Team Notes: Raiders Faces No. 6/9 Cornell in Home-and-Home Series
HAMILTON, N.Y. – The Colgate men's
hockey team will look to get back on track this weekend as the
Raiders take on No. 6/9 Cornell in a home-and-home series,
beginning Friday night at Lynah Rink on CBS Sports Network.
Friday night's game is set for 7:30 p.m. because of the television
schedule and also since it is on CBS Sports live video over will
not be available. The teams then travel to Starr Rink on Saturday
night for a 7 p.m. start in the second game of the series. All game
day information came be accessed at the Men's Hockey Game Central
Page.
THIS WEEK: AN UPSTATE RIVARLY RENEWED
The Raiders will have its annual home-and-home weekend series with
rival Cornell. A visit to Lynah Rink is up first as the teams take
to the ice on Friday night on CBS Sports Network. Then it's back to
Starr Rink on Saturday for a 7 p.m. faceoff between the two ranked
teams. The nationally-ranked Big Red are tops in ECAC Hockey after
taking three points last weekend with an overtime win over
Dartmouth and a tie against Harvard. Cornell leads the conference
with 19 points and has a 11-4-4 record overall and a 8-1-3 league
mark. The Big Red is riding the nation's longest unbeaten streak at
seven games and is 4-0-3 in those games. The Raiders especially
face a tough test on Friday as Cornell is 8-0-0 on Friday's and
4-0-2 at home against conference foes. For Saturday tickets, call
the Colgate Ticket Office at 315-228-7600.
LAST WEEK: PAIR OF OVERTIME GAMES
Colgate got back to Starr Rink for the first time in 2012 and the
Raiders earned a tie against Harvard on Friday night and then
dropped a tough 5-4 decision in overtime to Dartmouth. It took a
game-tying goal from Austin
Smith in the third period to force overtime against
the Crimson. Chris
Wagner added two points in the 2-2 tie against
Harvard and the tie stopped a four-game losing streak for Colgate.
The next night, the Raiders had a lead going into the third period,
but couldn't hold off Dartmouth. The game featured nine different
goal scorers, including four from the Raiders and Smith and Wagner
both had two points in the loss. It was the first overtime loss of
the season for Colgate.
NEXT WEEK: A VISIT TO THE CAPITAL DISTRICT
For the first time since beating Rensselaer and Union in last
year's ECAC Hockey playoffs, the Raiders return to the Capital
District to take on the nationally-ranked Dutchmen on Friday night,
followed by a matchup with the Engineers on Saturday. Union is
13-6-6 this season and continues to be consistent in the national
rankings. The Dutchmen are 4-1-1 in their last six games and split
last weekend with Yale and Brown. They beat the Bulldogs by a 3-1
score on Friday and then dropped a 3-2 game to Brown. Rensselaer
started off the season with just three wins in its first 19 games.
However, over the last five games, the Engineers are 3-1-1 after
sweeping Brown and Yale last week.
COLGATE BY THE NUMBERS
307 - Career wins for Raiders head coach Don
Vaughan.
49 - Goals in the final two periods.
40 - Goals by seniors (54% of
scoring).
22 - Goals scored by Colgate in the first
or last two minutes of periods.
20 - Players on the Raiders with at least
one point.
16 - Players on the team with at least
one goal.
14 - Games allowing two or less goals
(9-2-3).
12 - Raiders that have multi-point games
this year.
10 - Wins when leading after two
periods.
10 - Games with four or more goals
(9-1-0).
9 - Players with power play
goals.
8 - Wins on Friday night this
year (8-2-1).
8 - Shorthanded goals this
season (5 by A. Smith).
7 - Skaters with at least 100
games played in career.
4 - Games left against
current nationally-ranked teams.
4 - Largest winning margin
this season (twice)
6 - Overtime games this
season (2-1-3).
4 - Number of players in the
top-25 on the all-time scoring list that have worn or are wearing
the #9.
3 - Wins over
nationally-ranked teams.
1 - Shutouts this season.
RAIDERS DROP OUT OF RANKINGS
For the first time in 13 weeks, the Raiders are not in the
national rankings. They are still receiving votes in the USCHO.com
National Poll, but are outside the top-20. The last time they were
not ranked was the second week of the season before hosting
Miami.
30-POINT SCORERS
With Smith and Wagner having 30 or more points each, Colgate is
one of four teams in the nation with two skaters with 30 or more
points. Maine, Minnesota-Duluth and Wisconsin are the other three
schools with 30 or points by two players. Duluth is the only school
with three skaters with 30 or more. The two topliners rank fourth
in scoring duos this season, behind Mark Zengarle and Justin
Schultz of Wisconsin, Spencer Abott and Brian Flynn of Maine, and
Jack Connolly and J.T. Brown of Minnesota-Duluth.
RISING THE RANKS
Austin
Smith has 141 points in his career and continues to
average a point a game in his career as he has played 138 games. He
passed former teammate and recent NHLer, David McIntyre '10 for
23rd all-time on the Colgate scoring list and is now tied with Ron
Fogarty '95 for 22nd all-time. Smith has 67 goals and 74 helpers.
His 67 scores ties him with Andy McDonald '00 and Marc Dupere for
16th all-time in goals. He still leads the nation in goals, but
Minnesota-Duluth's Jack Connolly has a two-point advantage for the
nation's lead in points. Smith is the first Colgate player to reach
24 goals in a season since Scooter Smith '03 did it in 2003.
VOTE SMITH FOR HOBEY
Fan voting for the Hobey Baker Award, which is given to the
nation's top player, has begun and Colgate's Smith is among the
names you fans can vote for. Your vote accounts for a full one
percent for the total ballot. Award criteria include candidates
emulating the exceptional character traits exhibited by the award's
namesake, Hobey Baker, a World War I flying star better known as
America's greatest amateur athlete in his day. Award
candidates must demonstrate strength of character both on and off
the ice, contribute to the integrity of his team and display
outstanding skills in all phases of the game. Consideration
should be given to scholastic achievement and
sportsmanship. VOTE
HERE!
DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME
Chris
Wagner has been just as consistent as Smith with
nine goals and 21 assists for 30 points, which is second in the
league behind his linemate. He has already eclipsed his scoring
from a season ago as he had 19 points. Wagner is riding a five-game
points streak and has eight goals during the streak and three
multi-point games. He is ninth in the nation with 21 helpers and
second in ECAC Hockey.
WEARING #9 FOR COLGATE
In the history of Colgate hockey, 14 players have worn the number
nine and five of them are in the top-20 in all-time scoring at
Colgate.Mike Harder '97 worn the number and is the all-time leading
scorer with 214 points. Tyler Burton '08 had 158 points in his
career with the number, while Steve Spott '90 tallied 150 points.
Joey Cyr is hanging on at No. 24 all-time in scoring with
133. Austin
Smith is ranked four among the 9s at 141 points and
22nd all-time.
PRICE IS RIGHT
Jeremy
Price has flown under the radar for most of the
season for Colgate and he has 15 points on two goals and 13 assists
to lead all defensemen on the Raiders. Price is tied for seventh in
the league among blueliners in points and is tied for third in
assists. He has nine points in his last 10 games, including a
three-point outing against St. Lawrence on Dec. 3.
AN EXPERIENCED GROUP
The Raiders have one of the most experienced teams in the
conference with seven players with 100 or more games
played. Kevin
McNamara has appeared in 140 games and was the 15th
player in Colgate history to play 140 or more games in a
career. There is also experience in net with Alex
Evin making 52 starts in his career and Mihalik
earning 42 in his one-plus years with the Raiders.
VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
The Raiders started of great against ranked opponents with wins
over #14 Nebraska-Omaha and #4/5 Miami, but have just one win in
the last five meetings with ranked teams (1-3-1). Colgate still
faces four more games against teams that are in this week's
USCHO.com Poll. The Raiders have played eight games against ranked
opponents and they are 3-4-1 overall. Last season, Colgate faced 18
schools that were ranked in the top-20 and posted a 6-11-1 record,
including a 4-4 record down the stretch during last year's
playoffs.
SCOUTING THE BIG RED
Cornell enters the weekend with the countries longest unbeaten
streak at seven games. The Big Red has a 4-0-3 record during the
streak and is coming off an overtime win against Dartmouth and a
2-2 with Harvard. Cornell has played three-straight overtime games
and four of the last five have gone extra time. Three of the four
losses for the Big Red has been by one goal, with the exception
coming in a 5-2 loss against UMass at the Florida College
Classic.
Unlike Colgate, the Big Red don't have one or two scorers that
jump out, but Cornell has three guys tied for the team lead with 17
points. Nick D'Agostino is tops in goal scoring with eight goals,
including six power play scores. The defenseman has 12 of his 17
points in ECAC Hockey play. Brian Ferlin has been one of the top
rookies in the league and has seven goals and 10 assists for 17
points and leads the team with 13 points in conference play. Greg
Miller is the leader in assists with 11 on the year and has 17
points as well. Sean Collins sits fourth on the team with 14 points
on six goals and eight assists and he has played in the most games
among Big Red players with 120.
In net, Andy Iles has been the starter since the drop of the puck
in 2011-12. He has played all 19 games and has an 11-4-4 record and
ranks third in the nation in shutouts with five. Iles went
five-straight home games without giving up a goal, which featured
four conference games. He has posted a .922 save percentage and has
a goals against average of 2.02.
SERIES HISTORY
Colgate and Cornell will be meeting for the 140th and 141st time
in the series this weekend with the Big Red holding a 73-54-12
advantage. Cornell has gone unbeaten in the last 12 meetings with a
9-0-3 mark. The series is the second-longest for Colgate as
Clarkson and the Raiders have played more games. However with
Saturday's game being the 141st, it will tie the Colgate and
Clarkson series. Last season, the teams faced each other three
times. The first came at the Prudential Center. Colgate had a 3-1
lead, but Cornell came back with a 4-3 win. The Raiders scored with
1:35 left in the game to force a 1-1 tie at home and then the
series shifted to Ithaca and the Big Red came away with a 5-2
win.
