Team Notes: Yale Opens Home Slate with Cornell, Colgate
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale men's
hockey team (1-0-1, 0-0-0 ECAC), coming off a tie and a win at the
season-opening Ivy Shootout last weekend, drops the first puck on
the home and conference schedule this weekend with a pair of ECAC
contests. The No. 9 Bulldogs host Cornell (0-1, 0-0) on Friday with
a 7:42 p.m. faceoff that airs live on CBS Sports Network. Saturday
night at 7, the Blue hosts No. 18 Colgate (4-2, 0-0 ECAC) at
Ingalls Rink in a game that can be seen live on Yale's All-Access
(yalebulldogs.com).
YALE-CORNELL
The Red might hold a 77-58-5 record in the series dating to 1902,
but Yale has had the upper hand (8 straight wins) in recent years.
The last Cornell win came Nov. 9, 2007, a 2-1 decision at Ingalls
Rink. The Bulldogs under Keith Allain are 8-3-3 against Cornell
including two shutouts, most recently 6-0 for the 2011 ECAC
Championship.
YALE-COLGATE
The Raiders hold a 45-41-5 advantage in a series with Yale that
began in 1916-17, though the Elis are 7-3-1 under Keith Allain. The
last three meetings at Ingalls have gone into overtime with two of
them ending as ties.
ELIS TIE, WIN AT SHOOTOUT
The games counted on the overall record but had nothing to do with
ECAC or Ivy League standings. Yale's 2-2 OT tie with Princeton and
the 2-1 win over Dartmouth last weekend at Hanover, N.H., kicked
off the regular season.
Yale 2, Princeton 2 OT, Oct. 28
The Bulldogs, who outshot the Tigers 30-28, erased a 1-0 deficit
and built a 2-1 lead before finishing in their first season-opening
draw since the 1962-63 season. Five different Yale players notched
their first points of the year. Junior Jeff Malcolm made
26 saves in his first start since last season's Dec. 29 exhibition
game against the Russian Red Stars and his first regular season nod
since last November. After a scoreless opening frame in which Yale
outshot Princeton 13-4, Michael Sdao gave the Tigers the lead at
4:16 of the second. All four goals were scored in that period. The
first Yale goal of the year came off the stick of newcomerNicholas
Weberg. The guy who led the Elis in scoring the last two years,
senior captain Brian O'Neill (Yardley, Pa.) gave his
squad a brief lead at 16:25 with his 49th career goal. O'Neill, who
had a game-high five shots on target, notched a point for the sixth
straight game dating to last March. Princeton struck back
just before the second intermission. Rob Kleebaum's tally with 32
seconds left in the middle frame permanently evened things. Sean
Bonar stopped 28 Yale shots in the Princeton net.
Yale 2, Dartmouth 1, Oct. 29
Jeff Malcolm (Lethbridge, AB) stopped 29 of 30 shots to lead Yale
to its first victory of the 2011-12 season, a 2-1 decision over
Dartmouth in the final game of the Ivy Shootout at Thompson Arena.
The Elis, outshot 30-25, had nine fewer shots in the opening frame
but Malcolm's play prevented the home team from jumping out in
front. The momentum turned midway through this contest. The
Bulldogs outshot the home team 14-8 in the second and got on the
board first with 10:50 left, taking advantage of a power play.
Sophomore forward Clinton Bourbonais (Colchester, Conn.)
skated in from the right point to the top of the circle and flicked
a hard, low wrister toward the net. James Mello made the save but
junior forward Antoine Laganiere (Ile Cadieux, Que) was
there to bang it home for his first of the year. The Big Green
evened things about four minutes later when freshman Eric Neiley
notched his first career goal. Neiley skated in from the left
circle and snapped off a rising shot over Malcolm's shoulder. Yale
grabbed the lead again when senior Chad Ziegler (Spruce
Grove, AB) tallied just before the second intermission to make it
2-1. Ziegler, who ended up with the game-winner, took a pass from
senior Charles Brockett (Shaker Heights, Ohio) behind the
net before skating out to the middle of the crease. The veteran
forward snapped a shot between Mello's left shoulder and the post
at the 18:54 mark. Yale scored once on three advantages while
Malcolm and the Eli defense held Dartmouth scoreless on three
chances.
BIG RED
Cornell opened the regular season with a 5-4 loss to Mercyhurst at
Lynah Rink. The Big Red had a 23-19 advantage in shots but the
Lakers converted two of three advantages to get the road win.
Joakim Ryan had two goals and an assist for Cornell while Andy Iles
had 14 saves.
RAIDERS
Colgate brought a 4-2-1 mark into Friday's game at Brown after
splitting a two-game series with Niagara last weekend. The Raiders,
who have already played three OT games, are led offensively by
Austin Smith (7-4-11), one of five NHL draft picks on the Colgate
roster. Senior Alex Evin (1.63, .936) and sophomore Eric Mihalik
(3.69, .862) have shared the netminding so far.
LAST YEAR WITH CORNELL
11/19/10: Yale 4, Cornell 2; SOG: 29-17 Y; Y -
Broc Little 1 G 1 A
2/26/11: Yale 4, Cornell 1; SOG: 41-19 Y; Y
- Andrew Miller 2 G, Kenny Agostino 2 A
3/19/11: Yale 6, Cornell 0; SOG: 33-22 Y; Y
- Kevin Limbert 2 G, Denny Kearney 3 A,
Series: Yale 103 Shots,
Cornell 58, Andrew Miller 2 G 2 A
LAST YEAR WITH COLGATE
11/20/10: Yale 6, Colgate 4; SOG: 34-33 Y; Y -
Andrew Miller 1 G 1 A
2/25/11: Yale 1, Colgate 1 OT; SOG 40-32 Y; Y -
Andrew Miller 1 G
3/18/11: Yale 4, Colgate 0; SOG: 39-22 Y; Y -
Andrew Miller 1 G 2 A
Series: Yale 113 Shots,
Colgate 87 Shots, Andrew Miller 3 G, 3 A, Brian O'Neill 3 A,
Kenny Agostino 2 G, 1 A
NEW BLUE
The class of 2015 includes four forwards, three defensemen and a
goalie. Here are some quick facts on each newcomer: D Bennett
Carroccio was an EJHL All-Star for the Boston Jr.
Bruins… F Anthony Day scored 30 goals St. Francis
High School... D Tommy Fallen played on the U.S. Team
that captured gold at the 2010 World Junior A Challenge...
D Matt Killian notched 30 career goals at Delbarton
School... F Trent Ruffolo scored 129 points over 89 games
for the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs… F Alex
Ward was a three-sport star at Deerfield Academy… F
Nicholas Weberg played high school hockey in Minnesota while
skating for Team Norway U20s at the 2011 World Junior
Championships… G Connor Wilson, a goalie for Chicago in
the USHL, was a three-sport standout at the Berkshire School.
FIRSTS ON ROSTER
For the first time in the history of Yale hockey, an Eli roster
includes a Floridian (F Trent Ruffolo), a North Carolinian (G
Connor Wilson) and a skater from Norway (F Nicholas Weberg).
PERSPECTIVE ON LAST YEAR
Yale's 28 wins last year were a school record, four better than
the 2008-09 Elis. Yale's 17 ECAC wins equaled the record reached by
the 1997-98 team with an identical 17-4-1 mark. Yale's 35 ECAC
points tie the school record established by the 1997-98
Bulldogs.
LEAGUE WITHIN A CONFERENCE
Six members of ECAC Hockey compete for the Ivy League's Hobey
Baker Trophy, which is all that is on the line in this race. Yale
won its third straight (4th in 5 years) Ivy title by going 9-1 last
winter and having 18 points. Dartmouth was second with 13
points.
WHALE OF A TIME
The Whale (Ingalls Rink) has been a tough place for visitors in
recent years. Yale, which enjoyed its first undefeated (15-0-1,
only Division I team to do that) regular season at Ingalls last
winter, finished 17-1-1 at home. That is the most wins ever in New
Haven for a Yale team (The Blue went unbeaten at New Haven in
1928-29). The Bulldogs are 40-10-3 over the last three seasons at
the Whale and 12-10-3 in home ECAC playoff games all time.
SOLD OUT
Ingalls Rink was sold out for the last 12 games of the 2010-11
regular season. The Nov. 26 Boston College game is already sold
out, while only G.A. and S.R.O. tickets remain for contests with
Cornell, Harvard and Dartmouth.
NEW BLUE
The class of 2015 includes four forwards, three defensemen and a
goalie. Four of them suited up for both games last weekend. One had
a goal and another had an assist. Here are some quick facts on each
newcomer: D Bennett Carroccio was an EJHL All-Star for the Boston
Jr. Bruins… F Anthony Day scored 30 goals St. Francis High
School... D Tommy Fallen played on the U.S. Team that captured gold
at the 2010 World Junior A Challenge... D Matt Killian notched 30
career goals at Delbarton School... F Trent Ruffolo scored 129
points over 89 games for the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs… F
Alex Ward was a three-sport star at Deerfield Academy… F
Nicholas Weberg played high school hockey in Minnesota while
skating for Team Norway U20s at the 2011 World Junior
Championships… G Connor Wilson, a goalie for Chicago in the
USHL, was a three-sport standout at the Berkshire School.
FIRSTS ON ROSTER
For the first time in the history of Yale hockey, an Eli roster
includes a Floridian (F Trent Ruffolo), a North Carolinian (G
Connor Wilson) and a skater from Norway (F Nicholas Weberg).
PERSPECTIVE ON LAST YEAR
Yale's 28 wins last year were a school record, four better than
the 2008-09 Elis. Yale's 17 ECAC wins equaled the record reached by
the 1997-98 team with an identical 17-4-1 mark. Yale's 35 ECAC
points tie the school record established by the 1997-98
Bulldogs.
LEAGUE WITHIN A CONFERENCE
Six members of ECAC Hockey compete for the Ivy League's Hobey
Baker Trophy, which is all that is on the line in this race. Yale
won its third straight (4th in 5 years) Ivy title by going 9-1 last
winter and having 18 points. Dartmouth was second with 13
points.
MILLER TIME
A 2010-11 first-team All-ECAC pick, junior F Andrew Miller (70 gp,
17-62-79) had another outstanding season last year. Miller, voted
"best passer" by his teammates, had 12-33-45. He was No. 4 in the
nation with .97 assists per game (tops in ECAC). More impressive is
that 22 of his 33 assists were primary ones. His team-high 33
helpers (2nd best at Yale and five behind Mark Kaufmann '93) were a
sophomore school record while 45 points were second on the team. He
probably had his best offensive weekend as a collegian on Feb.
25-26 when he hit the net three times against Colgate/Cornell
combined. Miller (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), was 12th in the nation
with 1.29 points per contest and registered the most (34 as a
freshman) points by a Yale rookie since Tom Walsh set the bar with
41 in 1984-85. The speedy forward was the 2008-09 USA Junior Player
of the Year and 2007 Michigan High School Mr. Hockey. In 2009-10 he
was second among conference rookies with one point per game, which
also put him fourth in the country for newcomers. He ranked eighth
in Division I that year with .85 assists per outing.
CAPTAIN
2010-11 first-team All-ECAC selection Brian O'Neill (103gp,
48-69-117) was named captain of the Bulldogs last April. He has led
the team in scoring the last two seasons. That includes a
career-high three goals at Clarkson on Feb. 12, which helped him
rank 15th nationally with 1.29 points per game. He began 2010-11
with a 3-2-5 weekend in the two wins including 2-1-3 and the GWG
against Dartmouth on Oct. 30. The year before, he led the Elis with
29 assists and 45 points while ranking seventh in the country with
1.32 PPG. O'Neill (Yardley, Pa.), who was voted "most humorous" by
his teammates, made the 2008-09 CHN (national) and ECAC Hockey
All-Rookie teams after going 12-14-26 in 2008-09.
WHALE OF A TIME
The Whale (Ingalls Rink) has been a tough place for visitors in
recent years. Yale, which enjoyed its first undefeated (15-0-1,
only Division I team to do that) regular season at Ingalls last
winter, finished 17-1-1 at home. That is the most wins ever in New
Haven for a Yale team (The Blue went unbeaten at New Haven in
1928-29). The Bulldogs are 40-10-3 over the last three seasons at
the Whale and 12-10-3 in home ECAC playoff games all time.
SOLD OUT
Ingalls Rink was sold out for the last 12 games of the 2010-11
regular season. The Nov. 26 Boston College game is already sold
out, while only G.A. and S.R.O. tickets remain for contests with
Cornell, Harvard and Dartmouth.
NET
There are two returning goalies and both are juniors. Combined
they have 29 games played and 23 starts. Alta Loma, Calif.,
native Nick Maricic (2.29, .890) has five more games
played than Jeff Malcolm (2.75, .868), from
Lethbridge, Alb. Ryan Rondeau '11 owns some season and career
records after a 2010-11 campaign where he took almost all of the
work. Both returnees have seen quality and pressure-filled ice
time. Maricic saw some time in the NCAA Regional final last
March.
BLUE LINE
There are seven defensemen on the Yale roster: two seniors, a
junior, a sophomore and three freshmen. Three of the seven have a
depth of experience. SeniorsKevin Peel (Onoway, Alb.)
and Nick Jaskowiak (Bloomington, Minn.) have been
regulars since arriving in New Haven. Junior Colin
Dueck (Calgary, Alb.) became a mainstay last winter and
sophomore Gus Young (Dedham, Mass.) got in a few key
games as a rookie.
AGOSTINO
Yale sophomore forward Kenny Agostino was Yale's rookie of the
year last winter after scoring 11 goals and 25 points. Agostino,
the HCA National Rookie of the Month for January (8-4-12), was the
first Bulldog to receive that award. He was ECAC Hockey MLX Skates
Rookie of the Week on Jan. 23 (3 goals vs. Clarkson/SLU), becoming
the only Bulldog to earn conference rookie honors in 2010-11. The
former Delbarton School star had a goal and three assists before
the holiday break, and 10 goals and 11 assists after. He ranked
11th nationally among rookies with .86 points per game.
Agostino became the first Yale newcomer in 30 years to record five
points in one game on Jan. 2. He notched three goals and two
assists against Holy Cross and became the school's first freshman
to tally five points since former Olympian and NHL star Bob Brooke
'83 established the school rookie record against Dartmouth in
1980.
GEOGRAPHIC BALANCE
The Yale roster includes players from 13 different states and
three provinces. New York and Minnesota are represented by three
players from each state while Alberta brings in four players.
FROM WHENCE THEY CAME
The United States Hockey League contributed 10 players to the
Bulldog roster. There are four from the British Columbia Hockey
League, one from the Atlantic Junior Hockey League and another from
the Eastern Junior Hockey League. Ten Yale student-athletes came
directly from prep schools.
BULLDOG BITES
Nine different Yale players have one point each after two
games… Four Bulldogs have goals and four have
assists… All seven goals scored in the two Yale games last
weekend came in the second period… Yale outshot Princeton in
the OT 5-1… The Elis went 2-for-8 on the power play and
killed off all six opponent advantages.
filed by Steve Conn, Yale Sports Publicity Director
