In its final exhibition before the regular season begins, Cornell men’s hockey will face the United States National Team Development Program Under-18 Team on Saturday, Oct. 21.
“They’ve got a lot of talent,” said head coach Mike Schafer ’86 last Saturday after winning its first exhibition against Toronto Metropolitan University. “They’re very, very skilled and move pucks. They’ve been playing together for two years.”
Cornell last faced off against the USNTDP U-18 team back on Oct. 23, 2021, in an exhibition which the Red took by a score of 4-2.
The Red will have to shift gears a bit — while TMU presented a tougher, heavy-hitting matchup, the USNTDP plays at a quick pace and possesses lots of high-end skill.
“[USNTDP] will be fast, way more skilled, more dangerous in transition and offense, and special teams,” Schafer added. “It’ll be a different type of game.”
Composed of many potential first round draft picks, the USNTDP U-18 Team dismantled top-ranked Boston University last Saturday, 8-2, before falling to Ivy-rival Dartmouth, 7-2, on Sunday.
“They beat BU pretty handily [Saturday], so we’ve gotta be ready for them,” Schafer said.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday at Lynah Rink. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.
Jane McNally is a senior editor on the 143rd editorial board and was the sports editor on the 142nd editorial board. She is a member of the class of 2026 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. You can follow her on X @JaneMcNally_ and reach her at jmcnally@cornellsun.com.
