The last time men’s hockey took the ice was 215 days ago. Cornell was one win away from the Frozen Four, looking to eclipse the finals for the first time since 2003.
And just 24 hours before the Red fell to the eventual national champion Denver on Mar. 30, 2024, North Dakota surrendered three goals in the third period to come up short against Michigan, ending its season prematurely.
Both teams have been to the highest stage before. Neither got there last year.
Both are looking to do it again.
While things have already gotten going for the No. 6 Fighting Hawks in 2024-2025, No. 9 Cornell’s season will begin on Friday when it hosts a two-game, out-of-conference series at Lynah Rink. As the original matchup between these two teams was scheduled for the 2020-2021 season — ultimately canceled for Cornell due to the COVID-19 pandemic — the installment at Lynah is nearly four years in the making.
North Dakota (3-2, 0-0 NCHC) is already five games into its season, all five being against ranked opponents. The Fighting Hawks beat No. 12 Providence before splitting its next two series against No. 16 Minnesota State and No. 5 Boston University.
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The Red has, instead, taken matters into its own hands by playing hard in practice and taking advantage of preseason matches against Princeton and the University of Toronto. Ivy League rules prevent Cornell –– and all other Ivies –– from starting its season at the same time as its other NCAA counterparts.
“I’ll keep saying it until I’m blue in the face — I wish the presidents of the Ivy League would get together and realize how archaic the rules are and just just flat out make a change,” said head coach Mike Schafer ’86. “Because it’s not impacting our student athletes in any way, shape or form. All it [does] is hurt them.”
Still, Cornell’s preparation remains unchanged, and the Red won’t let any potential first-game jitters deter it from competing with one of the nation’s top teams.
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“We have to kind of shut our minds to that, because all it is is just a built-in excuse,” Schafer said. “You know it’s there, you know it’s gonna happen. You have to overcome it.”
The Fighting Hawks boast an incredibly deep lineup with 13 NHL draft picks. Cameron Berg, a New York Islanders prospect who centers the top line with Jackson Kunz (Vancouver Canucks) and Owen McLaughlin (Philadelphia Flyers), currently leads his team in scoring with six points in his first five games.
Top talent will be on full display throughout all facets of North Dakota’s lineup –– nine of its 12 forwards that dressed against Boston University last weekend are draft picks. Additionally, the Fighting Hawks’ d-corps comprise three NHL prospects, including top-pair righty EJ Emery, a freshman drafted by the New York Rangers in the first round of June’s draft.
“They’ve got balance and depth up front with their four lines,” Schafer said. “We’re gonna face other teams, but I don’t know if we’ll face much better than this team, so it’s a good challenge.”
On the other hand, Cornell’s lineup also showcases depth with nearly an entire returning lineup. For more, read The Sun’s men’s hockey season preview.
“They’re going to be a great team. They play fast, [and] they have a lot of skill. We’ll definitely respect that, but we can’t give them too much respect,” said senior forward Kyle Penney. “We also have a great team, and we’re very confident where we’re at right now. We’re gonna try to prove that.”
Cornell last played North Dakota in January 2022, where it traveled to Grand Forks to play the then-No. 1 Fighting Hawks, and swept them in the infamously intimidating Ralph Engelstad Arena. That game marked the beginning of senior goaltender Ian Shane’s tenure between the pipes for Cornell — his two wins won him the starter’s crease as a freshman, which has remained largely unchanged now entering his senior year.
“Although the personnel is much different, it’s the same program that’s gonna play a similar way,” Penney said. “[It is] also [good] knowing that we can beat them no matter what. If we put out our best game, we’re confident that we’re going to come out on top like we did back then.”
In the other crease will be TJ Semptimphelter, a familiar name for Cornell — Semptimphelter transferred to North Dakota from Arizona State, a team Cornell played three times last season. Semptimphelter posted two 25-save performances against the Red in 2023-2024.
Creating offense, particularly this year without Gabriel Seger ’24, will be contingent on making scrappy plays around the crease and wreaking havoc for opposing goaltenders.
“Just like any good goaltender, you try to make them uncomfortable,” Penney said. “It’s no different this week –– the more uncomfortable you make the goaltender and the defense, the more pressure it puts on them. And then that usually leads to mistakes or a couple bounces [that] go our way.”
Under the bright lights of Lynah in a presumably sold-out crowd, the team will look to start its season on a high note. Though North Dakota’s rabid fan base is known to travel well, Cornell’s home ice advantage should bode it well.
“It’s been a great preseason, but it’s been a long wait. We’ve got a great group here that we’re looking to attack the season with,” Penney said. “Expectations are high, as they always are. … Like I said before, we’ll see how it goes, but we’re really excited.”
Cornell will take on North Dakota on Friday, Nov. 1 and Saturday, Nov. 2. Puck drop for both games is slated for 7 p.m., and both games can be streamed on ESPN+.