The Cornell women's ice hockey roster had a high attrition rate after last season with losing a very talented class of eight players. They will leave behind undeniably a large void to fill. That class led Cornell to its first Frozen Four and national title game in the history of the women's program. Some worry that such a class would be nearly impossible to replace. Their roles will be forgotten never, but Outlook Hockey shows how developed and deep the freshman talent is that Coach Derraugh brought to East Hill for the 2012-13 in the form of Anna Zorn, Jess Brown, Victoria Pittens, Taylor Woods, Kelly Murray, Morgan Richardson, Cassandra Poudrier, and Stefanie Moak.
The Hockey Guys Serve Up A Big Red Snub?
While the women's ice hockey team was getting special attention from Outlook Hockey, the incoming men's ice hockey class was getting no particular attention from The Hockey Guys. The Guys made a list of what they believed to be the top ten incoming recruiting classes in college hockey. They considered not simple quantitative criteria like NHL draft picks or direct comparison of junior league statistics, but attempted to take a holistic account of the impact that each new class will have upon the program that it is joining. They recognized honorable mentions for Minnesota-Duluth, Harvard, and Denver and ranked the top ten as follows: 10. Ohio State, 9. Minnesota, 8. North Dakota, 7. Boston College, 6. Providence, 5. Miami, 4. Boston University, 3. Michigan, 2. Nebraska-Omaha, 1. Notre Dame. Cornell is noticeably missing.
A few among the fanbase were upset or distraught by that fact. However, considering that Cornell brought in what College Hockey News recognized as a top-ten recruiting class just last season, this season is more of a reloading rather than a rebuilding year. Cornell lost key defensemen in Ross and Whitney, and clutch forwards in Collins and Jillson. However, with players like Miller and Esposito remaining and those like Ferlin, Lowry, and Bardreau maturing, Cornell really needed more reliability than flashy, point-scoring talent in the incoming class. Willcox and Stoick will attempt to provide that reliability and I am sure that with some time Knisley, Hilbrich, and Tiitinen will become reliable point producers in their own right.
Comparison of the season's classes indicates that there is no cause for alarm either. Notre Dame was ranked in the top ten for both last season and this coming season. Last season, Notre Dame failed to earn a bid to the national tournament. Another interesting note is that Providence cracked the top ten classes. I think this is an indication of the recruiting talents of Nate Leaman and that he will have Providence bursting onto the national season much like he did while building the talent reservoir and system that still exists at Union two seasons after his departure.
Redcast: (Possibly) Slightly Less Horrifying This Season
"Cornell has upgraded connectivity at Schoellkopf Field, Lynah Rink, Newman Arena and Friedman Wrestling Center to allow for higher quality feeds. In addition, new HD radios will upgrade the audio feeds for football, men's ice hockey and basketball, as well as men's lacrosse. In addition, professional audio broadcasts will be available as part of the video feeds for home events involving sprint football, women's basketball, women's ice hockey and women's
lacrosse."
While it would be nice for those fans away from Lynah to be able to see these games in a reliable fashion, we will wait and see how Cornell athletics improves the quality of Redcast. After all, if RPITV can produce excellent quality broadcasts (see: 2012 ECAC Semifinals and Finals in Atlantic City), Cornell certainly can do it! We look forward to seeing improvements in quality this year and into the future.
Crest Is Better (Just A Friendly Reminder)
Rosen Chooses a Design That Celebrates Golden Knights History
I think it is part and parcel to being Lynah Faithful that one gains quickly an appreciation for all things goaltending. So, I like the helmet design a lot. The one side that celebrates the Golden Knights pep band and fans reminds me of one other goaltender's mask from Cornell.
And so it begins.... twitter.com/UnionHockey/st…
— Union College Hockey (@UnionHockey) September 6, 2012
A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words