cornell freshman defenseman to reach the 20-point mark, joining Chris Norton (4-19—23 in 1984-85) and Mark McRae (5-16—21 in 1999-00).
• A two-point weekend by Robertson would equal McRae’s 21 points from 1999-00 (5-16—21), tying him for the second-most points by a first-year blueliner.
• Robertson’s 16 assists are tied with McRae (5-16—21 in 1999-00) for the third-most assists by a Cornell freshman defenseman, and his next helper would supplant Robertson into third place. Two assists this weekend would match Frauley’s 18 helpers in 1987-88 for the second-most assists by a first-year blueliner.
• Robertson’s 19 points (3-16—19) are the 14th-most by a freshman defenseman in Division I hockey. Among freshmen in ECAC Hockey, Robertson has the second-most points by a first-year blueliner behind Dartmouth’s CJ Foley (5-15—20), and is tied for seventh overall in the conference with teammate Ryan Walsh (10-9—19) and Princeton’s Kai Daniells (8-11—19).
STOUT DEFENSE
• Historically, Cornell has boasted one of the nation’s stingiest defensive units, as the Big Red has ranked in the top 10 in scoring defense in the last six seasons it has competed in.
• Cornell has allowed the fewest goals in Division I hockey this season, surrendering 54 goals across its 29 games, 12 fewer than second-place Quinnipiac (66).
• The Big Red’s 1.86 goals allowed per game also leads the nation, making Cornell one of two programs to allow less than two goals per game, joined by Quinnipiac.
• Entering this weekend, the Big Red has allowed just 635 shots on goal this season, 149 shots fewer than second-place Providence (784). Cornell’s 21.9 shots per game average is 1.2 points lower than Providence’s 23.1 average.
