We're reaching the home stretch with the countdown and with that, the 2012-13 season.  The Red/White game was last weekend and this weekend are exhibition games against the US NDTP and Canadian program Brock.  So it is only fitting that we begin the last week of countdowns with one of our remaining captains. We start with senior defenseman Braden Birch.

A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Braden Birch came to Cornell along with an exciting recruiting class.  He, however, was not one who just blended into the woodwork.  Prior to starting his collegiate career, Birch was selected in the 2008 NHL Draft to the Chicago Blackhawks.  He played for the Oakville Blades of the Ontario Junior Hockey League for two seasons, scoring 42 points throughout 94 games, mostly coming on assists.  He served as an alternate captain his final year with the team.  Additionally, he played for his country, being an alternate captain for Team Canada East in the World Junior A Challenge, helping his team to a third-place finish.  Birch brought a strong defensive game sprinkling in offense when it was needed.

Freshman Season (2009-10)
Birch's freshman season for the Big Red started off, as ever, strong.  He appeared in 32 contests and tallied two assists.  In his collegiate debut, Birch helped Cornell defeat Dartmouth 5-1 while scoring his first collegiate point with an assist to then-captain Colin Greening on the power play on the team's eventual game-winning goal.  Birch continued his season strong, notching another assist on a goal from Riley Nash in the February 16th game against travel partner, Colgate.  He finished his freshman campaign with a +4 rating on the season, finishing with the second best rating of the then-freshmen, now-senior class following fellow defenseman Nick D'Agostino.

Sophomore Season (2010-11)
In his sophomore season, Birch earned his place amongst the stay-at-home defensmen on the team and in the league.  He was put up against the top lines often and managed to score two goals and six assists over the season.  His first collegiate goal was against Quinnipiac on November 12, 2010, opening up the scoring to lead the Big Red to a 4-1 victory over the Bobcats.  His assists happened throughout the year as needed and his other goal was unassisted against St. Lawrence.  An injury during the ECAC quarterfinals forced Birch to cut his season short, missing chances to play in the 2011 ECAC Championships Semifinal and title games.

Junior Season (2011-12)
Birch had already shown his strength and work ethic throughout his first two seasons, but his junior season stands out as his best yet.  With 7 points on the season, Birch scored his sole goal opening up scoring against Colgate at Starr Rink.  But what is more impressive on his season is that he went over two months without being on the ice when the other team scored an even-strength goal.  The tandem of alumnus Sean Whitney and now-senior Braden Birch had a streak of 668 minutes and 49 seconds without being scored on.  ECAC foe Clarkson ended the streak with their final goal in the consolation game in Estero.  As serious fans remember well, the team sticks somehow managed not to make it to the rink in Estero with the team.  His rating on the season was an impressive and career-high +12, in spite of playing against the top lines of teams.  Birch was a finalist for ECAC Hockey's Best Defensive Defenseman Award along with Harvard's Danny Biega and Princeton's Michael Sdao.  (Biega won the award even though Birch had 1/3 the number of goals allowed on even strength as well as a higher rating).  But this honor was not Birch's last for the season.  Birch went on to earn the Cornell Hockey Association Award at the team's annual postseason banquet.  This award is given to the player whose contributions to the team don't show up in the box score but instead in the form of "energy, heart and hustle."  This describes Birch to a tee.  He is a player who plays with constant energy and does his best to never let a puck or player beat him, not necessarily through sheer speed, but force of will and hustle.  Heart is also incredibly apparent in all Birch does for the team.

Senior Season (2012-13)
Braden Birch is one of seven seniors leading the team for the 2012-13 season.  On top of that leadership role, Birch has been named one of the Big Red's three captains for the season along with Erik Axell and Nick D'Agostino.  His role on the team is likely going to be similar to last year, providing a top-notch defensive core, with the added responsibility of being one of the team leaders both on and off the ice.  Birch is a class act and already seems to be doing his duties well, if the video from Cornell Sports from Media Day is any indication.  We look forward to seeing what 2012-13 brings for Braden Birch. 7 days!

Lynah Rink will be the focal point for a few events in just a few hours. The first of two exhibition games occurs on Friday against the United States Under-18 Development Program. The face-off at 7:00 pm marks the almost complete return of hockey to East Hill. It will be just seven days until Cornell begins the 2012-13 regular season. However, the ebb and flow of the action on the ice will not be the only cause of drama. Two of the participants on the opposing roster of Team USA and Cornell are very familiar: in the familial sense.

The clash between Cornell and Team USA U18 pits John McCarron, the sophomore forward for the Big Red, against his younger brother Mike McCarron from the United States Development Program. The two natives of Macomb, Michigan will meet on opposing teams for the first time. So, even though the sibling combatants are very well acquainted, this meeting Friday night at Lynah Rink will be a first for both of them.

The Lynah Faithful are very well informed about John McCarron. WAFT included him in our countdown just a week ago. A post that gave more in-depth information. So, I will first start with highlighting what the Lynah Faithful can expect to see from Mike at Friday night's game.

Mike McCarron was selected to participate in the inaugural All-American Prospects Game. He impressed observers and NHL scouts alike. Most left concluding that he had improved his skills and that he provided one of the most impressive displays of skill sets of all the participants in the game. Mike was crucial to the development of three plays that yielded goals for Team McClanahan even if the box score credits him for only one assist. Team McClanahan went on to defeat Team Housley 5-2 with Mike's performance being no small factor in that result.

Mike McCarron was not able to rest on his laurels and praise long. He returned to the United States Development Program and began competing with the Program in its early season games. Unsurprisingly, the younger McCarron, much like his elder brother who is at Cornell already, has been crucial to the success of his team.

The Under-18 team plays a slate of USHL teams in addition to several NCAA Division I programs. Mike has accumulated 3 points over USHL teams alone even at this early stage in the season. This total includes a goal that Mike scored against Dubuque. The arsenal of Mike McCarron has been on display against several NCAA Division I programs already. Andy Iles and the Cornell defensive core should take note.

The Michigan forward for the United States Development Team has contributed tallies in half of the games against NCAA Division I teams that the Under-18 team has played. Mike has seen action in all of those games. An assist on Shane Eiserman's goal against Notre Dame that stood and led to a draw as a result, and a power-play goal against North Dakota at "The Ralph" are among his early season offensive contributions to date.

The skills of John are well known already to the Faithful. John totaled 19 points last season with six goals within that total. He looks to improve this season. Even though the game in a few hours is immaterial in terms of NCAA Division I record keeping, John can be expected to begin the 2012-13 season where he ended the 2011-12 season. As an explosive forward who contributes greatly to Cornell's offensive upside.

All of John's goals last season were scored after the mid-season break. He scored his first collegiate goal in Colorado Springs and never looked back. He scored a pivotal game-tying, regular-season goal against Union in February 2012. He contributed the game-winning goal against Yale last season that ensured that the Big Red would claim Cornell's twentieth Ivy-League title in hockey.

However, none of this examines John's arguably most impressive run of the season. John McCarron contributed a point in half of all Cornell's post-season games during the 2011-12 playoffs. This included John's contribution of three points over the last four games of the season. Anyone who was at Atlantic City cannot help but remember his goal against Colgate that he scored on a very short breakaway after a turnover in Colgate's zone. His puck handling and puck placement were so precise that the play appeared to spectators as though it were happening in slow motion.

At the time of that goal against Colgate, it would have seemed scarcely imaginable that John could surpass that offensive display. Such notions would prove incorrect as John opened the scoring against the Michigan Wolverines in the 2012 NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal with a shot from the face-off circle that sped past Shawn Hunwick and began the scoring wave that propelled Cornell into the Midwest Regional Final.

Both McCarrons are talented players. Both happily have an unassailable taste in collegiate hockey programs. Mike McCarron has committed to pull on the carnelian and white sweater of Cornell at the beginning of the 2013-14 season and play alongside his brother John. However, tonight, WAFT is sure that it will be quite the showdown between the McCarrons from Macomb as each gifted forward attempts to jockey to put his team ahead of the other. With little doubt, family bragging rights are on the line.

With all this in mind, perhaps the Faithful should take it a little easier on Mike this evening than they will the other members of his team. He is family after all. And not just only to John.

Vince Mihalek, a forward with a steady presence on the Big Red's lineup is one who has had quite a run-up to his senior year. Before he began Cornell, the Ohio native played a season in the USHL and the BCHL.  He was named the team's most improved player in the BCHL right before he arrived on campus. Cornell's senior forward scored 30 points in his time there. Mihalek came to Cornell with a recruiting class that we at WAFT will remember well always.

In his freshman year, Mihalek did not dress for a game, but he practiced hard and managed to play about half of the games his sophomore year.  What was even more impressive is the impact he made his first game.  The first time he was on the ice for the Big Red, Mihalek picked up an assist against out-of-conference opponent RIT.  He then tallied his first collegiate goal against RPI in the 5-1 win over the Engineers.  He continued to be a dominant force in the lineup, playing in the final three games of the season against Quinnipiac, Dartmouth, and Yale.

Junior year was Mihalek's breakout year.  He played in 32 games last season getting a career-high 5 points and a +3 rating.  Both of his goals scored were in wins against Quinnipiac and Brown.  In his play through the season, we have seen a defensively-minded forward who regularly helps kill penalties and provides a strong presence on the ice.  Mihalek was on the team the last time Cornell won the ECAC Tournament Championship and he will be an instrumental part of the team's goal for their next Whitelaw.  We at WAFT look forward to seeing what Mihalek brings to the team this season.  11 days!

There are icons in sports. They are not only of the personal variety that take the form of athletic icons who are heroes and accomplished participants of a given game, but also of the symbolic variety. These icons take the form of images that are instantly recognizable and everlasting: the maize and blue winged helmets of Michigan football, the golden helmets of Notre Dame football, the elegant simplicity of the blue and white uniforms of Penn State football, the maroon and gold hockey sweaters with the instantly recognizable "M" of Minnesota, and the equally historic and recognizable classic sweaters of Cornell hockey.

The sweaters of Cornell, much like those of Minnesota, have undergone changes over the history of the programs. These changes range from the slightest changes in elements to grave deviations from tradition that are corrected typically in relatively short amounts of time, often thankfully. Drastic changes are rare after most storied programs gain a sense of appreciation for their history as they mature. This post is not intended to be an all-encompassing overview of the history of Cornell sweaters and uniforms, a post very much worth writing but not entirely relevant at this point in the season, but to highlight a minor reversion in the uniforms this season that has been missing for some time.

Cornell sweaters have gone through several stages. Traditionally, the homes have been of a variety similar to the whites now worn and the aways have been of a shade very close to, if not exactly, the reds worn now since Lynah Rink opened in 1957. There is some discrepancy about the reds because Harkness altered the reds when he arrived on East Hill to be closer to the cherry of RPI, a color that he believed was more befitting of a sports team's uniforms. It is entirely possible that the earliest years of Cornell hockey from 1958 to 1963 played in sweaters not only with Cornell written in diagonal letters but that were true carnelian, a hue quite darker than the red associated with Cornell athletic teams today.

The most drastic changes to the Cornell sweaters occurred after the Harkness Era. During an era in the wake of a legend, the Big Red sought to find a new identity. Cornell's uniforms reflected this search. The sweaters went through many varieties between the mid-1970s through the late-1980s. The uniforms in that range included changes in typeface of Cornell to resemble a corporate logo with the "C" over-sized and extending to underline the remainder of "Cornell," red shoulder panels, and shoulder patches that bore "skeptical bear." A re-dedication to history occurred in the late-1980s and with it a return to the sweaters worn during the Harkness Era.

Proud adherence to tradition and extreme protectiveness with respect to uniform design has been a hallmark of Cornell hockey ever since the mid-1990s. That is why when regional news outlets and Cornell Athletics released footage of Cornell hockey's 2012 media day I was surprised to discover that an alteration had been made to Cornell's uniforms prior to the 2012-13 season. The alteration is slight, but noticeable to any scrutinizing observer. The images at the top of the page show the change.

The first shows senior captain Erik Axell in the background of an interview with Coach Schafer. His shorts display clearly a white stripe down the side. The second image shows sophomore forward Joel Lowry scoring a goal against Harvard in February 2012 last season when the stripe is clearly absent. I knew from some cursory knowledge, a few debates, and a few historical images that a similar stripe always had not been absent from Cornell's uniforms. I began to research the history of the stripe on Cornell hockey shorts with the guiding question: how much of a return to or a deviation from history is the re-addition of the white stripe?

Photographic evidence can trace the appearance of Cornell hockey uniforms from the present back through the 2000s quite readily. It is when one delves further backward into history that it becomes increasingly difficult to verify changes in Cornell hockey's uniforms in a year-by-year manner. The fact that the uniform element that concerns this post is a design element on the side of the uniforms complicates matters further because it is not an element present in the photographs of each season's roster hanging on the walls of Lynah Rink. This left me with the need to rely upon a random sampling of data and to extrapolate from those data that they are representative of a trend. This assumption seems fairly well-grounded in logic because even during the 1980s when Cornell uniforms were most variable, they remained relatively consistent between almost all sequential years.

My first task was to determine the point of exodus of the white stripe. I was unsure if I would be able to determine the specific season when the stripe was removed from Cornell's uniforms with the paucity of photographs from the early to mid-1990s. However, the results, as shown in the two contrasting images above, are quite stark. The image on the left shows Cornell in the 1996 ECAC Championship Final. The stripe is clearly visible on the forward about to score a crucial goal against the Crimson when Cornell claimed its eighth ECAC Championship. The image on the right shows Cornell but a year later in Coach Schafer's second year at the helm. The white stripe is not visible as Cornell players climb over the boards to join their teammates on the ice in celebration after Cornell won its ninth ECAC Championship in 1997. Assuming that Cornell did not change its uniforms mid-season, the removal of the stripe occurred during the off-season between the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons. The stripe had not returned during Schafer's tenure until Cornell's 2012 media day. The remaining task was to discover how long the stripe had been part of Cornell's uniforms before the 1995-96 season.

The readiest and most dependable means to find reliable sources of images of Cornell hockey uniforms prior to the 1990s is to rely upon the many famous alumni who played for the Big Red. This approach yielded the above two images. Coach Schafer, whose playing career at Cornell spanned the years from 1982 to 1986, is shown in his senior year wearing what many Cornell fans today would consider an atypical or nontraditional Cornell sweater that shorts with the white stripe complete to make Cornell's uniform during his time as a player for the Big Red. Joe Nieuwendyk was a freshman when Schafer was a junior for the Big Red. The uniform of Nieuwendyk in the second image indicates that Cornell's uniforms remained relatively consistent from the early 1980s at the beginning of Schafer's time as a player to the end of Nieuwendyk's time as a player in the late 1980s.

There is little reason to believe that Cornell uniforms changed drastically between 1987 through 1996. It was the season after Nieuwendyk departed that Cornell began its return to the uniforms worn during the Harkness Era. Brian McCutcheon's tenure began in 1987 and his return to East Hill brought with it a return to the wearing of iconic Cornell sweaters. There is little likelihood that in the span of less than nine years for which the existence of the stripe is unaccounted that the stripe was removed and re-added so that it would appear in images of the 1995-96 season.

A random sampling of images from the early 1990s shows that the stripe was still present on the shorts worn in that era. This trend supports the conclusion that the stripe was present on Cornell hockey uniforms from 1982 through 1996. This trend can be extended further back into the annals of Cornell hockey history with the few available images of the Cornell uniforms from the mid- to late 1970s. The aforesaid era of Cornell uniforms with the over-sized and underlining "C" witnessed the white stripe on the Cornell shorts. This led to one last era or transition in delving deeper into the history of the stripe on Cornell hockey uniforms.

The next era to examine was the Harkness Era. However, the images of the 1967 and 1970 teams are so ubiquitous in Cornell hockey circles that this was the previous era about which I had fewest questions. The images below tell the story of both the stripe and the historic teams. The white stripe is clearly visible in the first image of the 1967 team while captains Dave Ferguson and Murray Death receive Cornell's first NCAA national championship trophy. The second image captures the 1969-70 team with the stripe on its uniform after completing its unprecedented and still unequaled feat of capping off an undefeated and untied season with an NCAA national championship.

Some may try to characterize the "addition" of the stripe to the shorts that will accompany Cornell's 2012-13 uniforms as a change from the norm. Admittedly, it is a change from the norm since the 1996-97 season. It is the first time that the stripe has been present on Cornell uniforms in 16 years. However, the change is very Cornellian in nature. It represents a return to the proud foundations of Cornell hockey and harkens back to its greatest era.

The stripe was a part of Cornell uniforms from at least 1966 through 1996. That range encompasses the Harkness Era: the time of Cornell's greatest achievements to date during which the Big Red totaled two national titles, four Frozen Fours, four ECAC Championships, and five Ivy-League titles. The Schafer Era has produced one Frozen Four, five ECAC Championships, and seven Ivy-League titles to date. The return to the uniform aesthetic of the Harkness Era for the 2012-13 season is not the only manner in which the accomplishments of the Schafer Era seem poised to resemble more closely those of the Harkness Era in this coming season and the near future.

Our countdown continues with yet another impressive Cornell defenseman, Lauriane Rougeau.  Rougeau, a Quebec native, came to the Big Red with more than a few accolades and those have only grown in her time at Cornell.  The list of her college hockey honors is as long as the list of teams played on for her province and country.

Before Cornell
Lauriane Rougeau is a player who came to Cornell with some accolades already on her resume.  She competed for the Canadian U-18 and U-22 teams as well as Team Quebec in Canadian games.  She has earned medals on all of these teams which led her to being currently in the running for the 2014 Olympic team.

Freshman Season (2009-10)
Her freshman campaign started out with a bang.  She finished the season with 32 points, ten of which were goals.  She had an integral role in taking the team to the national title game (the first and last time the program has been there), scoring an assist in the game against Mercyhurst.  Four-point games were not uncommon for Rougeau her freshman season.  Both against travel partner Colgate, with the first during the regular season and the second during the ECAC Quarterfinals.  The only games she did not suit up for were when she was competing for Team Canada in the MLP Cup in Germany.  She went on to help the team win the gold.  Rougeau led all Big Red players in post-season scoring with 12 points in 5 games, including assist in the semifinal and national championship games.  In terms of accolades, Rougeau was named a second-team All-American, first-team All-Ivy League and first-team All-ECAC.  On top of that, she was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year.

Sophomore Season (2010-11)
Sophomore year was even better for Rougeau than her freshman season.  She had 31 points and finished with a +50 on the ice.  She was a key component to the defense on the team, as both a part of the power play and penalty kill units.  Between January and February, Rougeau had a seven-game scoring streak with 12 points in those seven games.  The only games she missed were where she once again represented Canada at the MLP Cup.  This year she was named ECAC's top defenseman and she repeated on the ECAC Hockey first team and second-team All-American.

Junior Season (2011-12)
If freshman year was fantastic for Rougeau and she improved upon that start in sophomore year, her junior campaign can be described as nothing short of phenomenal.  For the third year in a row, the team won an Ivy League title and earned not only a berth to the NCAA Tournament but reached the Frozen Four.  Awards were plentiful, and records were broken.  Rougeau ended the season with a career point total one shy of 90.  She twice scored 3 points in one game, against Syracuse and Brown.  She was the second-best scoring defenseman on the team after pair-mate Fortino, and ended the season with a +43 rating.  But what was most memorable for not only the Lynah Faithful but the national television audience was her game-winning goal against Boston University to defeat the Terriers in triple overtime to advance to the Frozen Four.  The night after the men played Dartmouth in the ECAC Quarterfinals to a record-breaking length into the second overtime, the women broke that record, playing just seconds shy of a fourth overtime.  Rougeau's goal was amazing, but words do not suffice it, so check out in the video below.

After earning such honors as Ivy League Rookie of the Year, ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team, and the NCAA Tournament All-Tournament Team in 2010.  She earned a Second-Team All-American and First Team All-ECAC Hockey and Patty Kazmaier Award nomination honors in all three years of her career as well as ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Defenseman her junior season. 

This season leaves even more room for Rougeau to grow.  She had the honor of being named captain of the Lady Rouge as with fellow defensemen Laura Fortino and Alyssa Gagliardi.  This year the team hopes to make the NCAA Tournament and see if the fourth time is the charm.  If the leadership is any indication, the Cornell women look to be a dominant team in the ECAC and the nation yet again.  7 days!

As part of a freshman class which touts solid defensemen and flashy scorers, it could have been easy for John McCarron to blend into the background.  But Macomb, Michigan native McCarron did not blend into the background at all.  On a line with then-senior Sean Collins and classmate Joel Lowry, John McCarron stood out. He scored six goals on the season and tallied 13 assists for a total of 19 points and a +1 rating.  Scoring when needed is one of McCarron's trademarks this season.  His first goal was scored against Colorado College last January in Cornell's win. 

His first year was nothing less than explosive from then on.  The other five goals were scored when the Big Red needed them most including regular season ending tying goal against Union.  Other regular-season games that McCarron scored a goal in include the final regular-season game against RPI as well as the game-winning goal against Yale.  In the playoffs there were two incredibly memorable goals scored by McCarron.  The first game in Atlantic City against a Colgate team looking for its third win against the Big Red on the season.  The Macomb, Michigan native was critical in ensuring that the Raiders did not sweep Cornell in the 2012-13 season. McCarron forced a turnover in the Raider's defensive zone which he took unassisted for a beautiful goal that looked like it was happening in slow motion. 

The next goal, his last on the year, was just as memorable.  A Michigan native, McCarron scored a goal on the University of Michigan on the power play, opening up the scoring on the team.  It was poetic that McCarron was one of the scorers that night.  It was especially memorable after McCarron's statements during the pre-tournament NCAA Midwest Regional press conference in which McCarron said that he had favored the Spartans of Michigan State over the Wolverines in the intrastate rivalry between the two universities. No offense to either Tom Anastos or Red Berenson (both of whom WAFT respects), we believe that McCarron chose the superior hockey program with the best fans in college hockey. We are more than happy to call him a member of the Cornell hockey family.

So while his goal list might not be as long as some of his teammates, they all happened when needed.  His assists occurred with even more frequency, having just over twice as many assists as goals for the season, proving to be a true team player.

Before McCarron made it to Cornell, he was already making a name for himself in the hockey world.  He played for the USHL's Lincoln Stars for parts of three seasons.  He appeared in 137 games, tallying 85 points with 33 of them being goals. In addition, he served as the Stars's team captain for the 2010-11 season.  He entered the USHL as a 16-year old, taking advantage of the opportunity to work with the team after being drafted in the Futures Draft.  To top that off, the July before heading up to East Hill, McCarron was invited to the Buffalo Sabres prospect camp.

McCarron went into his freshman season with an enthusiasm and passion for the Big Red.  When asked why he chose Cornell, John McCarron responded, "I always wanted to come somewhere with good academics and obviously Cornell being Ivy League I knew I would be challenged. Also, with the hockey team gives me the best of both worlds, good hockey and a good school. I couldn't ask for anything better, so that's why I chose Cornell."  This enthusiasm not only for Cornell hockey but Cornell academics is something for which McCarron should be lauded.  It is not like some players at other institutions who regularly leave after two or three seasons, or fail to show up entirely.  His dedication to academics and athletics is refreshing and makes him even more of a Big Red player to watch in the coming years.

As if scoring a goal against Michigan in the NCAA Tournament on one of the biggest stages in college hockey were not enough, John McCarron was drafted in June to the Edmonton Oilers.  It was more than exciting as a fan to hear McCarron's name called and his accomplishments in his first year in college.  McCarron is one of eight Cornellians who are draft picks to NHL teams.

More importantly, John McCarron is one of the forwards that we at WAFT know will have the usual increase in scoring between his freshman and sophomore years.  And we know that he will be one to watch for years to come.  14 days!

It is supremely appropriate that after highlighting the freshman who led in points per game that our attention is turned now to the senior who led the team overall in points per game. That was not the only scoring category that he led. He led Cornell in terms of total points and goals as well. Let’s take a closer look at the past and expected future contributions of senior forward Greg Miller with 16 days until Colorado College braves Lynah Rink.

Greg Miller’s contributions are apparent both on and off the ice. He displays a tremendous amount of leadership within the team. He is perhaps the senior who has the greatest tendency to lead the team, from pregame on-ice warm-ups to boosting the pace and morale of the team during crucial games, who will not wear a letter during the 2011-12 campaign. Lynah Faithful should rest assured nonetheless. Miller will be able to be relied upon to contribute his leadership and offensive skills to a Cornell team that he can help lead to its highest heights in his career.

Reliance on Miller’s skills was not always a guarantee for Cornell. He remained uncommitted to a collegiate program late into the commitment cycle. The academic year and close of the commitment cycle grew near while he played for the St. Michael’s Buzzers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.

Miller’s campaigns with the Buzzers were successful. He wore the captain’s “C” his last season with the Buzzers. Miller remained elusive to a collegiate commitment despite accumulating 249 points during his two campaigns with the Buzzers including 111 goals. The commitment cycle was coming to a close.

It was on May 1, 2009, the last possible day, that Greg Miller committed to joining the ranks of the historic players who comprise the legacy of Cornell hockey. Miller would take the ice at Lynah Rink in Cornell’s iconic home whites just five months later. He has not looked back since then and has done great things for Cornell during the first three years of his career.

Miller is unique in that his offensive skills as a forward allow him to shine even on a team and within a system that is dedicated supremely to defense. There were glimmers of greatness even during his freshman seasons when as a first-year player he joined the ranks of a Big Red roster that three 100-point scorers dominated. During his freshman campaign, Miller scored two goals and tallied five points. John Esposito and Nick D’Agostino, were his only classmates to earn more points throughout their freshman campaigns. Miller would not surrender the lead in total points in his next two seasons.

Miller emerged during the rebuilding year of 2010-11 as a reliable and consistent point producer for the Big Red. He accumulated 29 points over that campaign while accumulating those points at pivotal junctures. He earned three points against RPI in what became a crucial contest against a nationally competitive and ultimately NCAA Tournament-bound 2010-11 Engineer squad. It was the victories over RPI that ensured that Cornell maintained its long-standing streak of earning first-round byes in the ECAC Tournament and resulted ultimately in Cornell’s appearance in the 2011 ECAC Championship Final.

The end of the 2010-11 season for Miller was not unlike the end of the 2011-12 season. Miller concluded the 2010-11 season as the top point scorer for Cornell by besting then-senior Joe Devin. While most of Joe Devin’s point total was amassed with goals, Miller accumulated the majority of his total with assists and generating opportunities that ensured his team’s ultimate successes that season.

The 2011-12 season showed even greater improvement for Miller. He demonstrated his commitment to team offense in 2010-11. In 2011-12, Miller began to put his tremendous offensive capabilities on display. Miller scored nearly four times as many goals during his junior season as he did during his sophomore season. Miller led Cornell in points earned in both his sophomore and junior seasons. While Miller’s point total between his sophomore and junior campaigns differ by only two points with the latter being the higher, the percent contribution of goals toward that total shifted dramatically. Only 14% of the points that Miller contributed during his sophomore campaign were tallied with goals. That figure leapt to 45% for his junior campaign. He tallied multiple points in six games including one game in which he scored two goals during his junior season. However, it is his participation in the 2012 NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal rush that led to Rodger Craig’s game-winning goal against Michigan that will be remembered longest.

It is apparent that Greg Miller began to feel comfortable as a skilled and poised goal-scorer during the 2011-12 season. Miller’s leadership and contributions to the team’s success are apparent in his impressive +21 from his junior season. This was an improvement over his already enviable +15 rating from his sophomore season. Miller makes those around him better when he is on the ice. It is this leadership and skill that will be needed as much as his talented goal-scoring when his senior class and he help several players who are playing for Cornell for the first time navigate Cornell’s difficult 2012-13 out-of-conference schedule and reach heights in the college hockey world that Cornell has not seen recently.

Miller is an unrestricted free agent in terms of NHL eligibility. However, his undrafted status does not betray a dearth of NHL interest in the senior forward. NHL franchises have begun to show interest in Cornell’s emerging and offensively potent forward from Toronto. Miller was distinguished as one of Cornell’s ten current players to attend an NHL development camp over the 2012 off-season.

The senior forward was invited to the Washington Capitals Development Camp. Miller’s speed and his hockey sense that enabled him to be involved seemingly in every scoring opportunity impressed Caps organizational observers and spectators. The bookends of the scrimmages that the Caps Development Camp conducted unsurprisingly involved Cornell’s top pointer earner. Miller opened the scoring of the Caps’ scrimmages with a goal. Then, he concluded the camp with scoring the game-winning goal for his team in overtime of the final scrimmage of the camp. That goal can be seen in the video below at the 32:05 mark.

It is likely that Miller will have a future in the NHL, but his brightest days at Cornell may lay before him still. Miller is expected to improve markedly this season even from last season. Few observers or commentators doubt that Miller has the ability to become a top point earner in the nation, not just on East Hill. Some have begun to mention that if Miller improves as anticipated, he would become a legitimate contender for the Hobey Baker Award for the 2012-13 season.

Most commentators who champion that argument analogize Miller’s development to another ECAC forward who made it as far as the Hobey Baker Hat Trick last season. The development of Colgate’s Austin Smith is the model invoked most often. The analogy at first gloss is strikingly similar.

Smith accumulated 31 points his junior season before his breakout senior season. Miller earned 31 points his junior season. Interestingly, Miller accumulated 4 more goals his junior season than did Smith during Smith’s junior season while Colgate plays a schedule that is typically longer than that of Cornell which makes the feat even more impressive. Smith experienced a 360% increase in the number of goals he scored in his senior season over those scored in his junior season while enjoying a 184% increase in the total number of points that he scored. Smith ended his final Colgate season with 57 points and 36 goals. If Miller enjoys the same level of improvement between seasons, which is what several learned commentators have hypothesized, Miller would total 67 points with 50 goals during the 2012-13 season. This would lead his career total of points at Cornell to become 132.

The analogy is not perfect. The first major difference is the systems that are in place at Colgate and Cornell. Colgate plays a more offensively open style that is conducive to goal scoring at the expense of surrendering offensive opportunities. Cornell plays stifling defense that sometimes sacrifices open-ice offensive opportunities in exchange for control and predictability. The former is more conducive to a player tallying a higher number of points generally. However, this is not to say that Miller will not have a breakout season. WAFT thinks that he will. It is to point out that expecting 50 goals from even Cornell’s top point-earner within a system that Schafer has stated publicly will rededicate itself to sound defense is a grand task.

Miller will improve. He will become one of the best forwards in the nation. It is possible that even if he has even a fraction of the improvement that the above Smith-Miller analogy model predicted he will be a worthy and likely Hobey Baker candidate. Miller characteristically redirects praise regarding the Hobey Baker Award from him to his sophomore teammate, Brian Ferlin. His skills may prove him to be too modest. We think that he will become even more offensively potent and will serve a vital role in leading Cornell to its ultimate goals during the 2012-13 season.

One trend remains if Miller hopes to claim the Hobey Baker Award. Few recipients have been member of a team that has not made the Frozen Four during their tenure on their team. Cornell has not made the Frozen Four in Miller’s first three years at Cornell. If he wishes to win the Award, he knows what he needs to do. However, if the roster can stay healthy, he will not need to do it alone. Offensively opportunistic and fast players like Bardreau, Esposito, and Ferlin can be expected to augment Miller’s skills and speed. It is possible that the greatest competition for national offensive prominence may be between Miller and his teammates. I am sure that he would not want it any other way. Miller will prove to be more than up to the challenge.

No player who pulled on a Cornell sweater for the first time last season generated more buzz than did Brian Ferlin. Cornell's freshman phenom forward Ferlin (for those who fancy consonance) from Jacksonville, Florida impressed the Lynah Faithful and left many defenses in the ECAC awe-struck in his debut season. Injuries disrupted his development during his freshman campaign, but with his professed and evident work ethic, and monumental upside nothing but great things can be expected from Ferlin during the 2012-13 season.

I am avoiding the hackneyed pun that begins Ferlin's narrative in most media with stating the pun that he hails from the "hockey hotbed of Jacksonville, Florida." I have heard it too many times. I can only wonder if Ferlin has as well. He is a very talented player whose abilities and work ethic speak for themselves, and who happens to hail from an atypical hockey state.

Ferlin's roots in the South did not detract from the attention he received from major programs from all levels. He first caught the eyes of recruiters from Cornell and the Boston Bruins franchise while playing for the Indiana Ice of the USHL. Indiana was his home for two seasons. His first season for the Indiana Ice did not see the numbers that many among the Lynah Faithful now anticipate from him.

The 2009-10 season saw Ferlin contribute only 16 points to the team from Indianapolis with what one can only think is a yeti for its logo. It was the 2010-11 season, when Cornell was deep in a rebuilding year, that Ferlin began to dazzle with his impressive offensive capabilities in the USHL. Ferlin improved his offensive production between the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons by a factor of nearly 500%. He totaled 73 points for the Ice over a mere 55 games for an average of 1.33 points per game. The future Cornell forward generated 0.45 goals per game over that span for a season total of 25 goals in one USHL season.

However, statistics alone cannot tell the whole story of why luring Ferlin to East Hill is such a benefit to Cornell hockey. His abilities of offensive production are clear with statistics, but alone numbers cannot create the proper impression of the game-changing skills that he wields. Ferlin's arsenal is quite impressive. He is unafraid to battle in the corners for pucks or to engage in physical play when needed. Especially, if such play forces an offensive opportunity for his teammates or him. Ask any other athlete who attended the 2012 Boston Bruins Development Camp about his physicality or opportunism. Ferlin represents that physicality that typifies Cornell hockey well within one of the NHL franchises that values it highest.

Ferlin has a confidence and poise with the puck that is manifested in his ability to stick handle or dangle between even the toughest defenses. The first ECAC game of the 2011-12 season pitted Cornell against the Bulldogs of Yale who were then ranked ninth in the nation. It was Ferlin's first ECAC game. Ferlin made his presence felt immediately. He registered two helpers and an empty net goal that evening. However, his first road trip through New England in carnelian and white was far from over. The next night at Meehan Auditorium, Ferlin registered a goal and an assist. He registered five points in his first ECAC weekend during which Cornell ended its drought against the Elis. The Lynah Faithful knew that it was just the beginning of the great things that Ferlin would do for the Big Red while on the Hill.

Ferlin was injured during the latter half of the 2011-12 season, so he was not on the ice during Cornell's victory over Union at Lynah Rink. However, Ferlin sliced through the Dutchmen's defenses effortlessly and scored Cornell's second goal of the game against Union.

The ease with which he placed the puck out-of-reach of Union's goaltender and outmaneuvered defensemen of the program with what was considered statistically to be the stingiest defense in the nation (with a team goals against average of 1.83) at the end of the season indicates how Ferlin is destined to be remembered at each level of play in which he participates. The defensemen who were on the ice were of the highest calibre that Union has to present this coming season. Ferlin outpaced and outplayed two of Union's marquee defensemen in the form of Coburn and the Dutchmen's much-praised and much-lauded Shayne Gostisbehere, also of the Sunshine State.

Even though Ferlin has the ability to generate his own offensive opportunities in an impressive and flashy manner, a trait that causes many players to become too self-centered and selfish on the ice, often at the expense of the success of their teams, he displays no such qualities. The Jacksonville native shows that unselfishness is one of his virtues and that seflishness is a vice for any team that has players who tend to showboat. Ferlin amassed 21 points last season. He relies upon his puck handling and vision to see offensive opportunities arise even and help his team even if the ultimate glory of "lighting the lamp" will not be his. His dedication to team work is shown in that 62% of those points were earned through assists.

Ferlin's freshman season was phenomenal. As stated, he totaled 21 points with 8 goals and 13 assists. Sadly, his freshman season cannot be discussed without a certain yearning for what could have been. Ferlin was injured in February 2012. His injuries forced him not to participated in nine of Cornell's games during the 2011-12 season. That span encompassed all of the post-season including the ECAC Quarterfinals, ECAC Championships, and NCAA Midwest Regional.

He played only 26 games for the Big Red his first season, but totaled still 21 points. This total of 21 points placed him fifth among all Cornell players in terms of points. His eight goal total tied him for the third-most number of goals on the roster. If one uses points per game as a barometer partially to mitigate against the effect of injury-induced absences from play, Ferlin ranks second among returning Cornell players. His total of 0.81 points per game trails the pace of only top-goal-scorer and senior Greg Miller.

Returning collegiate players undergo typically their most dramatic improvement in performance between their freshman and sophomore seasons. Had Ferlin remained healthy all of last season, there is little doubt that he would have accumulated raw numbers of goals and assists that were nearly equal to those that Miller earned. Furthermore, if his level of improvement between his first season at the Ice and his second is any indication of the degree of improvement that can be expected between years for Ferlin after getting accustomed to a system, it would be an underestimate to claim that his sophomore season will be a break-out season.

Ferlin is one of eight players on the Cornell roster that an NHL franchise drafted. Predictably, because of this, he was one of the current players who participated an NHL development camp during the Summer of 2012. Ferlin joined his fellow Boston Bruins draftees at camp during June 2012. Many of the coaches and managers of the camp remarked at the skills that Ferlin demonstrated. The impressions he left during his first two Bruins camps are so prominent that Ferlin ranks consistently among the top-five most anticipated prospects in the Boston Bruins franchise system.

Ferlin's demonstration of physicality and skill can be seen in the above video from the 2012 Boston Bruins Development Camp. Ferlin can be seen demonstrating the former at 0:50-0:54 of the video and 1:16-1:31 where Ferlin can be seen undressing a defender and smoothly outplaying Gothberg to score a goal. Watching Ferlin so effortlessly outmaneuver a North Dakota goaltender is a thing of beauty.

This general trend continued at the Bruins camp this summer with other players. Ferlin joined the ranks of former Michigan State defenseman Torey Krug and current Boston College goaltender Parker Milner, who helped Boston College at times almost single-handedly claim its fifth national title, at Boston Bruins Development Camp. WAFT is glad that Ferlin had the chance to get acquainted with players who represent fellow elite programs in college hockey. If this season evolves as hoped, he will have more opportunities to demonstrate his skill set against them on the sport's biggest stage.

Ferlin was recognized at the ECAC Championships weekend in Atlantic City as the 2011-12 Rookie of the Year. Cornell players who have been honored similarly include Doug Ferguson and Joe Nieuwendyk. He defeated Quinnipiac's Peca and Harvard's McNally to earn such an honor. We doubt that Ferlin will leave Atlantic City empty-handed at the end of the 2012-13 season and he will help ensure that Cornell does not either.

One cannot overlook one facet of Ferlin's character that is oft-reported but celebrated sadly too rarely. The Boston Bruins franchise stays in close contact with its recruits and monitors their progress closely. It is through this monitoring that the Bruins interview and report on their prospects. One thing has been consistent throughout all of Ferlin's interviews: his desire to compete at Cornell for all four years and earn his Bachelor of Science.

Ferlin has the talent with little doubt to leave early, if he wishes, and compete among the pro ranks. The Boston Bruins franchise, to its credit, has appeared to encourage Ferlin's choice to complete his career, fulfill his commitment to Cornell, and earn his degree. His commitment to stay needs to be celebrated with more than just a passing statement. It shows true character and demonstrates what it truly means to be a Cornellian.

Ferlin will have a great career in front of him at Cornell. We hope that his first collegiate game back on October 26, 2012 is as explosive as his first weekend of ECAC play and a proper celebration for the return of such an integral Big Red forward. If Ferlin remains for four years, it is likely that the contention that his up-side is so great that he will be a contender for the Hobey Baker Award will prove true. Miller is one of the players who popularizes this opinion about his fellow forward most. It is not unthinkable to think that a trailblazing player like Ferlin, who was the first NHL prospect drafted from Jacksonville, will be Cornell's first Hobey Baker Award recipient in the future.

The three week mark is upon us. Only 21 days remain until the Big Red of Cornell faces off against the Tigers of Colorado College. With what we hope will seem like 21 short days remaining, we take note of the many contributions of Cornell senior forward Erik Axell to the Cornell hockey team. He is the first captain of the all-senior tri-captaincy that will lead Cornell in navigating the 2012-13 season that appears on WAFT's countdown.

At 6'4", he is one of the taller players on the team and provides a real physical presence on the ice.  In addition to his physicality, Axell brings confidence to the offense specifically and the team as a whole which is necessary in all games, from the regular season to playoffs. His leadership on the ice will be essential to any success that Cornell enjoys this season.

Axell's leadership was seen acutely in the unforgettable game against Michigan in the 2012 NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal.  In the unlikely case that a reader has forgotten, the first round of the NCAA tournament set up our Cornell Big Red opposite the Michigan Wolverines that were seeded second overall behind only eventual national champion Boston College. The Wolverines knew that they would need a quick start to ensure victory that weekend after allowing the Mason Cup to elude them just one weekend before.

The Wolverines had just the start for which they had hoped. The beginning of the game was a bit rough with the Wolverines scoring 2 goals in quick succession. How quick? Within the first two minutes of play, the challengers in maize were up by two goals. Schafer called a time-out. He realized the game was spiraling out of control quickly. In so doing, Schafer afforded the officials the opportunity to review the second goal. Ultimately, the second was called back for goaltender interference. But what is notable happened after that crucial call.

The line that took the ice would be responsible for setting the tone of the game and the character of the Cornell team going forward in the NCAA Regional. The Michigan game would not be so memorable for the two most loyal fanbases in college hockey if the Michigan onslaught continued and the highly favored Wolverines prevailed. Axell led the line that took the ice immediately after the disallowed goal.

Axell took the face-off immediately following the call. The Wolverine opposite him in the face-off circle was none other than Travis Lynch. It was Lynch's would-have-been goal that was disallowed. The situation could not have been scripted better. After the face-off, it was Axell's line who brought the pace and flow of the game into Cornell's control.

It might not have been Axell's shift after the disallowed goal that evened the score between Cornell and Michigan. It might not have been his shift after the disallowed goal that scored the winning goal. But, few can deny the integral nature of that shift and his leadership on that line to establishing firmly the game that Cornell needed to play to defeat the second overall seed in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

Axell's leadership in that specific shift did not cause Cornell to win in the box score, but it did lead Cornell to take a resounding lead in the mental game that evening in Green Bay, WI. The later composure of Cornell that allowed McCarron's, Ryan's, and Craig's goals was a direct product of Axell and his line taking control of the pace of play and showing confidence in the face of great adversity. His mental and physical grit was apparent on college hockey's biggest stage. It was Axell's leadership that changed the complexion of the entire game in one shift and buoyed Cornell onward to believe in itself.

It is supremely obvious why he was chosen by his teammates as one of the three captains this year with that type of on-ice leadership. Now let's look back at what Axell has done up until this point.

Before Cornell
Before coming to Cornell, Axell played two years with the St. Michael's Buzzers of the OJHL on a line with current teammate Greg Miller.  He was co-rookie of the year and played int he CJAHL Top Prospects game in 2008.  He got five points in his 48 games there, scoring 15 goals.  In addition to his hockey interest, Axell played football and lacrosse, gaining rookie of the year in 2006 and captaining the team as defenseman of the year in 2009.

Freshman Year (2009-10)
Lucky for us here at WAFT, Axell chose hockey as his collegiate sport.  In his freshman campaign, Axell appeared in 10 games.  He got three assists on the season, making his debut in the season opener against Niagara.  His first point was scored against Colgate at Lynah in November of the same year.  In addition to points against Brown and Dartmouth, Axell had six penalty minutes on the season.

Sophomore Year (2010-11)
Sophomore year was better to Axell than his freshman year.  He appeared in 18 games (almost double the amount of games as the previous season).  Mirroring his first point from the previous year, Axell's first collegiate goal was scored once again against Colgate at Lynah.  It was all the sweeter because it was the game-winner.  On the season, he also had an assist against Harvard and finished the season with six penalty minutes again.

Junior Year (2011-12)
Junior year was even more impressive for Axell.  He appeared in all 35 games, despite being injured.  Due to this determination, Axell earned the Iron Man Award for pushing through the season to overcome his injuries.  In spite of these injuries, he had a career-high four points.  His most notable assist on the year came in Game 2 of the ECAC Quarterfinal series against Dartmouth that most will remember as the longest men's hockey game played at Lynah Rink.  Axell was an integral part of the team in ways that did not reflect on the score sheet, being one of the primary penalty killers for the Big Red.  As far as penalties go, Axell managed to blow his previous number (six per season) out of the water.  Axell notched 39 penalty minutes in his junior year, with 29 coming in one game against Brown.

Senior Year (2012-13)
This year Axell is poised to do even greater things.  He played injured last season and hopefully will return to the Big Red as healthy as ever.  In addition to being one of the seven seniors on the roster this year, Axell was named as one of the tri-captains along with defensemen Nick D'Agostino and Braden Birch.  Axell's leadership clearly exists in a way that his teammates chose to honor him by voting him one of their captains for this year.  His contributions to the team are far more than just numbers on a box score, as he generates numerous scoring opportunities in addition to providing confidence, strength and leadership on the ice.

Axell's leadership will be crucial to navigating the first portion of the season as players who have had not ice time mature and adjust to their roles within Schafer's system. Axell's confidence will be contagious as it was in Green Bay. His leadership and the sense of self-assuredness that he brings to the Big Red's game will be essential in a team that aspires to reach the apex of the college hockey world this season.

We at WAFT know that he will do great things for Cornell as a senior.  21 days!

In light of the weight that has been afforded many polls over the last two weeks, I decided to do a statistical analysis of the accuracy of ECAC preseason media and coaches polls in predicting the ultimate winner of the regular-season title and ECAC Championship. The above graphic displays the results. I have included the information for which I have ready access that includes which program won the ECAC preseason polls in a given year.

The approach that I took in the final analysis is straightforward. It gives the ECAC preseason polls the greatest accuracy when possible. I chose to give the ECAC preseason polls credit for predicting a given outcome correctly even when the media and coaches differed in their conclusions if one of the two polls predicted the winner of the regular season or ECAC Championship correctly. This ensure that the results are a best case scenario for the ECAC preseason polls's predictive abilities.

The results as tabulated above illustrate that the winner of the ECAC preseason polls goes on to win both a regular-season title and ECAC Championship in the following season 18.2% of the time. The preseason poll is accurate in predicting the ultimate winner of the regular season only 18.2% of the time. Media and coaches polls predict correctly the winner of the ECAC Championship 27.3%. However, disturbingly, the plurality of the time, the winner of the ECAC preseason poll fails to win either the regular-season title or the ECAC Championship.

These statistics are illuminating after both ECAC preseason polls chose Union to finish first in the ECAC. Cornell was selected to finish second in both polls. Union begins NCAA Division I play on Saturday against Merrimack and speculation has begun already about whether the Dutchmen from Schenectady can repeat the successes of last season that culminated in Union's winning of a Whitelaw Cup and appearance in the 2012 Frozen Four. The hanging of four (one for a regular-season title, one for an ECAC Championship, one for either an NCAA Tournament appearance or being  an "NCAA Regional Champion" (there is some ambiguity among sources about that), and one for a Frozen-Four appearance) banners at Messa Rink before the game Saturday evening will just exacerbate such murmurings.

Another historical fact to consider also is the number of programs in the history of the ECAC that have been able to defend successfully their ECAC Championship. The only current members of the ECAC to win back-to-back ECAC Championships are RPI ('84-85), SLU ('88-89, '00-01), and Cornell ('67-68, '68-69, '69-70, '96-97). As the parenthetical years indicate, RPI defended its title once, SLU defended titles twice, and Cornell defended its titles with back-to-back championships four times.

The uphill battle seems steep for the Dutchmen. However, it would not be the first trend in ECAC Hockey that they bucked. Union joined a select group of programs that have won both the trophy for the regular-season title as it has been given since 2001 and went on to win the Whitelaw Cup. Cornell and Yale were the only programs to achieve that feat prior to last season. Yale did it in 2009. Cornell did it in both 2003 and 2005.

Considering the weight of the statistical and historical evidence, it seems statistically unlikely that Union will claim both a regular-season title and a Whitelaw Cup this season. Especially, when one considers that Cornell is the primary outlier in all the above trends and is the only program to have gone on to win both the regular-season and the ECAC Championship after the ECAC preseason poll selected it, and to have defended the Whitelaw Cups a record four times for a total of six ECAC Championships earned in that manner. This analysis is not to put down Union hockey or dampen its expectations. It is a newly successful program that is poised for another great year. The purpose is principally to highlight the predictive worth of ECAC preseason polls in discerning which program will claim titles at the end of the season.

Cornell averages winning a Whitelaw Cup every three years. The last time that Cornell won the ECAC Championship was 2010. That season the ECAC preseason poll placed Cornell second. Only time will tell which trends are predictive of the 2012-13 season.