After a slow start to its season, Cornell men’s hockey now finds itself in a three-way tie atop the ECAC standings with Yale and Quinnipiac. The Red will take on second-to-last place Colgate twice this weekend — once on each campus — in an attempt to create some separation from its conference rivals.
How to watch or listen:
Video on ESPN+ (subscription needed), radio in Ithaca on WHCU 97.7 FM/870 AM. Live updates are available at www.cornellsun.com and on Twitter @DailySunSports.
Series history:
The Central New York rivals first met in 1921 and the Red holds an overall 83-57-15 advantage over the Raiders. Cornell has also won six straight games against Colgate, including back-to-back 2-0 victories last season.
Cornell last time out:
The Red won a pair of games against its rivals Harvard at Dartmouth at Lynah Rink, with sophomore goaltenders Matt Galajda and Austin McGrath each splitting starts and victories, respectively.
Colgate last time out:
As Cornell’s travel partner, Colgate also faced Dartmouth and Harvard last weekend but in reverse order. The Raiders dropped both games, 1-0 and 2-1.
Scouting the Raiders:
Colgate’s biggest strength is its faceoff unit, which ranks second in Division I hockey at 56.2 percent. On the flip side, the biggest weakness for the Raiders is their worst-in-the-nation penalty kill, which clocks in at just under 70 percent.
Cornell will beat Colgate if…
It sticks to its play and capitalizes on power plays. The Red is the better team in most statistical categories and has a much stronger record in the conference. If the Cornell team of recent weeks shows up to play this weekend, a sweep of the Raiders should come naturally.
What they’re saying in Ithaca:
Head Coach Mike Schafer ’86 on the home-and-home: “When you’re playing the same opponent, the adjustments that you make are pretty easy for our players to understand, so that doesn’t take as much time to prep on Saturday.”
Sophomore defenseman Cody Haiskanen on the goaltending battle: “[Galajda and McGrath] both do a great job of stopping the puck.”
Injury report:
Freshman forward Max Andreev is sidelined long-term with an upper-body injury he sustained against Harvard. Junior forward Jeff Malott, sophomore forward Tristan Mullin and sophomore defenseman Alex Green continue to be week-to-week.
Sound smart:
Cornell’s sophomore class averages 1.47 goals per game, which leads the ECAC and is third in the country.
Fun fact:
Colgate is a university because it educates roughly a dozen students in its Masters of Teaching program — the only program outside its arts college.