Team Notes: Cornell Heads to Albany in Search of Tournament Title

The following article appeared March 16 on the Cornell Web site.

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell men’s hockey team will head to Albany, N.Y., for the ECAC Hockey semifinals and championship this weekend, to be played at the Times Union Center in downtown Albany. The Big Red will face upstart Brown in the semifinal before facing either Union or St. Lawrence in the consolation or championship game on Saturday. Both semifinals on Friday night will be televised by the NHL Network, while Saturday’s championship game will be televised live on Fox College Sports and on the NHL Network on tape delay Sunday morning. Fans in the Ithaca area can hear Jason Weinstein’s call of the games on WHCU 870 AM, while Cornell Redcast subscribers will also get live streaming audio of both contests. Additionally, live video of the game is available on the internet through B2 Networks.

ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell advanced to its third straight league championship weekend after knocking off ninth-seeded Harvard last weekend in the quarterfinal round at Lynah Rink. The Big Red claimed the opener, 5-1, behind a pair of two-goal, one-assist performances from Riley Nash and Nick D’Agostino. On Saturday, Ben Scrivens posted 17 saves for his fifth shutout of the year and Blake Gallagher had a goal and an assist as the senior registered his 100th career point as Cornell ended Harvard’s season with a 3-0 victory. On the year, Gallagher leads all scorers with 37 points on 18 goals and 19 assists, while Colin Greening has 34 points on 15 goals and 19 assists. Nash leads the Big Red with 21 assists to go along with 11 goals for 32 points in 27 games. In all, 13 different skaters have scored at least 10 points this season. In goal, Scrivens has been outstanding, ranking second in the nation in both goals-against average and save percentage. He has started every game, posting a 1.89 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage on the year with five shutouts. Cornell’s special teams have been outstanding as well, converting on 21.3 percent of their power-play chances (30-of-141) while killing off 87.1 percent of their short-handed opportunities (128-of-147).

ABOUT BROWN
The upstart Bears have scored a pair of series victories, advancing through the first round with an upset over sixth-seeded Rensselaer in three games, before knocking off top-seeded Yale in three games last weekend. The Bears have done it with outstanding goaltending, allowing just five goals in the four wins in the postseason. In the decisive third game against Yale on Sunday, Jack Maclellan’s short-handed goal in the first period was the only scoring needed as goaltender Mike Clemente stopped all 44 shots he faced to blank the nation’s top scoring offense. On the year, Maclellan leads the Bears offensively with 34 points on 15 goals and 19 assists in 34 games, while Aaron Volpatti has a team-best 16 goals to go along with 15 assists for 31 points. Brown has had 10 different players record double figures in points this season. In between the pipes, it’s been Clemente carrying the load, seeing 83.3 percent of the action in goal for the Bears. Clemente has a 3.36 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage, with his only shutout of the season coming in the quarterfinals game three against Yale. Where Brown has struggled is on special teams, converting on just 14.0 percent of its power-play chances (24-of-171) while killing off 78.3 percent of its short-handed opportunities (155-of-198).

Complete article can be accessed via the Cornell Web site by clicking here.