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Where Angels Fear To Tread - A Cornell Hockey Blog

Defining Moment

1/30/2013

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The durability of Schafer and his 2012-13 team will be tested over the coming weeks as the team tries to correct its trajectory.
One Thing First
The most disappointing result was not that on the ice. Cornell has the time, admittedly not much of it (but more on that later), to rectify the damage done this past weekend. What was most upsetting was the behavior of the ticket holders. No other term can describe them accurately. Many of the students occupying standing space in Sections D and E were not fans in attendance at Lynah Rink for the games on Friday and Saturday. The trend did not influence Sections A and B to a great degree.

The ticket holders to whom I am referring left the Brown game after Brown's last goal with just 11 seconds remaining in the game and during the handshake. These sections were largely empty by the time that Cornell saluted their fans. The situation was no different the evening before when Cornell saluted large swaths of empty sections in the student section after a hard-fought and close game between Cornell and Yale that was decided in overtime.

This behavior is indefensible in almost all situations for sports at any level, especially sports at the collegiate level. It is ungracious and rude. Watching droves of petulant ticket holders head for the exits before the Big Red has saluted them shows that they are not deserving of the title born on many of their shirts as they climbed the stairs out of Cornell's historic barn. Cornell should be above this. And, anyone who wishes to call themselves Lynah Faithful must be above this behavior.

Lynah was not empty during the mid-1970s, the 1980s, or the early 1990s when Cornell won only two ECAC Championships in that span. I doubt that many of the ticket holders leaving realize that fact. Cornell hockey has been defined for its rabidity during both up and down swings, during games both good and bad. That is what sets Cornell hockey apart; a belief that supporting a team and program through the tough times will make the sweetness of the great times seem all the sweeter realized through action.

Cornellians who understand the history of our great University realize that the institution was found in contradistinction to the culture and values of other historic and august institutions of higher learning. The dearth of dedication and sense of entitlement manifested in leaving Lynah before the ceremonial stick salute are the type of behaviors from which Cornell's founders hoped to set our University apart. Impolitely sulking away during a painful or bad loss before showing one's appreciation for one's representative student-athletes is not only sportsmanship unbefitting of Cornell fandom, but contrary to many elements of the essence of what it always has meant to be a Cornell man or woman.

WAFT has analogized the bond amongst members of the Lynah Faithful, and between the Lynah Faithful and generations of Cornell teams as one resembling that of family. Cornellians are family. We all share the same "nourishing mother." One can expect more of family. The Lynah Faithful and any ticket holders who hope to gain that designation cannot walk out on this team or any Cornell team during a game. It is disgraceful. We should expect more of each other. The quick glances of senior student-athletes on this Cornell team to survey the range of the student section finding it yet unfilled during the singing of both national anthems and emptying before the Lynah Salute show that they know that they expect more. They deserve better.

Where We Stand
The weekend can be captured in one brief event that occurred during last Saturday's game against Brown. An opportunity presented itself that quite literally allowed Brown to fire a shot into a wide-open, empty net. Barely seven minutes later the event transpired. Brown once again scored a soft goal. Cornell senior captain D'Agostino skated behind Cornell's net and inconspicuously slapped his stick against the ice in apparent annoyance and frustration. The cause of this frustration seems apparent. I have to agree with the senior captain.

Sometimes rehashing the weekend is too painful. Such is the case for this past weekend. However, the reason for which it is painful to recollect each game is distinct. Cornell seemed on the cusp of reasserting its prowess and begin realizing its potential again in a game against Yale. A victory over Brown seemed all but certain if Cornell delivered a performance that resembled the one from the previous night. The Big Red did not.

The weekend was not representative of a poor performance for Cornell as a whole. Cornell generated great offense against Yale, kept pace with the Bulldogs in terms of generation of shots and offensive opportunities, kept the Elis in their own zone as was key to the game, and in two battles in front of the net in overtime nearly ended the game in favor of the Red. The Brown game as outlined went as poorly overall as one could expect. Cornell generated key offense, hit several posts, but the Bears's Borelli was equal to each challenge and Cornell allowed in three soft goals with the last coming with just 11 seconds remaining in the game.

Cornell generated impressive offensive opportunities, but could not convert. McCarron and Miller nearly converted on several opportunities that would have earned the go-ahead or winning goal late in the Yale game. However, the sad reality is that we have ventured outside the time of the season when process can be celebrated for process' sake. Process is only so good as the results it generates at this point in the season and Cornell earned no points in the ECAC standings last weekend.

WAFT has departed from highlighting key contributions of often unsung players in games over the weekend. However, the performance of three players deserve special attention. Senior captain Axell, senior forward Mihalik, and junior defenseman Gotovets were great over both games this past weekend. Axell and Mihalik were on the cusp of scoring crucial goals in both games while both had astounding contributions on the backcheck that led to key turnovers that kept the pressure on Yale and Brown. A national audience was made aware of one of Gotovets's many defensive contributions this last weekend. The broadcast of the Yale game on NBC Sports highlighted how it was a diving Gotovets that blocked a shot in the last seconds of regulation that otherwise would have gone into an empty net. Game-saving or -preserving plays like that were common from the junior defenseman this weekend.

The penalty kill prevented Yale that brought the sixth-ranked power-play unit in the nation to Lynah Rink from scoring on any of its power-play opportunities. Cornell had killed off 100% of its opponents's power-play opportunities until the last 11 seconds of the game against Brown. Cornell completed the weekend with a 90% penalty kill efficiency. Cornell did not seem as dominant with penalty killing as it did at Denver, but glimpses of that stellar performance in the second game at Magness Arena began to reemerge.

The good news ends there.

Cornell converted on only 11% of its power-play opportunities over the weekend. Cornell would not be invited to the 2013 NCAA Tournament were the Tournament to begin today. The uncommon zero-point weekend for Cornell has made the remainder of the season all-important.

Cornell sits currently in the ECAC standings in a three-way tie that spans eighth through tenth place. Cornell has a game in hand over only three of those team that are higher in the current ECAC standings. This position draws into question if Cornell would have home ice in the first round let alone a first-round bye in the 2013 ECAC Tournament. Schafer emphasizes the importance of a first-round bye to winning an ECAC Championship. This likely has been a goal for this team and remains a goal for this team.

For those who do not remember or who are unaware, only the top four seeds entering the ECAC Tournament receive a first-round bye. Third place is currently five points away from the Big Red's current point total in the ECAC standings.

Schafer stated in a recent interview that his general philosophy in the run-up to the playoffs is the mindset that Cornell should be contented if it earns splits of all weekend series on the road and sweeps of all weekend series at Lynah. Cornell earned the split during its first weekend. It did not earn a sweep last weekend. Cornell is four points behind Schafer's idealized pace.

A cause for further embarrassment is that Cornell now owns a record below 0.500 on the 2012-13 season to date. Cornell's current winning percentage is 0.474. WAFT does not believe the naysayers who are predicting that this Cornell team will not finish the season above 0.500. Cornell's winning percentage highlights merely the precariousness of Cornell's chance at even attempting to realize its goals in the post-season.

The Road Ahead
There are two facts that can make what could appear hopeless seem hopeful. Cornell has only one game less than half of its ECAC regular-season slate remaining. Cornell has 10 ECAC regular-season games remaining. Colgate is the one opponent that Cornell will not play again in the regular season. The Big Red notched a win and a tie when it had the chance against the Raiders. Cornell will play each other opponent in the ECAC again in the regular season. Chances at redemption abound.

The second fact is that there are enough pairwise points within the ECAC this season that Cornell can rise rapidly in terms of consideration for the 2013 NCAA Tournament. This is an uncommon phenomenon. The greatest density and most valuable pairwise points that will allow Cornell to climb most rapidly are tied up in Quinnipiac and Yale. Cornell will face the former in just over a week's time at Lynah Rink and the latter at Ingalls Rink to close out the regular season. These games cannot be regarded as anything but must-win games.

Cornell managed such a performance last season when it knew crucial pairwise points were on the line for a key game. Cornell defeated convincingly Union, 3-2, at Lynah Rink in a win that helped propel Cornell into the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Cornell managed this feat just last season, there is little reason to doubt that this team can do the same against Quinnipiac and Yale.

Symbolically, Cornell needs a statement win or wins to reassert itself and to regain its confidence. Had Cornell's first weekends of ECAC play after the holiday break gone better, the games against Yale and Quinnipiac could have served that purpose. This team this season needs ECAC points desperately. Cornell ventures to the North Country this weekend. The series against Clarkson and St. Lawrence can serve two ends. Wins in this series can be both symbolic and effective in boosting Cornell's ECAC standing.

A four-point weekend is all but needed for Cornell in terms of ECAC standings. Cornell needs to claw its way back to a place in the ECAC standings that will allow it to enjoy a first-round bye. Cornell swept Clarkson and St. Lawrence when they braved Lynah Rink earlier this season. However, as was evidenced by the reaction of commentators to Yale's sweep in the North Country, a weekend sweep of Appleton and Cheel has separate meaning. The last times that Cornell swept the North Country were in 2003 and 2005. Those years have gained nearly mythical status in the minds of Cornellians. If Cornell manages a sweep of the North Country this weekend, it would be a symbolic statement of great weight.

The story of the remainder of the 97th season is unwritten. The decision must be made within the locker room, whether it is among the coaching staff, captains, or other leaders on the team, that this is the moment when Cornell will right its course one last time this season. This team is supremely talented. There is no more talented team in the ECAC. However, the potentiality of talent is useless until it is put into the kinetics of results. The choice must be made that this team will not be stopped or denied.

Last season, at the close of January 2012, one team suffered an embarrassing loss to a nearly unranked opponent. That team made a decision much like the one that is above described. That team did not lose a game for the remainder of the season and ended the season hoisting the national-championship trophy in Tampa Bay, FL.

There is no reason in terms of skill, hard work, or wherewithal that this Cornell team cannot do the same.

The fact remains that time is running out. There is increasingly less margin for error. This team has the potential to do something special still.

The 97th team to represent Cornell in collegiate hockey can choose to allow the 2012-13 season to be one that is remembered for all times in the annals of Cornell hockey history with a second-half surge or one that is forgotten to all but the most closely connected fans.

Only 15 graduating classes in the nearly 113-year history of Cornell hockey have led the Big Red to claiming two or more Whitelaw Cups during their time as student-athletes. The members of this senior class helped Cornell win its 12th Whitelaw Cup in 2010 when they were freshmen. The members of the Class of 2013 could add itself to the select list of graduating classes that have achieved that feat. Don't they deserve it? Their underclassmen teammates and they will be able to weigh in on that very question through their actions in the coming weeks. WAFT knows what it thinks the answer is, but the question remains open.

If wishing made it so, the above outlined path to achievement of all this team's goals would be realized. As fans and members of the Lynah Faithful, our role in changing the trajectory of the 2012-13 season is overwhelmingly wanting. This team has the ability to right its course, but it remains up to its members. WAFT will continue to support the 2012-13 team no matter the results of any game and no matter the ultimate destination of the season. WAFT hopes that the above outlined path is prophetic, but it is the coaching staff and members of the 2012-13 team who must achieve the great task. This coming weekend and the coming weeks will be a defining moment for the legacy of the 2012-13 Cornell hockey team.
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ECAC Standings as of January 26, 2013
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Good Evening, Hockey Fans: Week of January 23

1/30/2013

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It has not been a huge news week for college hockey, as several teams were off and the end of January seems to be a slow news cycle.  Regardless, here is the slightly shorter Good Evening, Hockey Fans for the week of January 23

Winningest Coach in Cornell Women's Hockey History
With Cornell Women's Hockey's 4-0 win over Mercyhurst on Wednesday, Coach Doug Derraugh has another new place in history.  Derraugh is now the winningest coach in Cornell Women's Hockey History.  The coach he beat to get to that number is the women's first coach, Bill Duthie, who tallied 135 wins as a coach.  Derraugh also hold another honor, as the last Cornell player to score 30 goals in a season.  Derraugh was incredibly modest about this honor, giving the sports website the following statement: If you stay in it long enough, you're bound to get there eventually, but I'm very, very blessed to be in a situation where … the administrators really supported women's ice hockey here at Cornell.
We here at WAFT are proud of Cornell Women's Hockey and Coach Derraugh!

A True College Hockey Experience
We at WAFT are amongst the first to praise Lynah, the building and the atmosphere.  So when this article came to our attention, we could not help but share it with our readers.  It is a look at the Cornell hockey experience from the perspective of a former collegiate player and current hockey fan.  We recommend the article as it is a good read.

Best Wishes, Thoughts and Prayers
We were disheartened to learn that a Colgate Hockey Player, Spiro Goulakos was diagnosed with Hodgkins' lymphoma.  We at WAFT would like to wish him the best of luck with his treatment and a speedy recovery.  We hope to see him face off against the Big Red again soon.  He is in our thoughts and prayers.

Autism Awareness at Colgate Women's Hockey
Colgate Women's Hockey is hosting an Autism Awareness game this Friday against RPI.  This is the third year that the Colgate Women are hosting this and since 2011 they have raised $30,000 for Autism Speaks.  This is an incredible cause and if you're in the Hamilton area, go see one of the most historic rinks in college hockey and support this great cause.

Do It For Daron Series
We have mentioned this before, but the game is coming up this weekend, so it bears mentioning again.  This weekend, Cornell Women's Hockey hosts Union and RPI in this series to raise awareness of mental illness and the problems and challenges associated with it in young people.  To show support, the Big Red are asking that you wear purple when attending!
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Preview: Brown

1/26/2013

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Brown Bears
Record: 6-8-4
Series Record: 69-42-5
Saturday, January 26

Last Meeting:
November 5, 2011 and February 10, 2012
Last year, Cornell split the series with Brown.  The first game against Brown, in November of 2011, came after a defeat of Yale that had been years in the making.  Whether it had to do with last year's team being excited about their first win of the season, or some players getting their first career win against Yale, it led to a 5-4 loss.  Cornell would not be swept by Brown last season, though.  Cornell hosted Brown in February and came back to earn a 5-2 victory.

When it came to scoring against the Bears, Cornell was not at a loss, scoring four goals in the loss and five in the win, and it was mostly players who have not graduated that scored goals and assisted.  Greg Miller scored three goals and assisted one; Esposito and Ferlin scored one goal apiece and assisted two each; Ryan and Mihalek scored a goal each; Mowrey assisted on two of Miller's goals; Axell, De Swardt, and Gotovets all tallied an assist.  And Cole Bardreau scored a goal as well.

Brown was dead last in the league, despite taking a sweep out of the first-place finisher in the league.  They pulled Quinnipiac in the first round of the ECAC playoffs.  They won the first game, surprising everyone in the league, but Quinnipiac managed to win the next two, knocking off Brown.

This Season:
Brown currently sits at eighth in the league, tied with Clarkson and just ahead of Colgate, SLU, and Harvard.  Their league record contains only two wins, but the reason why Brown holds eight points is because of their four ties.  Brown's four ties have come in back-to-back sets.  The first was against Clarkson and SLU at Meehan.  The second was against Union and RPI at Meehan as well.  The two ECAC teams that Brown managed to beat were Clarkson and Harvard.  Brown's last win was a 5-2 victory over Harvard at Meehan, and the only road win the Bears have is against the Golden Knights of Clarkson. While a tie for eighth place does not sound wonderful, the middle of the league is very close right now.

Keys to the Game:
In terms of the unusual, Brown has one of the top goaltenders in the league, only after RPI's Kasdorf and just ahead of Quinnipiac's Hartzell.  Brown's Anthony Borelli has a save percentage of .936 this season in his ten games started and a 1.79 GAA, coming in at 10 and nine in the country respectively.  Neither of their special team units are incredibly impressive. Brown's special team units look similar in numbers to those of Cornell.  The power plays are 16.4 for Brown and 15.2 for Cornell while the penalty kills are closer still at 76.5 and 75.7 respectively.  Needless to say, this will not be a special teams battle.  Depending upon which goaltender Brown starts, this will be a battle of goaltenders and forwards.  For those who care about shots on goal, Cornell averages just under 28 while Brown averages 31.5.  Cornell, however, has a better shot efficiency.  Cornell will need to be able to solve Borelli should he be given the start and if not, they will have to play a great offensive, puck-possession game.

Historical Dimensions:
Brown is often known to others as a "season-spoiling team."  While they have never won the Whitelaw Cup, they often come out of nowhere to ruin a team's season or to make a run at the ECAC Tournament.  In the past five years, Brown has not finished with a home-ice advantage once.  Its highest finish in the regular season was ninth place.  In three of those years, Brown was knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by Quinnipiac (2008, 2011, 2012), but in two of those years it produced upsets.  The first upset was short-lived.  Brown beat eight-seeded Harvard to advance to the ECAC quarterfinals where it faced the eventual winner of the ECAC Tournament, Yale.  Yale swept Brown.  However, in the last five years, Brown has finished higher than its number another time.  In the 2009-10 regular season, Brown finished in eleventh place overall. In the first round, they beat RPI in three games.  The quarterfinals brought Yale.  Brown toppled Yale in three games.  Finally, Brown advanced to the ECAC Final Four in Albany where they faced Cornell.  Cornell ended up shutting out Brown 3-0 en route to their twelfth Whitelaw Cup.  Brown beat SLU the following day in the consolation game, finishing higher than they had in years.

Their regular seasons often end dismally, but they do great things within.  Last year, they were the only ECAC team to sweep Union.  They also pulled wins out of Cornell, Princeton, St. Lawrence, and Yale, as well as Hockey East teams such as UNH and Providence.  In 2010-11, Brown swept three league teams, Colgate, Cornell, and St. Lawrence, and beat and tied Boston University.  In 2009-10, they managed a Clarkson sweep, and in 2008-09 they beat Union, Colgate, and Quinnipiac as well as pushing seven games into overtime.  2007-08 saw a sweep of St. Lawrence and six regular-season overtime games, where only one resulted in a loss. 

Brown may seem like a bottom-dweller to fans of Cornell in recent years, but it is not without history of its own.  Not many teams have favorable percentages in the NCAA Tournament, but Brown has made the Frozen Four 75% of the time it has made the NCAAs.  Brown was invited to the NCAA Tournament first in 1951, when it was still a four-team invite.  The other teams in that year included Boston University, Colorado College, and Michigan.  Brown faced CC in the first game, beating the Tigers 8-4, before finally losing to Michigan 7-1.  The next time the Bears were invited was 1965, and the tournament was still a four-team dance.  Boston College, Michigan Tech, and North Dakota were the other invitees and Brown lost in the first game to eventual national champion, Michigan Tech.  (They also lost the consolation game to North Dakota.)  Their third tournament was the final tournament they would enter in a four-team format.  Brown was invited along with Boston University, Michigan Tech, and Minnesota.  Brown played Michigan Tech in the first round, taking the Huskies to two overtimes before losing 7-6.  The Gophers went away with that trophy, leaving Brown to win the consolation game 8-7.  The last time the Brown Bears were in the NCAAs was 1993.  The tournament had transitioned by that point to a 12-team format.  Three ECAC teams were in the tournament in Brown, Clarkson and Harvard.  Brown lost in the first round to Minnesota-Duluth.  The other ECAC teams were eliminated in the first round, with Maine claiming the title.

Brown has been out of the NCAA Tournament for quite a while, but that hardly means it will stay that way.  Making a run through the ECACs is never out of the question for this "season-spoiling" team.

The Bears may be an Ivy-League foe and opponent for Cornell in tonight's game, but their involvement with Team IMPACT deserves particular attention and commendation.

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Preview: Yale

1/25/2013

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8. Yale Bulldogs
Record:
11-4-3
Series Record:
79-57-5
Friday, January 25

Last Meetings:

November 4, 2011 & February 11, 2012
The drought ended. That was the storyline from last season for the Cornell-Yale series. At least from Cornell's perspective. Cornell traveled to Ingalls Rink to confront the then-reigning ECAC Champions after a loss to Mercyhurst that could not be described scarcely as anything but embarrassing.

Cornell defeated the Elis by a score of 6-2. Freshmen from Cornell's highly celebrated and acclaimed then-freshmen class tallied three goals in the victory. The abrupt change in the complexion of the Cornell-Yale series continued until the end of the season when Cornell finished the sweep of the Bulldogs for the 2011-12 season at Lynah Rink.

Cornell would end its 2011-12 run in the ECAC with a loss to Harvard in the 2012 ECAC Championship Semifinals and a win over Colgate in the consolation game. Yale ended its season the week prior against its unrequited hockey rival, the Crimson.
16 points 7 points. Cornell's relatively successful 2011-12 season concluded in the 2012 NCAA Tournament with a crescendo as the Big Red upset the Michigan Wolverines while the Elis remained in New Haven to watch the national tournament from the outside for the first time in three seasons.

This Season:
Youth has not reinvigorated the Bulldogs this season. No freshman ranks in the top eight of the Elis in terms of production of points. It is purpose that drives them. Yale was a highly regarded team in the 2009-10 season and a highly seeded, some would argue inflationarily so, team at the close of the 2010-11 season. The Bulldogs missed the national tournament and their elimination at Harvard in the 2012 ECAC Quarterfinals reminded Allain and his canine compatriots of the depths from which they climbed.

Dartmouth drew the attention of the college hockey world when it defeated Yale in the second meeting of the two teams in two weeks. The Big Green upended Yale after forcing it to settle with a tie at the incestuous Ivy Shootout. The news with hindsight would have been about the Elis, not our Ivy-League friends who clamor in the wilderness of New Hampshire. The Bulldogs have lost only three games since that loss.

That winning streak includes victories over Denver and Colorado College with a tie against Boston College. Yale has performed by almost any metric the best in its out-of-conference schedule against teams that have legitimate national aspirations of any program in the ECAC. Cornell is a close second with the Denver sweep swaying the balance away from the Big Red's favor.

Yale has returned to Allain's system of speed and opportunism. If there is a program in the ECAC that a philosophy resembling that of North Dakota guides, it is Yale. North Dakota fans will shutter at the comparison but the tenet of "speed kills" that guides North Dakota at its best was omnipresent in the intimidating and successful Yale teams of the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons.

Yale hockey under Allain is about speed and a barrage of offense. Yale has been following this approach during its success this season. Yale outshot its aforesaid stellar opponents 133 to 89 in the three games it played against them. The Bulldogs were not outshot in any of those games.

Yale averages taking 35.4 shots per game. Colorado College and Denver, two of the most offensively prolific teams that Cornell has confronted this season, take 27.1 and 27.8 shots per game respectively. Yale's closest statistical peer in this category among the nation's elite programs? North Dakota. The former Fighting Sioux average 33.1 shots per game.

Yale's offense is fairly balanced with six players that have tallied double-digit totals of points. However, nearly 30% of the offensive points awarded to a Bulldog have been attributed to Laganiere and Agostino. Laganiere, Agostino, or both have scored a goal in all of Yale's wins but the Bulldogs's defeat of UMass. The offensive production of the two forwards is not only prolific, but crucial to the success of the Bulldogs.

Even though puck possession and offensive speed are the staples of Allain's system at Yale, the Bulldogs feel emboldened this season with senior goaltender Malcolm between the pipes. He has tended the crease for all but one of Yale's four losses. Yale's first loss of the season to Dartmouth was the one time that Malcolm did not get credited with the defeat. Malcolm was chased from the crease in the Bulldogs's clash with RPI.

Keys to the Game:
The team that imposes its desired flow of the game on its opponent will almost certainly win the game. Only three of Yale's eleven wins have been in tight games that only one goal has decided. A controlled, tightly played defensive game that is grinding will prevent the Bulldogs from developing the transitions and open ice that they use to score a game. Cornell has the speed and endurance to win a track meet-like game like those that Allain prefers, but the closer the game treads toward such a dynamic, the less certain the outcome of the game becomes for Cornell.

Unsurprisingly, Yale's offense is among the ten most productive the nation. The Bulldogs have scored an average of 3.33 goals per game. Cornell has defeated Colgate and Colorado College this season. Both the Raiders and the Tigers tickle the twine more often than do the Elis. Two lessons can be extracted from the four games that Cornell played against Colgate and Colorado College. Cornell will need to be as disciplined in its system as it was in the Colorado College series and the second game against Colgate. Andy Iles may need to be as phenomenal as he was in the first Colgate game to give Cornell the best chance of winning.

Cornell needs to prepare and focus on this squad of Yalies like it is one of the teams from season's past. That is why the foregoing is of the utmost. Yale's résumé shows that what was once the gold of previous years may in fact be gilded this season.

Three of Yale's losses cast doubt upon its inevitable dominance. Clarkson shut out Yale 1-0 at Ingalls. The Golden Knights surrender more than three goals per game. Cornell defeated the Golden Knights 3-1 when it had the chance. The Elis then suffered an even more embarrassing loss at Ingalls to the other engineering institution in the ECAC.

Rensselaer defeated the Bulldogs 6-1. Rensselaer is not as defenseless as some believed early in the season but the manners by which Cornell and Yale lost to the Engineers are entirely different. Cornell lost a tightly fought contested game at Houston Field House. Yale absolutely lost control of a game in which it scored the first goal at Ingalls Rink.

The result that is Yale's badge of shame this season is a loss to Atlantic Hockey's Holy Cross. The Crusaders beat Yale in a high-scoring game 5-4 during which Holy Cross led for 48:47. A short-handed goal for the Crusaders opened the scoring in the game and the challengers from Atlantic Hockey had an answer for each goal that the Bulldogs tallied.

Yale defeated Boston College when the Eagles were without their leading scorer, Johnny Gaudreau, who was representing the United States in the 2013 World Junior Championship. Yale's victory over Denver occurred when the Pioneers began their eight-game winless streak at the end of the first half of the season. These facts must be considered when assessing the challenges that a Yale team that is coming to Lynah Rink will present.

Yale is very talented. There is no question. One cannot underestimate an Allain-coached Bulldog squad. Yale has defeated quality opponents. It is nearly irrelevant if Yale benefited from occurrences beyond its control in those games because Cornell can benefit just as readily from the comparisons that will be drawn from this meeting of Cornell and Yale.

Yale has won only one game when neither Agostino nor Laganiere has tallied a goal. The two combine to have scored just only one goal against Cornell in the entirety of their careers at Yale.

Cornell must dictate the pace of the game. The Big Red must keep Yale hemmed in its own zone as long and as continuously as it can. Cornell must avoid the temptation of making passes through heavy traffic that can lead to costly turnovers on which a team like Yale will convert. The Engineers of Rensselaer took advantage of such turnovers. Yale will make Cornell pay more if Cornell does not resist the urge.

Cornell must continue to play disciplined hockey in the realm of not drawing penalties. Cornell made great strides last weekend in terms of not getting penalties. The Big Red allowed only two even-strength goals in its trip to the Capital District. However, Cornell allowed three power-play goals over the weekend. Cornell's penalty killing was not at the stellar level that it was two weeks before in Denver. Cornell cannot risk having not returned to that superb level of penalty killing when Yale brings the sixth-best power-play unit in the nation to East Hill.

Discipline and patience in all realms of the game will be of the utmost importance to Cornell. Yale capitalizes on turnovers. Cornell will need to be patient cycling in Yale's end. Allain has stated that this season's team has dedicated itself to defense. Cornell's talented forwards will find the opportunities to score. A team and program with an offense-first mindset like Yale has surrendered and will continue to surrender offensive opportunities for the sake of trying to break out of the zone. Cornell cannot get too comfortable in its zone when penalty killing or on even strength. Cornell should play a grinding, puck-possession game that is true to Cornell hockey. Make Yale play Cornell's game at Lynah.

Historical Dimension:
Allain, much like Schafer, is an alumnus of the institution at which and program that he coaches currently. The Bulldogs called upon Allain to tend the pipes during his time as a player in New Haven. Yale never made the championship weekend at the Boston Garden during Allain's time as a player. Allain was never part of a Yale team as a player that beat Cornell at Lynah.

There are disagreements from multiple sources about the series record between Cornell and Yale. Cornell sources report both 79-57-5 as well as 79-56-5 as possible all-time records between the most successful and oldest hockey program in the ECAC. Yale reports that the all-time series record stands at 79-58-5. All sources agree that the Cornell-Yale series has a total of 79 wins for Cornell and 5 ties between the two programs. The discrepancy in the total number of victories for Yale is perplexing. Yale has been accused of playing with ineligible players in recent seasons, but the Bulldogs have not been required to vacate any wins formally. This makes it unlikely that this is the cause of the discrepancy.

This post closes with highlights from last season's first meeting between Cornell and Yale. Cornell defeated the Elis soundly in a 6-2 victory that ended an eight-game winless streak for Cornell in the Cornell-Yale series in resounding fashion.

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Lady Rouge Roundup - Week of January 22

1/24/2013

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This past weekend was a great return to Lynah for Cornell Women's Hockey.  After such a long time away and a mid-week game against Syracuse, Cornell returned to ECAC play hosting the North Country.  Both of these were must-win games and Cornell did not disappoint.  Let's take a closer look at Friday's game against St. Lawrence and Saturday's game against Clarkson.

St. Lawrence
The first period of the ECAC game was a tight one, with two penalties apiece for the Saints and the Big Red.  No one, however was able to capitalize on their power play, despite a combined 16 shots on net.  The second period told quite a different tale.  Just over halfway into the period, Brianne Jenner scored a power-play goal from birthday girl Erin Barley-Maloney and Lauren Slebodnick.  And thus opened the flood gates.  Two even-strength goals were scored in the second, first by Jessica Campbell from Vicky Pittens and Erin Barley-Maloney.  The final goal of the period was tallied by Emily Fulton from Jessica Campbell and Laura Fortino.  In the third period, the Big Red equaled their goals in the second with Slebodnick showing some excellent goaltending.  Jenner once again opened up the scoring for the period on an even-strength goal from Rougeau and Fulton.  The next goal would be a shorthanded empty netter as Jessica Campbell scored while killing a penalty.  She was assisted by Brianne Jenner and Alyssa Gagliardi.  After that, SLU changed their goaltender, but the Big Red solved her as well.  Victoria Pittens scored the final goal of the game from Brianne Jenner and Jill Saulnier to give the Lady Rouge a 6-0 victory for the regular season 3-game sweep of St. Lawrence.

Clarkson
This game was something of a vengeance win for the Big Red.  Clarkson took down the Lady Rouge in Potsdam at the end of November in a close 2-1 game.  But this time, the Golden Knights were coming into Lynah.  Cornell did a fantastic job this game especially in staying out of the box.  Though we average 11.4 penalty minutes per game (almost six minor penalties), they took only two penalties in the entire game.  The only other time we took as few penalties was against Princeton.  Last time the Lady Rouge played Clarkson, they took 18 minutes of penalties.  Taking only four minutes is a huge accomplishment when a team is as potent on the power play as Clarkson.  The first goal of the game was even strength and tallied by Jessica Campbell with an assist from Barley-Maloney.  The first period ended with Cornell having a 1-0 lead.  The second period saw a single power-play goal from Brianne Jenner.  Taylor Woods and Hayleigh Cudmore assisted on the goal.  Just two and a half minutes into the third period, Clarkson started to mount a comeback. Emily Fulton, however, would put the game out of reach with a late third-period goal, assisted by Brianne Jenner and Jill Saulnier.  Cornell pulled off a 3-1 win to split the series with Clarkson.

This Coming Weekend
Cornell goes on the road again this weekend, traveling to Ivy foes Yale and Brown.  When looking at the records of the teams Cornell is set to face is less than impressive, in-league teams are often much more difficult to play.  In addition to that, the Yale and Brown games hosted at Lynah were much closer than expected.  The Brown game was a shutout, but only by a two-goal margin.  The Yale game was tighter still, with the Big Red pulling out the win in a 3-2 victory.  Let's look at what the Lady Rouge have to do in order to sweep the weekend.

Yale
Last time the Lady Rouge and the Lady Bulldogs played, the story of the Bulldogs was capitalizing on the power play.  Cornell gave Yale six power play opportunities and both of Yale's goals were scored on the power play.  Yale's power play might not look impressive, with a 14.3% conversion rate, but it seemed to be able to solve Cornell last game.  So one of the many keys to the game will be staying out of the sin bin.  Yale's PK is just over seventy percent, but their starting backstop has a more than decent save percentage.  Cornell will need to pepper Yale with shots and take opportunities both on the power play and in even-strength situations.  Cornell can win this game if they stick to their game.

Brown
Brown has won one more game this season than has Yale.  They have a more solid goaltending tandem than does Yale, but Slebodnick (and Moak and Pippy) is more than up to the challenge.  Last game against the Brown Bears, Cornell managed a successful penalty kill all six times they were on the kill.  They also held Brown from scoring and moreover, from shooting.  Brown averages almost shots per game but Cornell held them to 12.  Cornell will need to continue to be vigilant on the penalty kill to take down Brown.

Mercyhurst
Yes, once again, the Lady Rouge will be hosting a Tuesday game at Lynah against an out-of-conference CHA opponent.  This time, the Lady Rouge host the Lady Lakers of Mercyhurst.  Mercyhurst is a tough team to play against, and a national contender.  Mercyhurst has a 17-4-1 record, two excellent netminders with save percentages of .945 and .920.  Their power play unit is number six in the country at 24.2%.  Cornell for comparison is thirteen.  Cornell has faced other power-play units which were higher ranked.  Those include Boston College (2), Northeastern (4), and Quinnipiac (5).  When it comes to the penalty kill, however, the Big Red holds the decided edge.  We are number three in the country (with a 91.3% kill) while Mercyhursty is 14 with an 85.0 percent kill.  Cornell is going to need to exercise the penalty restraint that they did against Clarkson in order to get this win.  Mercyhurst's losses this season have come against Boston College, Robert Morris, and Clarkson.  They also managed to beat Boston College once, Clarkson once, as well as WCHA team Minnesota State.  Mercyhurst is no slouch of a program.

Here's to a wonderful three games before Cornell hosts Union and RPI at Lynah.
Points (as of January 22)
33 - Jenner
25 - Saulnier
15 - Campbell, Rougeau
13 - Cudmore
12 - Woods
11 - Fulton, Gagliardi
10 - Barley-Maloney, Poudrier
9 - Fortino
7 - Murray
6 - Brown, Campbell
5 - Leck, Zorn
4 - Pittens
3 - Richardson
2 - Slebodnick
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Good Evening, Hockey Fans: Week Of January 16

1/23/2013

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As the information on the video says, this is a pump-up video for Cornell as they begin the second half of their ECAC schedule.  Wonderful, catchy, some excellent goals and saves.  Check it out for some excitement before the Yale/Brown weekend.

Speaking of Yale...
Cornell hosts Yale this Friday and it will be televised.  It has been a long time since our men have been back at Lynah and it will undoubtedly be a lightning crowd.  Check out the game at 7:30 pm on NBC Sports.

ECAC Honors For Cornell Women

After a long break and five games in eight days, two of the three ECAC Weekly Honors went to Cornell players.  Brianne Jenner had a stellar week and earned Player of the Week honors.  Jenner scored the game-winning goal in the Syracuse game, the SLU game, and the Clarkson game.  On top of that?  She scored a hat trick against Syracuse.  Her second of the season.  Lauren Slebodnick, after missing several games earlier in the season due to an injury, she had an amazing week in net.  She stopped 49 solid chances, only allowed two goals in three games, earned a shutout against SLU, and earned her second assist of the season against SLU. 

SLU Commemorates History

New addition to the training room. 1,000th program win reminds us of past Championship teams. twitter.com/SkatingSaints/…

— Greg Carvel (@SkatingSaints) January 16, 2013
SLU managed their 1000th program win and after doing so, honored past Saints teams in their training room.  Honoring their history after a historic occasion seems only right and doing so in such a fashion is worth looking at.

The New WCHA
The University of Alabama at Huntsville Chargers have been a team plagued by poor luck.  First, their conference folds.  Then, their program is almost gutted.  It was cancelled mid-way through last season, causing players to transfer without having to serve a  year in residence.  Their program was on its last legs, looking for a conference.  The CCHA did not want them, Atlantic Hockey did not want them, the NCHC did not invite them.  The only option was the new composition of the WCHA.  The WCHA formally offered UAH acceptance and UAH accepted.  It is great to see Hunstville find a home.

Michigan Woes Turning Around?
It is a bit too early to tell, but Red Berensen thinks this is the best weekend that Michigan has had all season.  It's a great read to see the change in the Wolverines, and we'll see what comes of it as they finish CCHA play.

Cole Bardreau Out for the Season
Everyone's favorite Big Red Gold Medalist suffered an incredibly rough (and dirty) hit on Saturday night from RPI's Burgdoerfer.  Cole was down for the count as the Cornell contingent amongst the crowd was on the edge of their seat and/or standing with bated breath to make sure that Bardreau was okay.  After a long time of not moving, Bardreau skated off with minor help from trainers.  After missing a fair amount of the five-minute major, Bardreau was back on the ice, appearing to be tentative when it came to hits.  RPI fans mentioned how Cole "dove" during the play and was embellishing.  They could not have been more wrong.  Mike Schafer held a press conference this week and said that Cole Bardreau would be out for the rest of the season due to a neck fracture.  That sure sounds like a dive, doesn't it?

Bardreau suffered a neck fracture during 1st period at RPI on Sat. He was wearing a neck brace today. Bardreau finished the game.

— Joe Gladziszewski (@INCH_Gladdy) January 22, 2013
Cole has had an amazing season thus far.  He's had two goals and five assists on the season in spite of missing four games due to playing on Team USA's World Roster where he served as an alternate captain and key penalty killer.  Losing Cole for this season is a tough loss not only because of what he provides on ice, but what he provides off ice as well.  We here at WAFT have him in our thoughts and prayers and hope he heals well.  A neck fracture is nothing to scoff at and we hope above all that Cole heals well from this.  We hope to see Cole at games this season and cannot wait to see him on the ice again next season.
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#BardreauStrong
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Pedantic Pairwise Prognostication - Week of January 22

1/22/2013

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Colorado College
Date of Games Against Cornell: 
October 26 and October 27
Result: 2-0 Cornell, 3-2 Cornell
Analysis: As Colorado College inches ever closer to the five-hundred mark, they managed to split the weekend after a close loss the first night and a convincing 5-1 win over the Bulldogs of Minnesota-Duluth.  Colorado College goes on a break until February, before they head out to Alaska.  The regular season is winding down with only WCHA teams left.  CC does not have an easy schedule for the rest of the season, but the Tigers can prove themselves with just 10 games left with two each against Anchorage, Denver, St. Cloud, Minnesota State, and Michigan Tech.
PWR: N/A
KRACH: 26

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Michigan
Date of Game Against Cornell:
 November 24
Result: 5-1 Cornell
Analysis: Last week, we mentioned that Michigan's Matt Slovin commented on how historic the Michigan season was.  This week, Red Berensen said that he saw Michigan's best weekend of hockey in spite of the split.  According to Slovin, Michigan began playing as if it were playoff hockey.  Michigan has ten games left and they're just as challenging as those they've played, if not more so.  These next ten games will say everything about the team and what impression they'll leave on the program.
PWR: N/A
KRACH: 44

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Ferris State
Date of Game Against Cornell: 
December 28
Result: 5-3 Cornell
Analysis: Ferris State hasn't been blasting through the CCHA, but they are an incredibly solid team.  As per their twitter account, they're doing incredibly well against future Big Ten teams, with a 5-2-1 record against said teams.  This past weekend Ferris swept Michigan State.  Next weekend could be big when the Bulldogs of Ferris travel to Notre Dame, who is currently leading the conference along with Western Michigan.  The Bulldogs are only 2 CCHA points behind the top of the conference, even though they're fourth presently.  Ferris is turning out to be one of the more useful wins that Cornell has had this season and if they keep up their end of the bargain, could look even better heading into playoffs.
PWR: 21
KRACH: 20

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Maine
Date of Game Against Cornell: 
December 29
Result: 6-4 Maine
Analysis: Maine is not having a great season.  While Michigan might not be living up to their expectations, Maine is showing even more signs of systemic issues.  After appearing in the NCAA tournament, they have only gotten 5 wins thus far, despite of playing 23 games already.  They continued their spiral with a tie and loss to Merrimack.  They have a chance at a comeback if they take down this weekend's opponent, Boston College.
PWR: N/A
KRACH: 51

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Denver
Date of Games Against Cornell: 
January 4 and January 5
Result: 5-1 Denver, 2-1 Denver
Analysis: Denver has their work cut out for them.  With all of their losses to injuries and major juniors, Denver is going to have to stay healthy if they want to compete in the WCHA tournament.  Their losses last week to St. Cloud were key, pushing Denver to a three-way tie for third place as St. Cloud moved into a two-way tie for first with Minnesota.  They go on a break until February when they travel to Minnesota-Duluth.
PWR: 11
KRACH: 6

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Plenty of Capital

1/22/2013

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Cornell captain Nick D'Agostino defends against Union at Messa Rink as Cornell mounted its rally to defeat the Dutchmen 3-2 in the Big Red's return to ECAC Hockey play. (Photo: Cindy Schultz)
Two weeks off must have gotten to the Big Red. The first period of their return to action since their trip out to the Mountain Time Zone was not what has been expected of the Big Red in most recent games. Cornell's play was not bad. It fell short of the dominance and crispness that the Lynah Faithful had grown to expect in recent games, even those games that ended in losses.

Union seized upon the apparent weakness of the dominant Big Red. Cornell jumped out to a 1-0 lead just over a minute into the game. However, anyone in Messa Rink could tell that the game was not about to be a rout. The Dutchmen and their fans responded with fervor. Cornell was able to abate the then-flying Dutchmen for only eight minutes. Then, sophomore defenseman Gostisbehere got a defending Cornell forward to bite on a deke and used the move to skate into open ice generating offense that would result in Union's first goal despite at least three saves from Iles on the opportunities resulting.

The Dutchmen continued to control the play of the first period for much of the remaining time. The Dutchmen enjoyed the man advantage in the last five minutes of the first period. Likely Cornell and definitely the Lynah Faithful (especially those who read WAFT) knew that Union owned the most efficient and successful power-play unit in the nation. Cornell's first penalty kill since its last outing in Denver did not go as one would have hoped. Iles was as stellar as he would need to be to kill penalties against the nation's best power-play unit. However, Cornell's failure to clear the zone when he was clearly committed after stopping several shots and great Union opportunities led to Kyle Bodie converting on a wide-open right side of Cornell's net.

Cornell took control of the mental and physical game in the second period. Cornell's physicality of play increased noticeably. The toll it began to take on the Dutchmen of the Capital District became apparent by the end of the period and definitely by game's end. The Big Red began to assert dominance in territoriality and Cornell's defense along with continued stellar play from Iles kept the Dutchmen off the board. Cornell began to grind down Union. The dividends of "sticking to the process" or "playing the system" would not pay off until the third period, but one could tell that if Cornell could stave off a third unanswered Union goal that Cornell's offense would erupt.

The sense of potentiality was realized in the second period. The line of Bardreau, Esposito, and McCarron tallied their and Cornell's second goal of the game. Bardreau in his first game back from representing the United States in the 2013 World Junior Championship scored the tying goal for Cornell and gave the Big Red their answer to the Dutchmen's last tally.

For some Union fans, the writing was on the wall. Union fans began to leave the building as soon as Cornell tied the score. Union's student section to its credit remained strong and began chanting all the louder to drown out the raucous contingent of the Lynah Faithful. The boxscore may make it seems as though the ice tilted decisively toward Cornell. That would be an inaccurate description of the game. The Dutchmen threatened many times and seemed for tentative fans to be on the cusp of converting at any moment.

Cornell was confident and equal to the task. A lapse in Union's defense led to Lowry taking the puck away, beating his defender, and racing down ice with Ferlin streaking up the right side. For the uninitiated who have not had the pleasure of watching this, this has become a common occurrence. It was a steep task for Grosenick to stare down two of the best forwards in the league with no defenders to assist him. Lowry made a laser-like pass to Ferlin who received it on his stick and dumped the puck in the net for Cornell's go-ahead goal. There was nothing Grosenick could have done to prevent the Big Red's duo from converting.

Cornell had allowed already one Union goal on the power play. There was a collective gasp among the Faithful when the announcer at Messa Rink as well as the scoreboard displayed that McCarron was receiving a two-minute minor penalty with barely over two and a half minutes remaining in the game. Levity and laughter soon replaced apprehension when Union's 14, Gostisbehere, was awarded a two-minute minor for embellishment.

Cornell dominated the remainder of the game. Union pulled the goaltender with 1:12 but Cornell was equal to the task of clearing the zone and limiting Union's chance to those of poor quality that Iles stopped easily.

Cornell won the game in relatively convincing fashion taking down a ranked opponent and defeating the only team under consideration in the Capital District. Houston Field House awaited the next evening.

The ever-well traveling Lynah Faithful and the hype of Cornell playing at any rink in the ECAC ensured that attendance at Houston Field House surpassed 3,000 attendants for only the second time this season. I find it shocking that it was only the second time this season that attendance eclipsed that threshold considering the history and traditions of RPI hockey and their fans.

For the second night in Capital District, the host scored on its first power-play opportunity. Engineer defenseman Bailen converted on a power-play opportunity just 20 seconds into Cornell's penalty killing. Cornell was given a power-play opportunity shortly thereafter on which the Big Red could not convert.

I will try not to belabor the next point, but I cannot discuss this game without addressing it. Cole Bardreau was in the offensive zone working along the boards as he is accustomed when Burgdoerfer checked him from behind in a manner that resulted in violent, intentional boarding. Bardreau's helmet and head collided with the boards. He fell to the ice unable to move. The Lynah Faithful rightly and appropriately erupted into clamors and chants to throw Burgdoerfer out. The officials acquiesced.

I have not yet this season referred to any hits on Cornell players as dirty because I think it is a term that should be used sparingly in a game as physical as hockey, but Burgdoerfer's hit was unquestionably dirty and he deserved the five-minute major and ten-minute game misconduct if not more.

Bardreau remained on the ice. Still unmoving. The RPI student section and fans began chanting "let's go red" before there was any sign of movement from Bardreau while medical personnel had just begun to respond to him. I've attended games when players have been severely injured and the sequence of events is much the same as what was unfolding on the ice. Some members of the Lynah Faithful responded curtly through shouting at and over the RPI fans chanting while there was little more than a few movements from Bardreau. I agree with those who yelled in principle, but not in content. I found some of the content inappropriate. The choice of RPI fans to start chanting before there was any sign of movement let alone sign of if Bardreau was okay was troubling and deplorable.

As hockey fans, especially college hockey fans, there is a time and a place for certain conduct, but one must always keep the game in context. Yes, as passionate as the Lynah Faithful and RPI fans are, the object of our passion remains just a game. The possible life-threatening or life-changing injury of a young man does not deserve raucous cheer other than those of support. It is a game in context. The outcome matters little more than bragging rights and outside the small world of college hockey, it's result is moot compared to the well-being of the student-athletes who compete for it. Fans need to realize that and chanting while a player is still on the ice apparently unable to move for what seemed like several minutes shows a gross lack of perspective.

For any RPI fans who want to argue that the "let's go red" was a pithy show of solidarity and support for Bardreau and Cornell based upon the fact that Cornell and RPI both use the chant, I have one question: why didn't Houston Field House erupt into universal applause when Bardreau finally was able to get to his feet and skate to the bench? It was the only game that I have attended including rivalry clashes where a player endured what was at the time a very startling injury and the opposing fans did not show support. Perspective.

When wandering the concourses of Houston Field House after the first period, I heard the grumblings of RPI fans that Bardreau embellished the hit and the resulting injury. Contextually, I do not find that inappropriate as ludicrous as I may find the accusation. After the fans of both teams know that the injured player has not suffered a life-changing injury, they are free to say what they wish.

Bardreau missed several shifts, but ultimately returned to play. Thankfully he seems to be okay.

Cornell threatened several times on the five-minute major but only McCarron found the back of the net behind Kasdorf and he did it with 4:22 remaining in the major power play. McCarron seemed determined to convert on the major and make RPI pay for the hit on his linemate. McCarron generated among the best chances but only one of his earliest on the five-minuter major made it past Kasdorf.

RPI's second goal came much like its first on the power play. Cornell would not have an answer until 32 seconds remained in the game. By that time, RPI had scored a goal that took a strange arcing path over Iles glove and into the net just past the halfway point in the third period. Cornell would battle back but without earning the win.

Cornell turned its offense on entirely during the last 1:35 of game play. The Big Red's line of Ferlin, Lowry, and Miller converted. Cornell seemed poised to rally to a tie to force overtime. The energy level was that high. With seconds remaining the puck cleared the zone. For the second night in a row a controversial icing call left one team feeling cheated that they were forced to defend more seconds than was appropriate. This time, it was Seth Appert who was shouting over the call. Some Cornell fans felt that the face-off should have been in the offensive zone. The face-off took place in center ice and although Cornell generated a few chances in just a matter of seconds, Cornell left Houston field House with a 3-2 loss.

Cornell played a great two periods against Union. Cornell delivered only a good game against RPI. Cornell has grown accustomed to the ability of its talented players to exploit passing lanes between defenders against even teams as skilled as Denver. RPI was wise to this tactic and seized upon it regularly to generate dangerous turnovers. The story of the game should be as much about RPI as well, however most have tried to use it to detract from Cornell. Cornell played only a good game against RPI. The storyline should be that Cornell would have needed to deliver a very good or great game to defeat the Engineers.

I predicted that goaltending would make the difference in the Cornell-RPI clash. I was incorrect. Special teams were the story of the weekend. Cornell's power-play unit has generated amazing offense. I will not criticize the system or approach as I may have at this point last season, but it still has difficulty converting the opportunities that it generates. Cornell needs to convert more often. Cornell scored just one power-play goal on nine opportunities over the weekend.

Cornell allowed five goals on the weekend and scored five goals. Cornell allowed three power-play goals on five power-play opportunities this last weekend after its stellar second-game outing against Denver. The penalty kill suffers almost from too much confidence. Too often has Cornell seemed contented to defend in its own zone rather than desperately seeking the zone clear that would allow the penalty killer and Iles to reset.

Union's one power-play goal came after extensive pressure and great saves from Iles. Had Cornell cleared the zone for just but a respite in that game, Cornell would have killed off both penalties that it allowed against the best power-play unit in the nation. Schafer will get the power-play unit clipping at the level that it deserves but Cornell needs to maintain the relative discipline that it embraced over the weekend. The Big Red's opponents drew only 14 minutes of penalties over the weekend which is five and a half minutes less than Cornell's single-game penalties-in-minute average.

Cornell outshot its opponents with a differential of 72 shots to 59 shots. During even-strength play, Cornell outscored its opponents by a margin of two to one over the weekend. This team has the offensive talent to go far. It is very hard to find a line more offensively skillful and threatening than that of Ferlin, Lowry, and Miller.
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Cornell's Cole Bardreau and Union's Shayne Gostisbehere are honored with photos that commemorate their contribution to Team USA's winning the 2013 World Junior Championship. During game play, the two would show that despite proudly representing their country together no love was lost between them. (Photo: Union College Hockey)
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Preview: RPI

1/19/2013

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RPI Engineers
Record: 6-10-5
Series Record: 59-32-7
Saturday, January 19


Last Meetings:
February 3, 2012 and February 25, 2012
Cornell and RPI began last season in very divergent ways. Cornell rode the wave of the vibrant talent of its freshmen to a first-half record of 7-3-1. The Engineers quite oppositely notched only three tallies in the win column during the first half of the 2011-12 season. Seth Appert would turn the fortune around for the Engineers but it would take nearly the remainder of the season. RPI entered the 2012 ECAC Tournament as a number ten seed and was forced to continue its late-season rally on the road. The Engineers traveled to the North Country to Cheel Arena to beat its historic engineering rival, Clarkson, in the first round of the playoffs. RPI then traveled back to the Capital District to confront its burgeoning rival of Union. The Dutchmen would defeat RPI in two games, but Rick Bennett would claim that the Engineers in both games played the Dutchmen the closest that they had been played in the playoffs.

Despite RPI's less-than-stellar performance last season, the Engineers fared reasonably well against Cornell. RPI was the only ECAC team against which Cornell did not earn a win last season during the season and only one of three against which Cornell did not earn a win in regular-season conference play. The Engineers wrestled a surging Big Red team to a 2-2 tie at Houston Field House during a game that NBC Sports televised nationally. Then, RPI scored the last goal of the regular season at Lynah Rink in overtime to defeat Cornell in the last regular-season game of the 2011-12 season.

This Season:
Seth Appert has attempted to instill in his Engineers the work ethic, drive, unity, and focus that helped them late in the 2011-12 season. His attempts have been met with mixed results. The process on the ice has varied widely as well.

RPI began ECAC play this season holding up its end of the bargain for a conference that was making emphatic early-season statements. The Engineers secured convincingly a win and a tie against Appert's alma mater and 2012 national champion runner-up, Ferris State, in their season opener. RPI's westward trip to Minnesota State did not yield great results, but the team still seemed poised and resilient. It was not until RPI began ECAC play with its seasonal home-and-home series against Union that the wheels came off the wagon that was RPI's chance at early season success.

The Dutchmen beat RPI 4-2 at Houston Field House on Friday. The result the next evening was even worse as Union defeated RPI 7-3 in a game that is best remembered for its distractions and theatrics than its skill and soundness. The Engineers closed out the first half of the 2012-13 regular season with just one more than had they enjoyed in the 2012-13 season.

The second half of the season began out West at St. Cloud State. The Engineers left the National Hockey Center with a split. RPI then played two former ECAC opponents in Boston University and New Hampshire. The former was reeling from an embarrassing 6-0 loss in Denver. The Engineers would make the Terriers earn their redemption. It took overtime, but Boston University would defeat RPI 3-2 after the Engineers had led the game at one point. The Olympic sheet at the Whit might not have agreed well with RPI because the one-time number one team in the nation demolished RPI, 5-2.

RPI's games against Quinnipiac provide a possibly foreboding lens of comparison of this Engineer squad before and after the semester break. The sheer results speak volumes. Quinnipiac defeated RPI 3-1 at Houston Field House. The Engineers then a month later took from the Bobcats the first ECAC standing points that the felines of Connecticut had surrendered with a 1-1 tie. The first game saw Quinnipiac score a power-play goal freshman goaltender Kasdorf. Then, the Bobcats converted on a deflating short-handed six-on-four opportunity to put the Bobcats ahead of the Engineers. The last tally was an empty-net goal, but the damage was done with the dismantling short-handed goal.

The second game saw RPI shut out Quinnipiac's power play. The Bobcats were given six power-play opportunities. The Engineers allowed them nothing. The game was hard-fought and there were several goals reviewed, but RPI outworked Quinnipiac and although they could not solve Hartzell again, RPI took from the Bobcats the first ECAC standing points that they have surrendered. The Engineers may appear to be on an upward trajectory. The inconsistency of this Engineer squad is apparent in how it dropped a 4-1 game to Princeton the next evening. The upside of the Engineers cannot be discounted nonetheless.

An important fact to note is that Seth Appert's apparently preferred starting goaltender, freshman Kasdorf, sustained an injury at St. Cloud State during the first game of the series. Kasdorf has started eight of the Engineers 21 games including a span of six games when he was out for injury. His numbers are impressive as he owns a 0.943 save percentage and a goals-against average of 1.54.

Kasdorf is expected to be available for the Engineers this weekend and will likely get the nod against Cornell. One must wonder what would have given if Kasdorf had started between the pipes in RPI's recent games against Boston University and Quinnipiac. Would Kasdorf's numbers have given? Would you have been the difference between an overtime loss and a tie, and two wins?

The Engineers have only two players that have produced more than four goals over the course of the season. Those Engineers are Laliberte and Haggerty. They have tickled the twine seven and eight times over the course of 20 and 21 games respectively. Laliberte is tied for 99th in the nation in terms of points produced per game while Haggerty is 98th in terms of goals scored per game. The primary offensive threat for the Engineers behind the blue line is Bailen.

This season's Engineers have not generated the offense that is expected of an RPI squad. They have averaged just 2.45 goals per game. That rate of goal production ranks them 38th in the nation.

The Engineers are the second least penalized program in the ECAC. Opponents of RPI have drawn on average only two power-play opportunities in a game. When the Engineers's opponents have those opportunities, they do not convert often as the Engineers have a 85.4% kill rate.

Keys to the Game:
Any observer of Cornell hockey since the Schafer Era began or RPI hockey in general, especially since Seth Appert took the helm, will be shocked at the dynamic of the match-up. Cornell enters the contest as the offensively more potent team with a greater number of high scorers and a higher rate of offensive production. RPI with dependable penalty killing and the return of goaltender with statistically better numbers.

The scenario becomes even more bizarre when one considers what Appert outlined as his strategy for the weekend and the season to come. His primary goal for success was to play shut down defense and limit opponents's shot totals to around 15 shots per game. When did he begin preaching the Gospel of Schafer?

Appert's teams, much like those of Allain at Yale, have been known for their open-ice puck possession, speed, and emphasis upon offensive creativity, not shut-down, stifling defense. Nevertheless, Cornell will confront a team at Houston Field House that will try to out-Cornell Cornell. One should not laugh at that because the last time that a program tried such an approach, it left the rink bound for the Frozen Four in Tampa Bay, FL.

Cornell enters the game with three forwards who are more offensively productive in terms of goals scored than are the top two forwards for RPI. Also, Cornell's Miller, Lowry, and Esposito have achieved their totals in five to seven games fewer. RPI allows 2.77 goals per game. Cornell has averaged 2.56 goals per game, a rate that outpaces the same offensive production of the Engineers.

RPI's power play is ranked among the top half of programs in NCAA Division I hockey. The Engineers of Troy score on 17.0% of their power-play opportunities. Princeton, Denver, Colgate, Ferris State, Colorado College, St. Lawrence, and Dartmouth are all programs that Cornell has confronted that have more efficient power-play units. Cornell's record over the span of games against those opponents is 5-3-2. This highlights that Cornell's penalty killing will need to be at the level that it was at Magness Arena during the second game if the Big Red wants to enjoy success at Houston Field House. In a broader context, Cornell needs to score power-play goals to put its power-play unit back on the score sheet. Cornell has generated great power-play chances in recent games but has not converted since its game against Ferris State in Estero, FL.

Special teams will be crucial, but they likely will not decide the game. The game will likely be decided by two factors. The team that executes its defensive strategy most effectively likely will win. RPI will need to confront two lines that are impressively productive while the remaining lines possess their own threats and have enjoyed success as of late. RPI's offense was flat until recently. The top-three goal scorers for the Engineers were on one line until the second Quinnipiac game. Appert split up the one-time "NHL line" of Neal, Haggerty, and Laliberte. One member only anchored RPI's lines in that game. If Appert continues with this strategy, this will present a more balanced attack from the Engineers. Cornell will have more offensive depth and breadth, but defensively Cornell will receive little respite with the threatening offensive talents of RPI coming at the Big Red in waves.

The difference maker in this game likely will be the goaltender. Even though Cornell has broader and deeper offensive talent this season, but RPI has players and lines that have enjoyed success against some of the best programs in the nation. Cornell's defense will need to be solid, but the game may develop into a duel between Iles and Kasdorf.

Kasdorf will not be the best goaltender that Cornell has faced this season. That impressive or infamous distinction, depending upon one's viewpoint, rests securely with Olkinuora of Denver at this current time. Kasdorf due to injury has not appeared in the requisite number of games to be ranked nationally. The freshman goaltender for the Engineers would rank fourth nationally in terms of save percentage were he eligible to be ranked. He would sit in the national rankings two places above Denver's Olkinuora. Kasdorf is very talented and will make it difficult for Cornell to score. When Cornell does solve Kasdorf, the game will hinge upon which defensive core can assist their goaltender most and which goaltender will do what is needed to ensure victory for his team.

Seth Appert has said that his team has a tendency to "find a way to lose." Cornell needs to make sure that the Engineers need not look too far.

Historical Dimension:
A fact that may be surprising to some is that RPI's record against Cornell is RPI's third-most losingest record against an opponent. RPI has lost to Cornell 59 times. The Engineers have lost more time only to the North Country.

Despite this historical fact, a possible new trend is emerging or re-emerging. Twice in the last three seasons RPI has deprived Cornell of claiming a regular-season title. RPI held Cornell to a tie at the close of the 2009-10 season allowing the Elis of Yale to retains sole ownership of the regular-season title and associated trophy. Last season, RPI defeated Cornell in overtime the evening after Cornell had defeated Union to take the lead in the ECAC standings. RPI's win over Cornell and Union's win over Colgate ensured that Cornell did not add another regular-season title to Cornell's resume.

Cornell has returned the favor in much the same way. Cornell's sweep of RPI during the 2010-11 season, the Engineers's most recent season of dominance, ensured that at season's end Cornell won key tie-breaking comparisons in the final ECAC standings to earn a first-round bye into the 2011 ECAC Tournament. RPI was forced to play in the first round against Colgate. The Raiders upset the potent Engineers en route to defeating the first-seed Dutchmen before heading to Atlantic City.

Cornell was impressive last season. It was not as dominant as it was in 2009-10, but RPI rose to the task. Cornell and RPI have managed to wrest wins or even sweeps, in the case of Cornell over RPI, from each other when the other team is showing dominance. Cornell has seemed impressive lately and shown signs of coming dominance. The clash at Houston Field House will show if this trend is a pattern or an aberration over the last three seasons.

Cornell's wins over the Engineers in the 2010-11 season that helped relegate RPI to playing in the first round of the 2011 ECAC Tournament helped cause the sequence of events that led to RPI's decline to a four seed in the 2011 NCAA Tournament with an NCAA Regional Semifinal meeting with North Dakota. That was RPI's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 16 years. It seems amiss that the last time the Engineers won a game in the NCAA Tournament was when they claimed their second national championship 28 years ago.

RPI is one of three programs in the ECAC to have won a national championship. It is the only ECAC program other than Cornell to have won two national championships. The Engineers have won the fifth greatest number of ECAC Championships. The Engineers and their fans rightfully conceive of their program as a great and historic one.

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Preview: Union

1/18/2013

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17. Union Dutchmen
Record:
10-7-4
Series Record: 30-14-7
Friday, January 18


Last Meeting:

February 4, 2012 and February 24, 2012
Last year, Cornell and Union met only two times in the season.  Not unusual, but given past history of meeting in the playoffs, particularly notable in 2010, and the teams's ascension to the National Tournament, it is worth noting.  Union steamrolled the ECAC's last year with two exceptions.  Cornell did not allow Union to win, holding them to a tie at Messa (4-4), and beating them at Lynah (3-2).  The only team to fare better against the Dutchmen was Brown, being the sole team to sweep Union during the season of its first Whitelaw Cup.

In the first game Cornell met Union, late in the season, they faced Union's backup goaltender, Colin Stevens.  Union was disciplined, drawing only one penalty on the evening and not allowing Cornell to convert.  The same could not be said about the Big Red.  While the Big Red only took three penalties, the Dutchmen converted on two of those opportunities, both in the first period, giving the Dutchmen the lead after one.  When all was said and done, an overtime period was played, seven Cornell players tallied a point, Andy Iles stopped 24 shots, and the game ended in a 4-4 draw.

The next game, at Lynah, would tell a different tale.  This time, Cornell faced Union's Hobey Baker nominee goaltender Troy Grosenick in front of the Lynah Faithful.  At stake was a possible first-place finish in the ECAC.  If Cornell won, they would hold the tie breaker over Union should Cornell equal or better Union's performance against Colgate the next night.  If Union won, they would own outright the first place seed in the ECAC Tournament if Cornell did not beat RPI.  Union seemed determined to finish the regular season with a win, scoring just over a minute into the game and leading 1-0 at the end of the first period.  But it would not end there. 

Cornell's power play saw only four opportunities that night to Union's six, but Cornell was the team that capitalized on its power-play opportunities.  Freshman John McCarron scored a power play goal in the second to even up the score.  The second period ended 1-1.  The third period was not as sedate.  Union came out strong with the second goal of the game coming 4:27 seconds into the period.  Eleven seconds later, Greg Miller scored unassisted to tie the game up yet again.  He did what we have seen so much this season, determined to tie the game back up and doing so.  The game-winning goal would come from a seemingly unlikely source.  Words will not do this goal justice, so click on the embedded YouTube video below to watch how this goal happened (and hear the deafening roar of the Lynah Faithful).

Rodger Craig scored his first goal of the season to beat Union.  His other goal of the season was just as memorable: the overtime winner against Michigan in the first round of the Tournament.

Union's season last year was a Cinderella story.  The second year they claimed a regular-season title, the first year they won the Whitelaw and the second year they ever made the National Tournament.  It was a year for the Union history books.  They entered the Tournament as a one seed, advancing to the Frozen Four for the first time in Union's history before losing to Ferris State, another first-time Frozen-Four participant.

This Season:
This season was the season according to Union Hockey fans, players, and coaches.  They made it to the Frozen Four and this year, their goal was no less than a national championship.  But the Union of last year is not the same as the Union of this year.  Union is 10-7-4 on the season, suffering losses to Merrimack (in the Dutchmen's home opener), Dartmouth, and Vermont, and a tie with UConn, and sweeps by Quinnipiac and Lake Superior.  Grosenick is at a .914 save percentage with Stevens, their backup, at .920.  The Dutchmen, however, have a more impressive power play at 25.2% and a penalty kill above 90 percent.  Their impressive power play is first in the country and their penalty kill ranks sixth, behind UNH, Dartmouth, Notre Dame, Canisius, and Quinnipiac.  Union is a team looking to define itself this season and this will be their first home game since December 1, 2012.  After such a long stretch, and coming off a second loss to Quinnipiac, Union is looking to rebound.

Keys to the Game:
Special Teams.  Obviously to beat any team, there is a need for good goaltending, scoring, and defense.  But this game is going to come down to a special teams battle.  Cornell has shown that when push comes to shove, it can kill penalties like no other.  The number of penalty minutes killed in the second game against Denver, including two major penalties shows that. Union is number one in the country for power plays, but Cornell has shut down other potent power-play units before namely in Denver.  Cornell will more than need to prevent power-play opportunities in this game.  The last time Cornell scored a power-play goal was against Ferris State in Estero, FL.  The other thing that Cornell will need to look out for on special teams is shorthanded goals.  Union has scored 5 shorthanded goals this season, with the Bodie brothers tallying three of them, offensive threat Wayne Simpson picking up a fourth, and Hatch tallying the fifth.  Cornell has not allowed a shorthanded goal this season with the only shorthanded tally being Axell's in the Ferris State game.  Regardless, shorthanded breakaway opportunities have figured into three games this season but none since November 3rd against RPI.  So while Union has not scored a shorthanded goal in over two months, being vigilant on the power play is always something one ought to do when facing a team with a shorthanded goal history.

More importantly, Cornell's power play needs to prove itself.  Cornell remains the most penalized team in college hockey (not in small part due to the 76 penalty minutes given during the second game in Denver), but Union gives up, on average, 12.6 minutes of penalty per game.  That is roughly six power play opportunities for its opponents.  The Big Red has more than enough firepower to capitalize on these opportunities.

In terms of goals overall, Union scores 3.14, while Cornell allows only 2.53.  Cornell will need to keep Union's scoring opportunities down in order to keep them from reaching their average.  With players back in the lineup, Cornell will need to score wherever it can and not rely on "pretty" goals this weekend.  A goal is a goal.

Historical Dimensions:
While Cornell and Union do have a coach in common, this historical look will examine two players who will be honored at Friday's game.

Shayne Gostisbehere to talk to local media today at 4:00 p.m. - Union will formally honor Team USA's gold medal run on Jan. 18 vs. Cornell.

— Union College Hockey (@UnionHockey) January 7, 2013
Three current ECAC players represented Team USA in the World Junior Championship this year and helped lead them to gold: Harvard's Jimmy Vesey, Union's Shayne Gostisbehere, and Cornell's Cole Bardreau.  Bardreau played an important role, as one of the alternate captains, a team member who gave pre-game speeches, and a key penalty killer throughout the tournament.  Gostisbehere, a defenseman, scored several goals as well as played on the power-play unit for Team USA.  In Union's first home game since the tournament had been played, they will honor the gold medal run.  This first game will be against none other than Cornell.  It makes sense to honor the run when a member of each team played for Team USA.  This will be Cole Bardreau's first game back since being in Ufa, Russia.  The gold medal win on January 5th overlapped with Cornell's series against Denver, causing Bardreau to miss those two games in addition to the games in the Florida College Hockey Classic.  Cornell's last game was January 5th at Denver.  Shayne Gostisbehere returned to the lineup last weekend against Princeton and Quinnipiac in a split on the road.  Gostisbehere did not register any points for the games, but did tally a penalty in the game against Quinnipiac.

The World Junior Championship roster consisted of 13 college hockey players from teams such as Cornell, Harvard, Union, Boston College, Providence, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Michigan Tech, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. College hockey players dominated the scoring.  The captain of the team was from Wisconsin.  Two of the alternate captains were from Cornell and Michigan.  The team came from a third-place finish and defeated northern neighbor Canada in the semifinals and Sweden in the gold-medal game in order to claim their prize.  Bardreau played a pivotal role on the team as did Gostisbehere and honoring them both at the Cornell-Union game at Messa seems only appropriate.
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Cole Bardreau hoisting the IIHF Championship trophy after Team USA defeated Sweden.
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    Where Angels Fear to Tread is a blog dedicated to covering Cornell Big Red men's and women's ice hockey, two of the most storied programs in college hockey. WAFT endeavors to connect student-athletes, students, fans, and alumni to Cornell hockey and its proud traditions.

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