PUCK DROP
Making its third consecutive appearance in the Division I Men’s Hockey Championship, the No. 16-ranked Cornell men’s hockey team (18-10-6) goes up against top-ranked Michigan State (26-6-4) in the Toledo Regional semifinal at the Huntington Center on Thursday evening.
Puck drop is set for 5:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Kevin Gehl calling play-by-play and Sean Ritchlin supplying analysis. Jason Weinstein (play-by-play) and Tony Eisenhut ‘88 (analysis) will also provide commentary over the airwaves on WHCU (870 AM, 97.7 FM, cortacatoday.com).
ROAD TO ST. LOUIS
Cornell is participating in its 25th NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey Championship this weekend. It is the 10th-most appearances by any program and the second-most by the 12 members of ECAC Hockey, trailing fellow Ivy League program and bitter rival Harvard (27).
Joining the Big Red in the Toledo Regional this weekend are second-overall seed Michigan State (29th appearance), Boston University (40th appearance), and Ohio State (11th appearance).
Last season, Cornell defeated Maine, 3-1, in the semifinal of the Springfield Regional powered by a two-goal outing from then-junior forward Sullivan Mack and a 31-save performance from then-junior goaltender Ian Shane. The Big Red lost in the final of the Springfield Regional to Denver, the eventual national champions, 2-1.
NOT HIS FIRST RODEO
Mike Schafer ‘86, the Jay R. Bloom ‘77 Head Coach of Cornell Men’s Ice Hockey, is coaching in his 15th and final NCAA Tournament this weekend, as Schafer announced on this past June 13 that he would be retiring at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season.
Schafer is one of three head coaches in this year’s tournament to have coached in at least 10 NCAA Tournaments, joined by Minnesota’s Bob Motzko (13) and Quinnipiac’s Rand Pecknold (11). The first eight of Motzko’s trips to the tournament came while at St. Cloud State.
Schafer, who coached his first NCAA Tournament game in his first year at the helm of the Big Red program in 1995-96, has an overall record of 11-14 (.440) in NCAA Tournament contests, and has won at least one tournament game in each of his last two trips.
The Big Red has made one Frozen Four under Schafer, coming in 2003, when it was held in Buffalo, N.Y.
Schafer, a 1986 graduate of Cornell, is one of six head coaches in this year’s tournament to be coaching their alma mater. He is joined by Boston College’s Greg Brown, Denver’s David Carle, Western Michigan’s Pat Ferschweiler, Michigan State’s Adam Nightingale, and Boston University’s Jan Pandolfo.
RED-HOT RED
All three facets of Cornell’s game have been clicking on all cylinders recently, as the Big Red enters this weekend as one of two Division I programs (Quinnipiac) that has averaged at least 3.75 goals scored per game while allowing under 1.50 goals against per game, dating back to Feb. 14.
Cornell’s average of 3.91 goals per game (43 goals in 11 games) ranks third nationally for the period, trailing Western Michigan (5.00 — 60 goals in 12 games) and Quinnipiac (4.22 — 38 goals in 9 games). UConn (3.88 — 31 goals in 8 games) is the closest program during the timeframe to average four goals per game.
Cornell’s 43 goals scored rank as the third-most by a Division I program since Feb. 14, behind NCHC foes Western Michigan (60) and Denver (50), and is ahead of ECAC Hockey rvials Quinnipiac (38) and Clarkson (37).
While Cornell’s offense has been on a roll recently, so has the Big Red’s defense, which ranks fourth in goals allowed per game (1.45). Only Minnesota State (1.00 — 8 goals in 8 games), LIU (1.33 — 8 goals in 6 games), and Quinnipiac (1.44 — 13 goals in 9 games) have better averages. The Big Red also owns the third-best penalty kill (91.2 percent — 31-of-34), trailing Stonehill (100 percent — 11-of-11) and Lindenwood (93.3 percent — 14-of-15).
With an average margin of victory of +2.45 since Feb. 14, Cornell ranks behind Quinnipiac (+2.78) and Minnesota (+2.63) for the best scoring margin during the period while serving as one of five teams (Western Michigan — +2.08; LIU — +2.00) to have an average win margin of two goals.
Cornell is tied with Western Michigan (six games) for the longest active win streak heading into this weekend’s portion of the NCAA Tournament.
IT’S AWARD SEASON!
Award season is in full swing, with numerous Cornell players receiving honors from both ECAC Hockey and the Ivy League over the past couple of weeks.
Senior defenseman Tim Rego and junior forward Dalton Bancroft were the only Big Red players honored by both leagues. Rego earned First Team All-Ivy honors on March 12 after receiving Third Team All-ECAC Hockey recognition the day prior. Bancroft was chosen for the second team in both the ECAC Hockey and Ivy League awards.
Sophomore forward Ryan Walsh joined Rego and Bancroft in earning All-Ivy awards, being one of two unanimous First Team All-Ivy selections alongside Dartmouth’s CJ Foley. Senior goaltender Ian Shane received Honorable Mention All-Ivy distinctions, while senior forward Sullivan Mack earned Academic All-Ivy honors.
Last Thursday, at the ECAC Hockey’s annual awards banquet in Lake Placid, N.Y., senior defenseman Hank Kempf was named the recipient of the inaugural ECAC Hockey Project Rousseau Men’s Community Service Award.
Kempf has been active within the Cornell and Ithaca communities, aiding several not-for-profit organizations that help various community members. His efforts have included supporting elementary school children and children with disabilities, organizing local fundraisers for charities, and raising funds for cancer research.
STREAK EXTENDED
With its win over RPI on March 1, Cornell registered its eighth consecutive season with at least 10 victories in ECAC Hockey play.
The streak is the third-longest in program history, trailing behind a 19-year span from 1964-65 to 1982-83, and the most recent streak of 13 consecutive seasons from 1999-00 to 2011-12. Under Mike Schafer ‘86, the Big Red has achieved at least 10 conference victories in 24 out of the 29 seasons.
FINDING HIS SCORING TOUCH
Junior forward Dalton Bancroft (15-11—26) has scored at least 20 points in each of his first three seasons with the Big Red, making him the 49th player in program history to reach the milestone.
Under Mike Schafer ‘86, Bancroft is the 10th player to reach the milestone, joining 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), Joel Lowry (2011-14), and Anthony Angello (2015-18).
Fueled by his 36 goals, Bancroft is tied with Angello and Vesce for the fourth-most goals scored by a player in their first three seasons with the Big Red during Schafer’s 30-year coaching career.
If Bancroft scores a goal Thursday, he will tie Nash for the third-most goals, while a two-goal game would match Colin Greening for the second-most goals in a player’s first three seasons under Schafer’s tutelage.
In addition to his 42 assists, Bancroft is one of five players to tally at least 35 goals and assists over his first three seasons with Cornell, joining Vesce (36-66—102), Nash (37-64—101), Moulson (53-47—100), and Greening (38-42—80).
With his awarded short-handed, empty-net goal against Colgate in the series-clinching win on March 15, Bancroft became the first Cornell player to have a 15-goal season since Morgan Barron (15) in 2018-19. Should Bancroft score tonight, it would be the most goals scored by a Big Red player since Joe Devin (17) in 2010-11.
KILL, RED, KILL
Cornell went 7-for-7 on its short-handed opportunities in its series-clinching win over Colgate on March 15, marking the first time the Big Red did not allow a power-play goal on at least seven opposing power play chances since Oct. 28, 2017, when it went 7-for-7 against Alabama-Huntsville.
The last time Cornell had a perfect penalty kill on at least seven opposing power plays in a postseason contest was against Michigan on March 23, 2012, in the Midwest Regional semifinal of the NCAA Tournament, where it killed all seven Wolverine power plays.
During the 2025 portion of the season, Cornell’s penalty kill has ranked among the best in Division I hockey, successfully killing 61 of its opponents’ last 69 power-play opportunities (88.4 percent), placing the Big Red third nationally and second among ECAC Hockey programs. The programs ahead of the Big Red are Holy Cross (90.5 percent — 67-of-74) and Quinnipiac (90.0 percent — 54-of-60).
Since Jan. 18, the Big Red has given up six power-play goals over its last 60 penalty kills, leading to its 90.0 percent success rate. Cornell is one of three Division I hockey programs that has at least a 90 percent penalty kill during the period, joining Dartmouth (90.2 percent — 37-of-41) and Holy Cross (90.0 percent — 54-of-60).
HOCKEY HUMANITARIAN AWARD
After being selected as one of 14 nominees for the 2025 Hockey Humanitarian Award, senior defenseman Hank Kempf was named 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 to be a finalist, winning the award in 2003. Since the award was introduced in 1997, Kempf’s nomination marks the 10th time a Big Red player has been nominated and is the only Big Red student-athlete to be nominated multiple times. The nomination is the fifth time a member of the Cornell men’s program has been considered for the prestigious award, joining Paolini, Topher Scott ‘08, and Andy Iles ‘10.
SHANE’S WORLD, IT’S PARTY TIME, EXCELLENT!
Senior goaltender Ian Shane has excelled in the crease during his time on East Hill. Throughout his 116 career appearances for the Big Red, Shane boasts a 65-31-16 record with a 1.83 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage.
With his victory last Saturday against Clarkson, Shane tied David McKee and Ben Scrivens ‘10 (65) for second place on the Big Red’s all-time wins chart, trailing Cornell Athletics and Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Ken Dryden ‘69 (76).
Among active Division I goaltenders, Shane is one of only four players with over 60 wins, joined by Western Michigan graduate student Cameron Rowe (69), Wisconsin graduate student Tommy Scarfone (66), and Denver senior Matt Davis (61).
Shane is also one of 10 goaltenders that has registered at least 50 victories, accompanied by Boston College sophomore Jacob Fowler (56), Boston University senior Mathieu Caron and Clarkson graduate student Ethan Langenegger (54), North Dakota graduate student TJ Semptimphelter (53), Bemidji State senior Mattias Sholl and Minnesota graduate student Liam Souliere (52).
After making 21 saves in Cornell’s 3-0 shutout over Colgate on March 14, Shane notched his 14th career shutout, breaking his tie with Dryden for the fourth-highest total in program history.
Shane’s 14 shutouts are tied with Bentley’s Connor Hasley for the most blankings by a Division I goaltender, while serving as one of four netminders with 10-plus shutouts, joined by Wisconsin’s Tommy Scarfone (12) and Boston College’s Jacob Fowler (10).
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 reach 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.
Shane surpassed both Hayward and D’Alessio for the fifth-most stops by a Cornell goaltender in program history following his 22-save outing last Friday against Quinnipiac in the semifinals of the 2025 ECAC Hockey Championship in Lake Placid, N.Y. He enters this weekend trailing Mitch Gillam ‘17 by 132 saves for the fourth-most stops by a Cornell goaltender in program history.
Shane’s 2,271 career stops rank 15th among active Division I goaltenders and is one of 10 players to have made at least 2,000 saves all with the same program: Bemidji State’s Mattias Sholl (2,775), Colorado College’s Kaidan Mbereko (2,499), Bowling Green’s Christian Stoever (2,412), Omaha’s Simon Latkoczy (2,395), Air Force’s Guy Blessing (2,272), RPI’s Jack Watson (2,141), Holy Cross’ Thomas Gale (2,109), Providence’s Philip Svedebäck (2,082), and St. Thomas’ Aaron Trotter (2,059).
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 116 career appearances rank third in Cornell program history, trailing Iles (118 from 2010-14) and Scrivens (117 from 2006-10).
Entering this weekend, Shane is one of eight active Division I goaltenders to have played in at least 100 career games, joining the likes of Western Michigan’s Cameron Rowe (123), Wisconsin’s Tommy Scarfone (122), Clarkson’s Ethan Langenegger (120), Bemidji State’s Mattias Sholl (117), Boston University’s Mathieu Caron (111), Minnesota’s Liam Souliere (108), and North Dakota’s T.J. Semptimphelter (101).
Of the seven goaltenders with at least 100 career appearances, Shane and Sholl are the only two players who have registered all their games with the same program.
MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF
Senior goaltender Ian Shane has an impressive career goals-against average of 1.83, ranking as the 12th-best in Division I hockey history. Shane is one of 40 goalies to have played at least 1,500 minutes in net while maintaining a sub-2.00 goals-against average.
Cornell boasts four of the top 10 career goals-against averages in NCAA history, making it one of only two programs, along with Michigan State, to have multiple representatives in the top 10.
Shane and Ben Scrivens ‘10 (1.93) account for six of the 40 sub-2.00 career goals-against averages in NCAA history, the most for any Division I program. Other Division I programs with multiple sub-2.00 goals-against averages include Quinnipiac (four), Maine (three), and 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 five netminders boasting a career goals-against average below 2.00, alongside Boija (1.84), Sacred Heart’s Ajeet Gundarah (1.90), Boston College’s Jacob Fowler (1.91), and Minnesota State’s Alex Tracy (1.92).
Shane’s .917 save percentage enters this weekend ranked as the 12th-highest figure among all active Division I goaltenders that have played at least 1,500 minutes played. He trails Omaha’s Simon Latkoczy (.918) by eight ten-thousandths of a point.
JONNY-ON-THE-DOT
Since the calendar year turned to 2025, sophomore forward Jonathan Castagna has been one of Cornell’s most reliable players at the faceoff dot, winning 60.7 percent of the draws he has taken (184 of 303), trailing Western Michigan’s Tim Washe (66.1 percent — 267 of 404) and Dartmouth’s Luke Haymes (63.1 percent — 229 of 363) for the best faceoff percentage.
This season, Castagna has achieved a team-leading 58.0 percent success rate in faceoffs (267 out of 460), ranking 11th nationally and second among ECAC Hockey players with at least 200 faceoff wins, behind Haymes (63.1 percent — 243 of 385).
In Cornell’s victory over championship-clinching victory over Clarkson last Saturday, Castagna won a career-high 18 faceoffs, going 18-of-27 (.667) at the faceoff dot. In the first playoff game of the season against Yale on March 8, Castagna went 11-for-12 (.917) on the draws he took, posting the Big Red’s best success rate on draws in a single game, with a minimum of 10 attempts taken, since Zach Tupker ‘23 went 16-of-17 (.941) against Sacred Heart on Nov. 22, 2022.
LUCK OF THE DRAW
The success of sophomore forwards Ryan Walsh (392 faceoff wins, 55.8 percent) and Jonathan Castagna (267 faceoff wins, 58.0 percent) in faceoffs has allowed Cornell to become one of 11 Division I programs (Bentley — three; Colorado College, Denver, LIU, Maine, Niagara, Penn State, Quinnipiac, RIT, and Wisconsin) with multiple players recording at least a 55.5 percent success rate on 200-plus faceoff wins.
Walsh’s team-leading total of 392 faceoff wins is tied with Northeastern’s Jack Williams for the 15th-highest total in Division I hockey while ranking third among ECAC Hockey players, trailing only Brown’s Max Scott (463) and Clarkson’s Ellis Rickwood (430).
Averaging 11.53 faceoff wins per game this season, which ranks 10th nationally, Walsh is among 11 Division I hockey players that average at least 11.50 faceoff wins per game.
Entering this weekend, Walsh has recorded at least 10 faceoff wins in 22 games this season and has secured at least 13 draws on 16 occasions. He is tied with Western Michigan’s Tim Washe for the eighth-most games featuring 13 or more faceoff wins this season. Air Force’s Clayton Cosentino (26), Brown’s Max Scott and Niagara’s Tyler Wallace (21), Denver’s Carter King and Notre Dame’s Danny Nelson (20), Bemidji State’s Jackson Jutting (18), and Bentley’s Ethan Leyh (17) are those with higher totals.
ON THE PLUS SIDE…
Entering this weekend, senior forwards Ondrej Psenicka (plus-60) and Kyle Penney (plus-50) and senior defenseman Tim Rego (plus-56) all have career plus-minus ratings of plus-50, joining Boston College as the only Division I programs with three players who have career plus-minus ratings of plus-50.
With Psenicka and Rego’s figures being above plus-55, Cornell is one of three programs (Boston College and Denver) with multiple players having plus-55 ratings.
In addition to the ratings of Psenicka, Rego, and Penney, senior forward Jack O’Leary (plus-43) and senior defenseman Hank Kempf (plus-40) makes Cornell one of three Division I programs (Boston College and Denver) that boast at least five players with career plus-minus ratings of plus-40.
Psenicka and Rego’s plus-minus ratings, which rank seventh and ninth nationally, respectively, represent the top two career plus-minus ratings in program history, dating back to 2002-03, when plus-minus was first tracked for a full year. Greg Miller ’13 (plus-52), Travis Mitchell ‘23 (plus-51), and Penney are the other players with career ratings of plus-50.
WHAT CAN BLUE(LINERS) DO FOR YOU?
Of the Big Red’s 284 points this season, 84 (16 goals, 68 assists) have been contributed by its defense corps, accounting for 29.6 percent of the team’s scoring production. It is the highest percentage of points from defensemen by Cornell in a season since 2001-02, when they composed 29.7 percent of the scoring (94 of 316).
The Big Red’s 29.58 percent of points from defensemen enters the weekend as the 10th-best average nationally, trailing Merrimack (32.2 percent), Colgate (31.83 percent), Robert Morris (31.78 percent), Princeton (31.0 percent), Colorado College (30.9 percent), and Air Force (30.8 percent), Denver (29.8 percent), Ohio State (29.7 percent), and Minnesota Duluth (29.63 percent).
Cornell’s 68 assists from defensemen represent 38.2 percent of its total assist count, marking the third-highest average in the nation for Division I hockey, only trailing Merrimack (41.4 percent) and Robert Morris (39.9 percent).
SHARING THE WEALTH
Cornell has received scoring contributions from almost every player who has participated in a game this season, as 23 of the 26 players who have played have registered at least one point.
The senior class (45-76—121) has contributed 42.6 percent of the team’s scoring, ranking behind St. Lawrence (46.6 percent — 88 of 308) for the Division I lead. Cornell is one of three programs with at least a 40-percent scoring rate from its senior class this season, alongside Colgate (40.6 percent — 125 of 308).
Cornell has 15 players with at least 11 points, tying Michigan State for the second-highest total in Division I hockey. Only Western Michigan (16) has more players with 11-plus points.
It is the sixth time in Cornell’s modern era (since 1957-58) its had at least 15 players with 11 points in a season, and is the first instance since 1995-96, which was Mike Schafer’s first season as the Big Red’s head coach. The other instances: 1968-69 (15), 1970-71 (16), 1971-72 (16), and 1976-77 (16).
ALL HE DOES IS WIN, WIN, WIN
Mike Schafer ‘86 is one of four active Division I men’s hockey head coaches with 550 career victories, joining Quinnipiac’s Rand Pecknold (666), Mercyhurst’s Rick Gotkin (611), and Notre Dame’s Jeff Jackson (601).
Schafer’s 560 wins — which rank 18th in college hockey history — make him one of six active Division I hockey head coaches with at least 500 career wins. He is joined by Air Force’s Frank Serratore (521) and Ferris State’s Bob Daniels (510), who, like Schafer, is retiring after the season.
With his victory over Harvard on Jan. 24, Schafer became the 10th Division I men’s hockey head coach to achieve 550 wins with a single program, joining Jack Parker (Boston University), Red Berenson (Michigan), Bob Peters (Bemidji State), Pecknold, and Jerry York (Boston College), Ron Mason (Michigan State), Gotkin, Richard Umile (New Hampshire), and John MacInnes (Michigan Tech).
STOUT DEFENSE
Cornell has established itself as one of the nation’s top defensive units, ranking in the top 10 for scoring defense in each of the last seven seasons and nine of the past 10 seasons it has competed.
The Big Red has ranked within the top 10 in scoring defense seven times over the last eight seasons, the most by any Division I program. Minnesota State (six) and ECAC Hockey rival Quinnipiac (five) are the closest programs to Cornell.
Over the last eight-plus seasons, Cornell has averaged 1.98 goals allowed per game, making it one of only two programs, alongside Minnesota State (1.88), to allow fewer than two goals per game during the period.
Cornell is allowing an average of 2.24 goals per game, ranking 11th in Division I hockey. Its average is third among ECAC Hockey programs, trailing Quinnipiac (2.14 — 7th) and Clarkson (2.23 — 10th). Minnesota State leads the nation with 1.47 goals allowed per game, conceding 56 goals over 38 games.
Cornell has allowed the sixth-fewest goals conceded this season (76), trailing Minnesota State (56), Boston College (61), Maine (70), Michigan State (73), and Augustana (75).
