In a goalies’ league, Ben Scrivens ranks among the best. ECAC Hockey games are relatively low-scoring and the league has produced a number of big-name college hockey goalkeepers, many from the rink far above Cayuga’s Waters. In fact, few positions in sports have as much institutional tradition as Cornell’s netminder. Ken Dryden ’69 went 26-0-1 as a sophomore to lead the team to its first national championship in 1966-67, and played starting goalie for the Montreal Canadiens from 1971-1979. Brian Cropper ’71 went 29-0-0 en route to the Red’s second, and last, national championship in 1969-70. From 2002-2005, Cornell accounted for three of four Ken Dryden Awards, given to the top goalie in ECAC Hockey. For a period last season, it looked like Scrivens, now a senior, would add his name to the list of Dryden Award winners. The Spruce Grove, Alberta, native finished the season almost tied with Princeton goalie Zane Kalemba in overall goals-against average and save percentage, but Kalemba had better in-conference numbers, partially thanks to a tough February road trip to Dartmouth and Harvard that saw Scrivens give up eight goals.

Like everyone else, Scrivens isn’t perfect. The skills are clearly there — his 12 career shutouts already ranks third in school history — but sometimes they seem to lie dormant, leaving streaks of superb play followed by clusters of forgettable moments. Scrivens opened the 2008-09 campaign by outplaying Kalemba in the season opener to shut out the Tigers, 1-0, in New Jersey. In the teams’ regular-season rematch, Scrivens gave up two goals in the final minute and Cornell lost the game, 2-1, at home.

“That’s hockey,” Scrivens said after the game. “If you don’t play the full 60 minutes, it can really come back to bite you.”

Other costly lapses last season include: a fluke at Dartmouth where Scrivens knocked a high shot out of the air into his own net, and a miscommunication that resulted in a Harvard goal at home. He was pulled halfway through a game at St. Lawrence after giving up four goals, although his replacement didn’t fare much better and the Red suffered its worst defeat of the season, 8-1.

“The biggest thing we’ve been preaching to Ben is to take on the leadership role of stopping the puck,” said head coach Mike Schafer ’86. “As a goaltender, he’s got to show leadership from being consistent day-in and day-out with his performance. I think that is the thing he’s got to show the team: they’ve got to understand when they look back that he’s rock solid in practice and in games.”

But the goalie is probably more aware of his weaknesses than anyone else, and he’s willing to take responsibility for them. Consistency and the mental aspect of the game are two themes Scrivens worked on over the summer at a New York Rangers developmental camp.

“It’s just a lot of refinement,” he said of the camp. “Getting a second opinion of guys who are at the next level, maybe they see one little thing where it’s a tweak here, a tweak there. Obviously the mental game, just making sure that I’m ready to go for each game, each shot that comes my way. That’s been one of my problems in the past, I’ll admit that.”

The team has its sights set high, to a level where one mental error can end the season.

“Goal is to win a national championship,” said senior forward Blake Gallagher.

Last season, Cornell defeated Northeastern, 3-2, to advance to the NCAA Midwest Regional where it fell to Bemidji St.

“This year that’s not going to be acceptable,” said junior Riley Nash. “I think guys have a little drive in their stomach and are ready to go.”

If the team’s scoring depth doesn’t unfold as planned, the burden will fall to Scrivens and the defense to keep the team winning. ECAC Hockey is constantly becoming more competitive, and a prolonged offensive slump could be lethal to the Red’s ambitions.

“Defense always carries you through rough stretches,” said Schafer, himself a former blueliner and Red tri-captain. “That’s always going to be a consistent in your game.”

Cornell’s defense, historically one of the best in college hockey, prides itself on team discipline and an ability to get up and down the ice. This year’s freshmen defensemen add one more element: size. All three are over 6-0, 180 pounds.

“All three of those guys are more mobile than the guys that graduated,” Schafer said. “Obviously they’re bigger. Braden [Birch] and Nick [D’Agostino] have gotten the respect of the NHL as far as being drafted. ... The things we’ve done that we’ve had a lot of success with, we’ve kind of followed that blueprint. We are bigger but we are also more mobile.”

Freshmen Birch and D’Agostino were drafted in the sixth and seventh rounds of the NHL draft, respectively, and the latter picked up an assist in the season-opening win over Niagara.

“It’s pretty special,” D’Agostino said of his first game with the Cornell defense. “There are some pretty big names that have come through this program. I’m learning stuff every day, so it’s good so far.”

The blueliners are anchored by two seniors: Brendon Nash contributes poised play and outside shooting on special teams and 5-on-5, and Justin Krueger can mix it up offensively and penalty kill with the best of them.

“Our defense is going to be very, very solid,” Schafer said. “You look at the guys that are returning, they played a lot of minutes last year. I think Ben’s the best goaltender in college hockey and I really believe that. You couldn’t convince me that there’s someone more valuable or better than him as a goalie. He hasn’t had the preseason accolades ... but no one wants the preseason accolades. You want the honors at the end of the year.”