The long-storied rivalry between Cornell men’s hockey and Boston University will get a new chapter this coming Thanksgiving weekend in the sixth installment of Red Hot Hockey, taking place at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the respective athletics departments announced Thursday.
“We are very excited to return to Madison Square Garden for another year of this fantastic event,” Cornell head coach Mike Schafer ’86 said in a press release. “Red Hot Hockey is something that everyone around our program awaits with great anticipation, and it’s amazing that it’s remained such a prominent event in college hockey for 10 years.”
Cornell and BU last took part in Red Hot Hockey in 2015, when the Red and Terriers tied 3-3. The Red is yet to win in the ongoing series and has not captured the Kelly-Harkness Cup — named after former coaches of each school, Jack Kelly (BU) and Ned Harkness (Cornell) — which was introduced in 2013. The Red lost in 2007, 2011 and 2013, and the teams tied in 2009 in addition to 2015.
Almost every Cornell season since 2007-08 has featured a game at Madison Square Garden — in 2008-09 there was no professional stadium game, and in 2010-11 the team played at the Prudential Center instead. Last season, Cornell downed New Hampshire 3-1 in the Frozen Apple.
The game in NYC is always a great way for alumni from both universities to see their teams in action, Cornell Athletic Director Andy Noel said.
“Red Hot Hockey at Madison Square Garden is five months away, but alumni and fans of Cornell Hockey are already making plans to attend,” Noel said to Cornell Big Red. “At reunion weekend, many alumni specifically mentioned the annual battle at MSG and I was delighted that enthusiasm is building so soon.”
Tickets for the highly-anticipated matchup are on sale at starting at noon on Friday, and are available at the through Ticketmaster, the MSG website and the respective fan sections. Cornell students can get tickets for a discount at the ticket office at Bartels Hall.