By wpengine February 27, 2004
As per usual, the ECAC standings have come down to the final weekend of the season. With just five points separating first place from fifth, this weekend’s action will largely determine the conference tournament seedings and the all-important first-round byes. “Obviously you want home ice and a first round bye. From the start of the year, you want to be in that group of the top four,” head coach Mike Schafer ’86 said. “With a lot of the guys we have banged up, it is a great opportunity for us to catch a little breather. We know the advantage from that from the previous year — being fresh going into the playoff run.” For Cornell (13-8-6, 11-6-3 ECAC), the equation is actually quite simple. If the team can earn three points against St. Lawrence tonight and Clarkson tomorrow, it guarantees itself one of the top four seeds and a first-round bye. The Red currently sits tied for third with Dartmouth at 25 points Otherwise, its fate will lie in the unsteady hands of the hockey gods. “They are very similar in a lot of different ways,” Schafer said of this weekend’s opponents. “It’s made more of a difference on how we come prepared and how we fight for loose pucks. The real key to winning is how much passion and desire we put into these games in order to win them, and in order to gain that bye.” St. Lawrence (11-17-6, 7-10-3 ECAC) ranks eighth in the ECAC with 17 points, and is coming off one of its most impressive weekends of the season. Shutting out second-place Brown 4-0 last Friday and tying sixth-place Harvard 3-3 the following night, the Saints have certainly gained momentum heading into the playoffs. On offense, the Saints are led by senior Rich Peverley and sophomore T.J. Trevelyan. Peverley’s 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 34 games are a team-best and good for 11th in the ECAC. However, it is Trevelyan that provides the most firepower, having scored 21 goals in just 32 games this season. Trevelyan has particularly excelled on the power play, leading the conference with eight tallies on the man-advantage and topping the nation with 11 such scores overall. After sharing time with classmate Kevin Ackley earlier in the season, junior goaltender Mike McKenna has claimed sole possession of the puck-stopping duties over the last month of play. McKenna is 5-5-3 in conference play with a 2.31 GAA and .917 save percentage. The somewhat streaky netminder has recently shown signs of greatness, stopping 59 of 62 shots faced last weekend. Clarkson (12-15-5, 7-11-2 ECAC) is also coming off a weekend that saw it shock second-place Brown. However, the Knights weren’t able to fend off Harvard the night before, losing a closely matched game, 2-1. The Golden Knights score just 2.45 goals per game (ninth in the ECAC) while allowing just under three goals to their opponents. One number which has hurt Clarkson all season is its 18.80 penalty minutes per game average. With almost an entire period of play lost in penalty kill situations each game, sophomore netminder Dustin Traylen has often been asked to bend over backwards for his team. Junior Mac Faulkner leads the Golden Knights with 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 31 games, while classmate Chris Blight boasts a team-best 14 goals. Unfortunately for Clarkson, neither has been able to show particularly well in conference play. Cornell split last weekend, beating RPI 2-1 in a highly anticipated match-up on Friday and losing a disappointing game against Union 3-0 Saturday. The letdown against Union was one with which Schafer’s team has become all too familiar. However, the implications of this weekend’s action demand that the Red show up against its opponents. “After the loss last weekend, we have to get back to playing our own game,” said senior assistant captain Ben Wallace. “I overheard Ryan saying something about the power play, and that’s definitely a key. You’ve got to start producing and continue to kill penalties. We’ve got to focus more on when we’re on special teams.” Cornell has battled its way to the nation’s third-best defensive mark at 1.81 goals allowed per game. It has also performed spectacularly on the penalty kill, fighting off 88.5 percent of its opponents’ chances, fourth-best nationally. Cornell freshman goaltender David McKee has also been impressive in net, posting the nation’s fourth-best GAA (1.72), the seventh-best save percentage (.924), and is tied for second with five shutouts.Archived article by Scott Jones
By wpengine February 27, 2004
This weekend, one of the most successful senior classes in the history of the men’s hockey team will play in its final regular season home games. For Ryan Vesce, Ben Wallace, Greg Hornby, and Todd Marr, the past four years have been a tremendous collection of successes, emotions, and experiences, topped by last year’s trip to the NCAA Frozen Four. But to these four players, no on-ice experience can possibly match what the players have gained and learned personally. “I think it’s been the camaraderie we’ve had throughout my years, it’s been a great bunch of guys,” said goaltender Marr, who has been a backup his entire Cornell career, falling behind Matt Underhill ’02, David LeNeveu ’05, and now freshman David McKee on the depth chart. “We’ve really gelled every year as a team and it’s been exciting to watch other guys move on and see other guys improve, and I’ve had a great time and experience with these guys.” “I think every senior coming away from a program like Cornell, it’s a great tradition of hockey here, just the discipline you need to compete at this level is huge,” said defenseman and assistant captain Wallace. “I think I’m a lot more disciplined not only in hockey but also in life.” The Class of 2004 has also enjoyed almost unprecedented success on the ice. After being part of a Red team that reached the ECAC championship game in 2000-01, the class has not looked back. “They know nothing but success. They have been to the ECAC championship game every year since they’ve been here,” said head coach Mike Schafer ’86. “They know nothing except getting to the final four in our league, being successful, and they’ve been a big part of it.” Sophomore year, the class helped lead the Red to a second consecutive ECAC title game, as well as the team’s first NCAA tournament bid since 1996-97. Last season topped all previous performances. The Red went 30-5-1, including the team’s first trip to the Frozen Four since 1980. The current seniors were instrumental parts of the team’s run. When asked his favorite memory of his experiences with Cornell hockey, Wallace said, “Definitely just going to the Frozen Four. it was a great time, a great experience, and definitely that’s where we want to get back to this year.” Team success aside, each player has had numerous personal accolades. Vesce, the team captain, has been the first-line center his entire Cornell career. Last year, he became the first Cornell junior to score 100 career points since Joe Niewendyk ’88. After playing every game of his freshman season, Wallace missed his entire sophomore year due to injury. He returned last season, fighting his way back into the lineup to become the team’s most consistent defenseman. Meanwhile, Hornby developed into an effective, physical player, quickly becoming a fan favorite at Lynah Rink. “They’re kind of a unique class in that they’re determined,” Schafer said. “They’ve fought through a lot of adversity and it’s great to see them have the individual success they’ve had since they’ve been here.” As much of an impact as the senior class has had on the success of the program, the atmosphere of Lynah Rink has had a similar impact on the players. “I’ve gained a lot of respect because of the way I play, being a physical presence out there,” Hornby said. “[I’m going to] Savor the moment and the energy of the crowd and just savor my last couple of games here and taking in the atmosphere and trying to play my hardest.” “Playing in this rink is the thing I will remember the most,” Vesce agreed. “It will be sad to leave it at the end of the regular season.” For Wallace, the experience of Lynah Rink has been particularly emotional. Having overcome his share of adversity in his career, he is looking forward to finishing out his Cornell career on a high note. “My sophomore year, I didn’t play very much,” he said. “Coming to the rink and not playing really makes you realize how special it is to pull that sweater over your shoulders and skate down the ice.”Archived article by Owen Bochner