Just six days ago, No. 11 men’s hockey battled No. 18 Quinnipiac to the brink.
Now Cornell will get a chance to avenge its 3-1 loss, but this time, on a slightly larger stage.
In the sixth installment of the Frozen Apple, the Red (4-2-2, 2-2-2 ECAC) are set to take on ECAC foe Quinnipiac (6-6-0, 3-3-0 ECAC) under the lights at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
In the last Frozen Apple contest in 2022, then-freshman forward Dalton Bancroft notched a hattrick in a 6-0 rout of then-No. 6 Connecticut. Then-sophomore forward Sullivan Mack also posted two points in the win and will be back in the lineup on Saturday per head coach Mike Schafer ’86.
“Getting Sullivan back on Saturday will be a big pick me up for this hockey team as we get to play Quinnipiac again,” Schafer said.
Cornell is 7-1-1 in its last nine games at MSG and 18-8-2 all-time in “The World’s Most Famous Arena.” Last year, Cornell scored two third-period goals and held strong defensively to stun then-No. 5 Boston University in the installment of Red Hot Hockey on Nov. 25, 2023.
“They make it really easy even if I’m getting a lot of shots all the time from outside,” Shane said after last year’s win. “[The team] did a great job controlling the d-zone, and [they] got two big goals. … I think they did unbelievable.”
Since it is the season of giving thanks, here are some things that the Red should be grateful for heading into the tilt with the Bobcats.
Ondrej Psenicka
Psenicka prepares for a faceoff in the Frozen Apple game against UConn on Nov. 26, 2022. (Jason Wu/Sun File Photo)
The senior forward has scored in each of his first three games at Madison Square Garden. Last year, Psenicka scored the go-ahead and eventual game-winning goal against Boston University in the third period to clinch the Kelley-Harkness Cup.
“I think that this arena brings me something special,” Psenicka said last year.
After getting injured against North Dakota on Nov. 2, Psenicka missed four games. The Czech Republic native has overcome much adversity this calendar year, including battling through multiple injuries and illness to return as a top-six forward for this Cornell squad.
“[Scoring] helped me with my confidence a little bit,” Psenicka said after the Princeton game last Saturday. “I’ve faced some injuries over the last couple months, from my hips to the bone bruise [to] the sicknesses to [the] separated shoulder. So I’m happy that I finally came back and I think I played a solid game.”
Psenicka was one of four skaters who registered a two-point night against Princeton last Saturday, scoring the third goal of the evening and registering an assist on Cornell’s first goal.
The 6’6” forward undoubtedly brings top-notch skill and physicality to Cornell’s lineup, something it will need against a tough Quinnipiac team. If there was a skater to bet on to score this weekend, Psenicka should be the one.
Top-Notch Goaltending
Ian Shane has been stellar between the pipes for Cornell –– he made 35 saves against Boston University on Nov. 25, 2023. (Anthony Corrales/Sun File Photo).
It’s no secret to Cornell fans that Shane is one of the top goaltenders in the country, but he caught national attention at MSG last year when he made 35 saves in the win against BU.
“It’s fortunate to have a great goaltender who made some huge saves for us,” Schafer told The Sun after last year’s game. “We hung around and Ian kept us in the [game] in the first two periods.”
In two games at Madison Square Garden, Shane has been nearly impenetrable, stopping 62 of 63 shots for a .984 save percentage and a 0.5 goals against average.
Though his senior campaign sees him occupy the 15th-best goals against average in the country, Shane has ranked in the top-four in that statistic in each of his first three years of college hockey –– he led the NCAA with the fewest goals against average last season, and ranked second and fourth in 2022-2023 and 2021-2022, respectively.
The Lynah New York Faithful
Cornell’s success at MSG cannot be overstated, but it is at least partially attributable to the devoted crowd that turns out each year.
The Red’s New York City contingent should be alive and well on Saturday. When the Red played a different Connecticut-based team in 2022 –– UConn –– the Red outnumbered the Husky fans by a massive margin.
Madison Square Garden filled with thousands of Cornell fans in the 2023 Frozen Apple against UConn on Nov. 26, 2022. (Jason Wu/Sun File Photo).
“It’s an unbelievable atmosphere. Every single year, the Lynah Faithful come out and make it feel like Lynah. Every single time we play there, it feels like a home game,” Shane said. “It’s such a cool atmosphere. And it’s really cool to get that many people from the Cornell family down to the city to support us for a game, so we’re all really excited.”
The vivacious crowd undoubtedly contributes to the Red’s offensive success at MSG. The Red has scored 14 goals in its last three games at the Garden, allowing just five opposing goals in turn. But, for that, we can also thank the…
Special Teams (at MSG)
The Cornell power play has come up short in big moments so far this year. Perhaps it’ll take the biggest of stages to revive it — the Red boasts a solid 21 percent PP% at MSG in its last nine games.
It’s the penalty kill, though, that has shined in the spotlight. Over its 7-1-1 stretch in its last nine at The Garden, Cornell has killed 33 of 36 opposing power plays — a 92 percent clip.
Though the penalty kill has had its downsides this year, it went a perfect 4/4 against Princeton on Saturday after some personnel changes by Schafer.
“This year, so far, we’ve lost every special teams game in every game except for this one,” Schafer said. “So [that’s] something good to build on.”
Puck drop for Cornell’s rematch with Quinnipiac is slated for 8 p.m. at Madison Square Garden. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.