“[It’s] outstanding to finally win a championship again — it’s been a long time,” said head coach Mike Schafer ’86. “The belief within the locker never, ever wavered once throughout the course of the year.”
On Saturday night, men’s hockey broke a 14-year ECAC title drought, defeating St. Lawrence, 3-1, at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, NY. It is the team’s sixth title under Schafer.
Freshman forward Jonathan Castagna scored two goals in the game while junior goaltender Ian Shane made 31 saves, including a handful of important stops late in the third period.
“Everyone’s so excited. That was our goal, after 14 years — just to feel that, all the pent up emotions. … It was just such a fun weekend,” Shane said.
The Whitelaw Cup will return to Ithaca while Cornell awaits its NCAA tournament fate. The Red will learn its opponent for the national tournament after Selection Sunday, which is slated for 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
“Before the game, you think: ‘this is the last time we’ll have the ability to fight for this title with the same group of guys,’” Castagna said. “It was incredibly special. What we’ve created is really special.”
Article by Jane McNally
Filmed by Jane McNally
Edited by Marian Caballo
Produced by Jane McNally, Marian Caballo