Team Notes: Cornell Battles Colgate in Home-and-Home Series

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell men's hockey team takes on its travel partner, Colgate, in a home-and-home series this weekend, battling the Raiders on Friday night at Starr Rink in Hamilton, N.Y., before the scene shifts to Cornell's Lynah Rink on Saturday. Cornell enters the week tied for seventh in the league standings with Rensselaer, while Colgate began the week in 12th place in the league table. both games can be heard in the Ithaca area on WHCU 870 AM with Jason Weinstein on the call of the game. Live streaming audio of Friday's contest and video of Saturday's game will also be available online through the Cornell Redcast subscription service.

ABOUT THE BIG RED
Cornell garnered a split of its two games last weekend, opening the weekend with a 5-1 win over Rensselaer to stretch the team's season-long winning streak to three games, but that streak came to a halt the following night with a 5-1 loss to Union. The Big Red was led by sophomore Greg Miller, who added to his team-leading point total with four assists in the two contests, and senior Tyler Roeszler, who scored a pair of goals and added an assist on the weekend. Both players extended their point scoring streaks to three games with their performance last weekend. Miller leads the Big Red offense with 16 points in 17 games on two goals and 14 assists, while senior Joe Devin leads the team with seven goals and has six assists for 13 points on the year. Sophomore Nick D'Agostino leads the defensemen in scoring with 11 points in 16 games on six goals and five assists. In goal, the tandem of junior Mike Garman and freshman Andy Iles has split time this season, with both netminders putting up strong numbers. Garman has a 2.46 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage with a 4-5 record, while Iles has a 2.56 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage and a 3-4-1 mark. Cornell's power-play unit has converted on 11-of-70 chances this season (15.7 percent, 43rd nationally), while the penalty-killing unit has successfully ended 69-of-80 opponents' power-play chances (86.2 percent, 10th nationally).

ABOUT COLGATE
The Raiders have struggled all season long, posting a 3-18-1 overall record and a 0-9-1 mark in league play entering the week. Colgate has dropped nine straight games heading into the weekend, including four contests in overtime. Last weekend, the Raiders came out on the short end of a 2-1 decision against both Union and Rensselaer, falling in overtime on a penalty-shot goal. Colgate's offense is led by senior Francois Brisebois' 18 points on seven goals and 11 assists in 22 games. Junior Austin Smith has a team-best 12 assists to go along with five goals for 17 points, while senior Brian Day has eight goals to lead the Raiders in that category. In goal, junior Alex Evin has played a majority of time, posting a 3.23 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage with a 3-10-1 record. Freshman Eric Mihalik got the start in both of Colgate's games last week and has a 3.16 goals-against average and a .891 save percentage on the season. Colgate's power-play unit has 16 goals in 120 chances (13.3 percent, 50th nationally), while the penalty-killing unit has ended 79-of-101 opponents' chances (78.2 percent, 49th nationally).

THE SERIES WITH COLGATE
This weekend's games will mark the 139th and 140th all-time meetings between the two Central New York rivals, with the Big Red holding a 73-54-11 lead in the series entering this weekend. The Big Red has won eight of the last 11 matchups, including a 4-3 come-from-behind win earlier this season at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The Big Red is 8-1-2 over that span, and Cornell head coach Mike Schafer holds a 23-10-6 lead over the Raiders during his tenure behind the bench.

THREE FOR ALL
Cornell's modest three-game winning streak was the longest such streak for the Big Red this season and the longest one since Cornell won four straight contests in last year's ECAC Hockey playoffs. 

WALK THE LINE
With John Esposito sidelined due to injury for the last four games, head coach Mike Schafer combined the trio of Tyler Roeszler, Greg Miller andJoe Devin, and that line has immediately clicked for the Big Red. Over the last four games, that trio has combined for 14 points, more than half of the points scored by the Big Red over that span. The impact has been more than just statistically for those three, as Cornell has also gone 3-1 in those four games. Joe Devin has four goals and an assist over that span, Roeszler has two goals and three helpers and Miller has four assists since being put on the same offensive line. 

BREAK OUT THE BROOMS
The Big Red's sweep at Princeton and Quinnipiac on Jan. 7-8 marked the first weekend sweep for the Big Red since winning the ECAC Hockey tournament last march, claiming back-to-back 3-0 wins against Brown and Union at the Times Union Center in Albany. The last time the Big Red swept an opponent during the regular season came on Jan. 29-30, 2010, when the Big Red defeated St. Lawrence at Clarkson at Lynah Rink. Cornell's last road weekend sweep came nearly two years ago when the Big Red scored a 4-1 win at Union and a 3-0 victory at Rensselaer on Jan. 16-17, 2009.

LIKING LEAGUE PLAY
Mike Garman has been strong in goal for the Big Red in the six league games he has appeared in this season. Garman has a .946 save percentage and a 1.57 goals-against average in games against ECAC Hockey foes, better than his overall numbers. Garman ranks ninth in the league in all games in save percentage and goals-against average, but those rankings jump to third in both categories behind Dartmouth's James Mello and Princeton's Sean Bonar when only factoring in league games. Garman has allowed just eight goals in six league appearances this season.

WORKING OVERTIME
Cornell has played six overtime games so far this season, including four of the last seven. The six overtime games match the total played during all of 2009-10, while the stretch of four overtime games in five hasn't happened since the 1998-99 season. That year, the Big Red played seven overtime games and had a stretch of five of seven games going beyond regulation.

SAVING THE DAY
Mike Garman stopped 39 of the 40 shots he faced on Jan. 7 at Princeton night in a 2-1 victory. The 39 saves are tied for the 12th-highest total in a single game by a Cornell goaltender, tied with the total set by David McKee at St. Lawrence on Feb. 11, 2006.

THREE FOR ALL
Joe Devin's three-point night on Feb. 8 at Quinnipiac marked the third such contest of the career of the senior from Scituate, Mass. Devin scored two goals and added an assist in the 3-2 victory, equaling his highest single-game point total in his career. 

COLLECTING HARDWARE
Andy Iles became the first Cornell hockey player to earn a medal for the United States at the IIHF World Junior Championships when he was a part of Team USA that claimed bronze at this year's tournament in Buffalo, N.Y. Iles is just the second Cornell player to be a member of the United States team, joining Jean-Marc Pelletier in 1998. The last Cornell player to earn a medal for any nation at the IIHF World Junior Championships was Sasha Pokulok, who claimed gold with Canada in 2006. The bronze medal won by Iles is the first bronze of the seven medals claimed by Cornellians at the world's most prestigious junior hockey tournament.

ELITE COMPANY
Cornell's victory over Colgate on Nov. 27 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., gave head coach Mike Schafer the 300th victory of his coaching career. Schafer became the 46th coach in NCAA Division I history with 300 career wins, and is just the 14th active coach to reach that mark. He ranks third in ECAC Hockey in career victories among active coaches, trailing Joe Marsh of St. Lawrence (461) and Rand Pecknold of Quinnipiac (312), with Dartmouth's Bob Gaudet (290) and Colgate's Don Vaughan (287) both closing in on 300 victories themselves.

ANOTHER MILESTONE NEARS
The Big Red's 5-1 win against Rensselaer on Jan. 14 marked the 993rd all-time victory in the history of the Cornell program. Cornell ranks 17th all-time in wins by current NCAA Division I programs.

ANOTHER MILESTONE WILL HAVE TO WAIT
Cornell needs another nine victories at Lynah Rink to post the 500th win at the storied venue, a feat that will have to wait until the 2011-12 season to be reached. Cornell has just five guaranteed home games the rest of the season, and even with hosting a playoff series, the Big Red could only reach 498 wins at Lynah Rink. The Big Red claimed win number 491 on Jan. 14 against Rensselaer, a 5-1 victory. 

WHERE'S THE WHISTLE?
Cornell is one of the least-penalized teams in the nation, ranking 46th out of the 58 teams in college hockey in averaging 11.6 minutes per game in penalties. One wouldn't guess that, however, by taking a look at the power play numbers from the Big Red's games this season. Cornell has had more power play chances than its opponent in a game five times this season, while the Big Red's opponent has had more chances with the man advantage six time on the year (the teams have had equal chances six times). 

INTO THE GAME
Sophomore Chris Moulson made his season debut on Dec. 30 against Maine and immediately collected his first goal of the season, scoring a second-period tally that gave Cornell a 2-1 lead. Moulson has appeared in six games in his two seasons with the Big Red and has collected a pair of goals. His first career goal came in just his second career game last season against St. Lawrence.

TAKE YOUR PICK
Entering the season, head coach Mike Schafer felt very confident in his goaltending options with junior Mike Garman and freshman Andy Iles, and with both netminders having played three league games, the numbers back up the quality Schafer has in both players. With the duo having split the eight ECAC Hockey contests to this point, their numbers in league games are similar, and both players are among the league's leaders. Garman is third in both goals-against average (1.76) and save percentage (.944), while Iles ranks ninth in goals-against average (2.45) and fifth in save percentage (.928). 

PUT IT IN NEUTRAL
When Cornell and Colgate met at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Nov. 27, it marked the 22nd time that the two programs have played at a neutral site among the 138 contests played between the two schools. In those 22 games, the two teams are split evenly, with Cornell holding a 10-10-2 record in those games. Prior to the game at the home of the New Jersey Devils in November, the last neutral site game between the two programs came on March 22, 2008, in the consolation game of the ECAC Hockey tournament, a game won by Cornell, 4-2. 

OUT IN FRONT
Cornell is 6-3 this season when scoring the game's first goal, but has lost six of the eight games that it has given up the opening tally of the contest. Cornell has also gone 4-3 this season when leading after one period.

RISK/REWARD
Cornell has had some success playing with the extra attacker this season when trailing late in games. While the Big Red has allowed five empty-net goals – one in each of the first three games of the year, one against Yale on Nov. 19 and one against Union on Jan. 15 – Cornell has also scored three times with the extra attacker. The Big Red also scored a delayed penalty goal on Nov. 20 against Brown

ANOTHER LONG AWAITED DEBUT
A pair of sophomores this season have made their collegiate debuts after being scratched for every game last season. Vince Mihalek made his debut on Oct. 30 against RIT, collecting an assist in that contest. Meanwhile, defenseman Jarred Seymour made his first career appearance on Nov. 13 against Princeton after Nick D'Agostino and Mathieu Brisson were sidelined. Every skater on the Cornell roster has appeared in at least one game in his career, and every player but sophomore Omar Kanji has played this season.

NOT THE RIGHT KIND OF STREAK
Cornell has posted a pair of three-game losing skids this season, something that hasn't happened since the 2006-07 season. That year, Cornell dropped three straight from Dec. 30 through Jan. 12, before closing out the season with four straight defeats. Cornell is trying to avoid its third three-game losing skid of the year, a feat that hasn't happened against Cornell since the 1986-87 season.

WORKED WELL LAST TIME
Cornell opened the 2010-11 season with three straight defeats, something that hasn't happened since the 1979-80 season. While Cornell finished that season with a 16-15 record, the Big Red peaked at the right time, winning the ECAC championship and advancing to the Frozen Four for the first time since 1973. 

BALANCED ATTACK
When Cornell got its first win of the season on Nov. 6 at Clarkson, it came by way of a balanced offensive attack. A total of 13 different skaters collected at least one point on the night, with four players – Jordan Kary,Kirill Gotovets, Locke Jillson and Dan Nicholls – collecting a pair of points.

SHORT-HANDED
John Esposito's goal against New Hampshire on Oct. 29 marked the first short-handed goal for a Cornell player in a span of 59 games since Riley Nash scored short-handed against St. Cloud State on Dec. 27, 2008, in Estero, Fla. 

THE FIRST ONE'S OUT OF THE WAY
Freshman Andy Iles picked up his first win of his career on Nov. 6 at Clarkson, picking up 35 saves in the victory. Iles is now 2-3-1 on the year and has seen action in seven of the Big Red's 11 games this season. Mike Garman, meanwhile, scored his first victory of his career when he stopped 23 of the 24 shots he faced on Nov. 12 against Quinnipiac at Lynah Rink and has a 2-3 record this year.

NOT BLANKED OFTEN
Cornell's shutout loss at St. Lawrence on Nov. 5 marked the first time that the Big Red had been shut out since falling to Yale in the 2009 ECAC Hockey championship game in Albany, N.Y., by a 5-0 margin. Cornell went both NCAA tournament games that season, all of last season and the first two games of 2010-11 without being blanked, a span of 38 games. Despite Cornell's struggles this season, the Big Red has only been shut out once.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB
All six members of the freshman class made their collegiate debut during the season's opening weekend on Oct. 29-30 against New Hampshire and RIT. Dustin Mowrey, Rodger Craig, Kirill Gotovets and Andy Iles saw time in both games, while Mathieu Brisson and Armand de Swardt both played in one game apiece, with Brisson appearing in the RIT game and de Swardt playing against New Hampshire.

THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN HERE
When New Hampshire scored seven times against the Big Red in the season opener on Oct. 29, it marked the first time that an opponent scored seven goals at Lynah Rink since Providence did so on Jan. 5, 1999, in a 7-3 Friar victory. It's been even longer since Cornell gave up seven in a season opener - in fact, it's never happened since Lynah Rink has been open. The last time the Big Red gave up seven goals in a season opener came in the 1947-48 season when Cornell lost, 9-0, to Army.

ALLOWING A DOZEN
Traditionally one of the nation's top defensive teams, Cornell allowed 12 goals in the first weekend of the season on Oct. 29-30 against New Hampshire and RIT. The Big Red hadn't given up 12 goals in a weekend since Feb. 6-7, 1999, at Yale and Princeton. That weekend, Cornell dropped the opener, 11-0, at Ingalls Rink in New Haven, Conn., before rebounding the following night with a 4-1 victory at Princeton. The last time Cornell gave up at least 12 goals in back-to-back losses came in Brian McCutcheon's final games as head coach, losing at Clarkson on March 6-7, 1995, by 6-2 and 7-2 scores.

0-2 OPENERS
The last time Cornell began a season 0-2 was the 2007-08 season, when the Big Red dropped contests to RIT and Princeton to begin the year. The Big Red rebounded in the third game to record a 5-3 win against Quinnipiac to avoid going 0-3 to begin the season. Cornell concluded that season with a 19-14-3 record and a third-place finish in the ECAC Hockey tournament. The Big Red last began a season 0-3 in 1979-80, falling twice to Notre Dame and at Brown before picking up a victory in game number four at Yale. In spite of the start, Cornell wound up winning the ECAC Hockey championship that season and finished fourth at the NCAA tournament.

THREE RIVERS RECAP
Cornell answered a lot of questions about its offensive abilities with a five-goal first period in its exhibiton opener against Quebec at Trois-Rivieres on Oct. 21. Joe Devin and Tyler Roeszler both had a pair of goals in the first period, with Roezler tallying three points in all on the evening. FreshmanArmand de Swardt had a goal and an assist, while Braden Birch and Greg Miller both had a pair of helpers. Mike Garman got the start in goal, posting 23 saves for the victory.

USA! USA! USA!
Cornell's offensive outburst continued in the second exhibition of the season, defeating the U.S. U18 National Team, 6-0, on Oct. 23. Joe Devinhad a pair of goals and a pair of assists for a four-point night to lead the way for the Big Red. Junior Sean Collins had a goal and two assists, while John Esposito and Keir Ross both had a pair of assists. Kirill Gotovets had a goal and an assist, with Rodger Craig and Tyler Roeszler both adding a goal.Andy Iles posted 30 saves in his unofficial Cornell debut to record the shutout.

A SOUTHWEST FLAVOR
Cornell's roster in 2010-11 features a trio of players from the state of Texas, in juniors Locke Jillson and Keir Ross and freshman Armand de Swardt, with all three calling the Dallas area home. Cornell has now had four players from the Lone Star State, as the trio joins David McKee in hailing from Texas.

INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE
Freshman Kirill Gotovets got a taste of the big time in May when he was selected to represent his native Belarus in the 2010 IIHF World Championships – not an age group World Championships (though he did play for Belarus at the U20 World Championship as well) – but playing against some of the best players the world has to offer. He played in three of Belarus' eight games at the World Championships, recording two shots and two minutes in penalties, helping his nation to a 10th-place finish. Gotovets has been in the United States for the last two years while attending school at Shattuck-St. Mary's in Minnesota.

BROTHERLY LOVE
A pair of Cornell players have older brothers who are currently on rosters of NHL clubs, with four players having older brothers playing professional hockey at some level. Junior Sean Whitney's older brother, Ryan, plays for the Anaheim Ducks, while sophomore Chris Moulson's brother, Matt, plays with the New York Islanders. Another player, sophomore John Esposito, has an older brother, Angelo, who plays for the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (Atlanta affiliate), with senior Patrick Kennedy's older brother, Michael, playing in the ECHL for the Florida Everblades.

IS THERE A DRAFT IN HERE?
Cornell has four players on the roster for 2010-11 who have been selected by NHL clubs. Junior Sean Collins (Columbus), sophomores Braden Birch(Chicago) and Nick D'Agostino (Pittsburgh) and freshman Kirill Gotovets(Tampa Bay) are each the property of NHL clubs after having been drafted prior to beginning their careers at Cornell.

AMERICAN INFLUENCE
The Big Red roster in 2010-11 has nine players who call the United States home, up from seven last season and tied for second-most on a Mike Schafer-coached Big Red team. Cornell had 10 Americans on the roster in 1997-98, Schafer's third season, and had nine in 1999-2000, 2006-07 and 2008-09. 

HOMETOWN HERO
With programs in major cities like in Boston and Minneapolis, it's commonplace for a hometown player to suit up for the local college team, but that's not something as common in a city like Ithaca. So when freshman goaltender Andy Iles made his official collegiate debut on Oct. 29 against New Hampshire, he became the first Ithaca native to play for Cornell since Mike Tallman, who suited up for 37 games in three seasons from 1986-87 to 1988-89.

UP NEXT
Cornell makes its longest road trip of the season next weekend, traveling to Dartmouth and Harvard for a pair of ECAC Hockey and Ivy League games. The Big Red will take on the Big Green on Friday, Jan. 28, before battling the Crimson at the Bright Hockey Center the following day.