Head coach Casey Jones ’90 didn’t even know.
With his squad’s 4-2 win at Brown last Saturday, Jones had eclipsed a milestone only 14 other active Division I head coaches have reached.
And he didn’t even know. In fact, his wife was the one who informed him of the news.
“She said, ‘Hey, congrats on 250,’” Jones said. “I said, ‘Was that really 250?’ And she goes, ‘How do you not know that?’”
For Jones, who was quick to deflect praise for his 250th win and instead focus on how his hockey team has played down the stretch, that oblivion is perhaps what has aided him in reaching that milestone.
“I just feel like we’re playing some pretty good hockey right now,” Jones said, “and that’s my focus.”
And although Jones stays focused on one thing — winning — he took the time to briefly think about the achievement. His takeaway?
“I’m glad I got there [in wins] before I got there in losses,” he said.
Up next, Jones is gearing up for yet another rivalry weekend, one where Cornell will take on its central New York foe, Colgate.
“Obviously, they look at it as a rivalry game,” Jones said. “It’s a tough series every year, and it's going to be another good road test for us here this weekend.”
Cornell will make the brief road trip to Hamilton, New York, for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop Friday at Class of 1965 Arena, before returning for a 7 p.m. Saturday tilt. Both games against the Raiders will stream live on ESPN+, and live updates will be provided @DailySunSports on X.
Injury Updates
Though it pales in comparison to last season’s bevy of injuries, the Red racked up three more man games lost to injury after junior forward Luke Devlin missed both the Yale and Brown games, while sophomore defenseman Michael Fisher did not suit up in the latter.
Both skaters are “day-to-day,” Jones told The Sun, though he did not confirm whether they’d slot back into the lineup.
“We'll be diligent on making sure that health is paramount for them, that we're not short-changing it and coming back too quick,” Jones said. “I'm optimistic that both are making progress and both are in a good spot.”
Cournoyer and Veilleux Earn Monthly Awards + Hobey Baker Voting Update
Freshman goaltender Alexis Cournoyer was named the ECAC Goaltender of the Month for January. Cournoyer posted a 7-1-0 record in the month with a .905 save percentage and 2.00 goals against average. This is Cournoyer’s first Goaltender of the Month award and the first for the Red since Ian Shane ’25 last March.
Joining Cournoyer in the monthly awards is freshman defenseman Xavier Veilleux, who was named ECAC Defender of the Month after scoring three goals and eight assists in 10 games. Veilleux currently leads the Red in points by a defenseman (18) and power-play goals (five), and has been a standout on the Cornell blueline.
Of note, every ECAC award for this month was awarded to a rookie, as Quinnipiac's Ethan Wyttenbach — who scored against Cournoyer this past month and leads the nation in points (41) — and Antonin Verreault were named forward and rookie of the month, respectively.
It was also announced that junior forward Ryan Walsh has received 2.56% of the fan vote for the Hobey Baker award. Walsh currently sits at No. 11 with voting closing on March 8. For Walsh to move on to the next round of voting, he would need to be in the top ten vote-getters.
NPI Check-In
Heading into the home-and-home series this weekend, Cornell is up to 7th in the national percentage index. Wins this weekend, while important for ECAC seeding, will likely not move the needle against 46th-ranked Colgate. The Lynah Faithful will once again be scoreboard watching to see if the Red will continue its ascent in the national rankings.
Matchups to pay attention to are Michigan State (2nd) vs. Michigan (1st), Western Michigan (4th) at Miami of Ohio (19th), Providence (6th) at New Hampshire (39th), and North Dakota (3rd) at Minnesota Duluth (8th).
Scouting Colgate
Cornell will play its travel partner for the first time this season on Friday in Hamilton, followed by a home game on Saturday to finish out the series. Colgate (10-13-3, 7-5-2 ECAC) is facing the Red for the first time since the Raiders’ season ended at the hands of Cornell in the ECAC quarterfinals last season.
“I’m sure that’s a sour taste in their mouth,” Jones said. “I just think it's a rivalry. [The crowd] does well for us up there, and it’s a good crowd down here. … I’m expecting a pretty hard-fought weekend.”
Colgate forward Simon Labelle heads the offense with a team-leading 11 goals and 24 points. Labelle has stepped into a large goal-scoring role in 2025-2026 — having only tallied one goal last season — after the departures of three of the Raiders' five leading point scorers.
The Raiders’ goaltending situation is one to be monitored — freshman Reid Dyck stands tall in the crease for Colgate at 6’4’’. Much like Cournoyer, Dyck made the jump to college hockey from the Canadian Hockey League before the season. Unlike Cournoyer, the WHL product has sported a sub-.900 save percentage (.897). Senior netminder Andrew Takacs has also been a backstop for the Raiders, playing in their most recent game against Yale, which was a 6-3 Colgate win.
Cornell has won five of the last ten matchups against Colgate. Currently the sixth seed in the ECAC, the Raiders have had some good wins as of late, including a 5-2 victory over Dartmouth on Jan. 24. With the season winding down and points coming at a premium, this weekend has the makings of a physical battle with a rare two-game series against the same opponent.
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.
