M. Icers Host Canadians in Exhibition

After the men’s hockey team took a strong U.S. Under-18 National Team to overtime last Saturday, finishing the game with the score knotted at 3, Lynah Rink will be the site of another preseason exhibition matchup tonight.
This week’s opponent is also a collection of elite skaters, but the University of Western Ontario crossed a national boundary to get to Ithaca.
[img_assist|nid=32959|title=Angry face|desc=Sophomore forward Tyler Roeszler (right) scored in the Red’s first exhibition game last weekend.|link=node|align=left|width=|height=0]
Tonight’s contest will be the Red’s second and final exhibition match before conference play begins in two weeks.
Cornell had only one day of practice under its belt when the National Team came to Lynah last week, but the Red got goals from sophomores Riley Nash and Tyler Roeszler, as well a shorthanded third-period score from junior Tyler Mugford that briefly gave the lead to the home team.
While junior netminder Ben Scrivens started, freshman Mike Garman also saw time guarding the Cornell goal, as the coaching staff used the exhibition match to get several players in the game.
Unlike the relatively untested Red, the Mustangs are six games into their regular season. Since winning their home opener over Queen’s University Oct. 4, 2-0, they have gone 3-2 — the stretch was bookended by a 4-3 loss to powerhouse Michigan St. in Lansing on Oct. 6 and defeats in Western Ontario’s last two conference matchups.
Between the losses, however, the Mustangs tallied two tough wins at home over conference foes Wilfrid Laurier, 4-3 in overtime, last weekend and Waterloo the week before that, 7-6. Three of Western Ontario’s last four games were decided by one goal.
The Mustangs has scheduled some challenging non-conference road competition this year, including the visit to Michigan St. After the Canadian squad visits Lynah Rink tonight, it will travel to Princeton to play another Ivy exhibition the next day.
Cornell will soon follow Western Ontario’s lead, heading to Princeton for the Red’s ECAC opener Nov. 7.