Head coach Casey Jones ’90 couldn’t have drawn it up any better.
“The Harvard game at home — you circle it every year,” Jones said. “And you circle it in the playoffs. It’s a bonus. … We get a couple more.”
Cornell vs. Harvard at Lynah Rink is always a game to star on the calendar. Much of the Cornell student body does so.
But to get at least three Harvard games?
“We know what it means to our fans, the Lynah Faithful,” Jones said. “To get this playoff series at home against Harvard is pretty special.”
The Red is set to host the Crimson in the ECAC quarterfinals this weekend in a best-of-three series. It will mark the second time in three seasons that Cornell and Harvard have met in the quarterfinals — the Red swept the Crimson at Lynah Rink in 2024 — and the third time in four years that the two foes have met in the postseason at all.
For both teams, a trip to Lake Placid, New York and a spot in ECAC championship weekend is on the line.
“Everybody in the league likes to play at Lynah,” Jones said. “What we talk about all the time is [how] everyone’s A-game comes here, too. We don't get anybody napping at Lynah. But it makes for great hockey, makes for great theater. We're looking forward to it.”
Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with a 4 p.m. winner-takes-all contest scheduled for Sunday, if necessary. All action can be streamed live on ESPN+, and live updates will be provided by @DailySunSports on X.
“Pressure is a Privilege”
For Cornell, this postseason is more than just another crack at a Whitelaw Cup. The Red is going for something only one team has done since the 1970s — win three straight ECAC championships.
Junior forward Jonathan Castagna does not know the ECAC playoffs without winning a championship — he is two-for-two in his Cornell career. Does that add any extra pressure?
“To do that three times in a row, it definitely puts a little bit more pressure on this one,” Castagna said. “But pressure is a privilege, so we’re looking forward to trying to do that again.”
Union is the last team to win three straight, doing so from 2012 to 2014. Before that, Boston University — before becoming a member of Hockey East in 1984 — won four straight from 1974 to 1977.
Cornell also won four straight league championships from 1967 to 1970. In the 1966-1967 season and 1969-1970 seasons, the Red accompanied those ECAC titles with national championships.
“Being part of that legacy and that crew — it would mean everything,” Castagna said. “Because the reason why we play the game is to be champions.”
By the Numbers
Read more about the Harvard-Cornell rivalry in the playoffs here, and read the latest Q&A with men’s hockey beat reporter Jane McNally here.
Postseason Accolades
As the ECAC and the Ivy League announced their postseason award-winners, Cornell made no shortage of appearances.
For the Ivy League, the Red was headlined by Ivy League Rookie of the Year, freshman goaltender Alexis Cournoyer. The Quebec native sported a .931 save percentage against Ancient Eight opponents and ranked 20th nationally with an overall save percentage of .917.
In addition to being named Rookie of the Year, the first-year standout was also tabbed the Ken Dryden ECAC Goaltender of the Year, marking the second time in three years that a Cornell goaltender received the honor after Ian Shane ’25 did in the 2023-2024 season.
“[Goaltending] is the most important thing come playoff time,” Jones said. “Alexis has had the bulk of [playing time], but we've had good goaltending throughout the season. We've been pretty fortunate.”
Cournoyer also made the All-ECAC First Team along with Castagna. Freshman defenseman Xavier Veilleux earned All-ECAC Second Team honors, additionally joining Cournoyer on the ECAC All-Rookie squad.
To round things out, Cournoyer, Veilleux and Castagna were all named to the All-Ivy First Team, with all three being unanimous selections. Junior forward Ryan Walsh and junior defenseman George Fegaras were All-Ivy honorable mention picks.
Scouting the Crimson
Harvard earned a spot in the ECAC quarterfinals after downing St. Lawrence — bottom-three in the country in the national percentage index — in the one-game ECAC opening round.
It was not in convincing fashion, however — Harvard needed sudden-death overtime to upend the Saints, who had three separate one-goal leads but allowed the Crimson to tie things up each time and, eventually, find the overtime winner.
That Harvard team is not the one Cornell is expecting to see at Lynah Rink. The Crimson battled injuries throughout the regular season but seems to be returning key players at the right time.
“From my understanding, they were having a hard time with [injuries] to their forwards, and I think [the St. Lawrence game] was the first game back for a lot of guys,” Jones said. “So I think it's probably a good one to get out of the way for them. This weekend, by expectation, they'll have all their horses in play.”
Jones tabbed Harvard’s ability to capitalize off the rush and its north-to-south game as elements to be wary of. The Crimson also boasts the nation’s third-best penalty kill, operating at a 88.3% clip, meaning the Red’s man-advantage unit will have its work cut out for it. Good luck drawing a penalty against Harvard, though — the Crimson averages just over seven minutes of penalties per game, sixth-fewest in the country.
Above all, Harvard is playing for its season — sitting 31st in the NCAA percentage index, the Crimson’s only path to the NCAA Tournament is through the ECAC playoffs, where a Whitelaw Cup title would secure Harvard an automatic bid.
The Crimson will have to survive the unrelenting wrath of the Lynah Rink — and everything that comes along with it — first.
“We're not gonna be perfect, but at home, our effort will be,” Jones said. “And that's what the crowd expects, and that's what they demand, and that's why you have a lot of success at home, right? Your foot’s on the gas pedal, and you got a lot of people behind you.”
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.
