It was a night emblematic of Cornell hockey culture.
Saturday evening began with a rendition of the Swedish national anthem, played in honor of senior forward Gabriel Seger on his senior night. The Cornell Pep Band, dressed its best, later serenaded the crowd to the six-verse alma mater, which it does for only the final men’s hockey home game.
And even after Cornell secured the 3-1 win over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Seger and senior goaltender Ryan McInchak embarked on their well-earned farewell laps.
“It was [a] great [night]. … After the game, [I was] hugging [my] teammates [and] coaches and then celebrat[ing] a little bit with [the] Lynah Faithful who were awesome,” Seger said. “And then having your family out there is a great time.”
Fans packed the stands at Lynah to witness the final regular season clash of men’s hockey’s 2023-24 campaign, and they weren’t disappointed. The Red stuck to its stingy style of play to secure one final victory before its bye week ahead of the ECAC playoffs.
“It’s been a long battle here with the guys being sick, and I was really happy with the way that we came out and we had a little bit better mindset,” said head coach Mike Schafer ’86.
Cornell finishes its season 17-6-6, with a 12-6-4 conference record. The Red secured second place in the ECAC and will be the No. 2 seed in the conference playoffs.
“I told our guys after the game, to go 17-6-6 with 10 freshmen on our team is just a tremendous accomplishment,” Schafer said.
Neither team jumped out to a lightning-fast start on Saturday, but Cornell’s steady pressure ultimately earned it the game-opening tally. On a two-on-one, freshman forward Jonathan Castagna fired a shot on RPI’s Jack Watson, who surrendered a dangerous rebound with junior forward Jack O’Leary breaking on the other side.
Don’t leave O’Leary unattended –– without hesitation, O’Leary fired the rebound into a vacant net, giving Cornell a 1-0 lead for the second straight night.
This time, however, the Red didn’t go away. Sticking to its defensive philosophy, Cornell limited RPI (9-21-4, 6-13-3 ECAC) to seven shots in the first period and a total of just 20 in the game. The defensive end was shaken up a bit after Friday night’s disappointing loss to Union.
Freshman defenseman Marian Mosko slotted in on the third d-pair while sophomore defenseman Jack O’Brien suited up as the extra skater. Freshman defenseman George Fegaras, who had only missed one game all season, did not suit up.
“We made some changes [after Friday night] because guys aren’t listening,” Schafer said, referencing the slight alterations in the defensive pairings.
Defensively, Cornell flourished –– the Red held a shutout for 58:15 on Saturday night.
“I didn’t think we gave up a whole lot of chances tonight,” Schafer said.
The Red’s offense capitalized once more with 5:59 left in the opening frame, as freshman forward Jake Kraft stuffed home a loose puck in the crease to double the Cornell lead going into the second.
The middle frame endured a lengthy stretch without a whistle, allowing for a fast-paced, fluid stretch. Neither team particularly dominated offensive zone time until the second half of the period, where Cornell executed a handful of precise passing plays, all of which culminated in its third goal.
On a single-man effort, Junior forward Sullivan Mack collected the puck behind the net and pulled off a wraparound attempt that beat the goaltender. Cornell rekindled its signature offensive tactics on Saturday, creating traffic in front of the net and scoring from up close.
“We had some guys walk right down the pipe today that couldn’t score,” Schafer said. “But we were able to get those greasy goals, bring it to the net and jam it home.”
Cornell appeared to extend its lead once more in the third, when Kraft notched what would’ve been his second of the game on a scrum in front of the net. However, the play was reviewed and the goal was ultimately negated.
“I don’t know why [it didn’t count],” Schafer said.
RPI similarly had a goal of its own overturned a few minutes later, keeping the score steadfast at 3-0.
A late Engineer goal with 1:45 left in the game ultimately spoiled junior goaltender Ian Shane’s shutout bid, but the crowd erupted as the horn sounded on a 3-1 senior night win.
Unlike after the Red’s heartbreaking 1-0 loss to St. Lawrence on senior night last season, the team was able to soak in the festivities Saturday night with a weight lifted off its shoulders.
Both Seger and McInchak added some personal touches to their farewell laps.
“I’m pretty good at griddy-ing,” Seger said.
“[Junior defenseman] Jimmy Rayhill, [Shane] and I –– we do a lot of dabbing around campus, so I figured I’d incorporate that for one last dab here at Lynah,” McInchak said.
After a picture-esque senior night chock full of celebrations and dancing, Cornell will receive a much-needed bye week next weekend. With multiple players on the roster battling sickness, injury and fatigue, the Red will look to decompress before honing its focus on the quarterfinals.
“We haven’t been practicing much and it shows in our game,” Schafer said. “We can really use this week to our advantage to get some rest, but we also have to get back to work.”
Cornell’s opponent in the ECAC quarterfinals will be determined after the opening round games, which begin on Friday, March 8. With the No. 2 seed in the tournament, it is likely Cornell could face the No. 7 seed in the quarterfinals –– St. Lawrence –– barring no upsets.
The Red will be back in action on Friday, March 15 in game one of the ECAC quarterfinals, held at Lynah Rink.