Third-period goals by sophomore forward Ryan Walsh and senior defenseman Tim Rego and an empty-net goal by senior forward Kyle Penney avenged a 3-2 deficit to guide the No. 9-ranked Cornell men’s hockey team to a 5-3 victory over No. 6-ranked North Dakota before a crowd of 4,091 at Lynah Rink on Saturday night.
Walsh paced the Big Red offense with a three-point night, registering one goal and two assists. Sophomore forward Jake Kraft and Rego also logged multi-point nights, scoring a goal and adding an assist. Senior forward Jack O’Leary also scored for Cornell, who has won opened each of its last two seasons with two-game sweeps of NCHC opponents.
Senior goaltender Ian Shane stopped 25 of 28 shots to break his tie with Brian Cropper ’71 for the sixth-most wins by a Cornell goaltender in program history.
North Dakota freshman forward Sacha Boisvert led the Fighting Hawks (3-4-0) with a two-point outing, scoring a goal and chipping in a helper. Dylan James and Louis Jamernik V also potted markers for the Fighting Hawks. Hobie Hedquist shoved aside 23 of the 27 shots he faced between the pipes.
GAME NOTES
• Saturday was the 12th all-time meeting between Cornell and North Dakota, with the Big Red increasing its lead in the series over the Fighting Hawks, 7-5-0. Cornell has won six of the last seven meetings against North Dakota.
• Cornell upped its record to 15-3-1 over its last 19 games against opponents ranked within the top six of the USCHO.com poll. Over its last 14 games against opponents ranked in the top six, Cornell has allowed just 15 goals while posting an 11-3-0 record.
• Shane has posted an 12-3-0 record over the last 15 meetings against opponents ranked No. 6 or better, logging a 1.19 goals-against average and a .957 save percentage, stopping 400 of the 418 shots he has faced across his 908:49 of action between the pipes.
• With his win, Shane broke his tie with Brian Cropper ’71 to assume sole possession of sixth place for the most career wins by a Big Red goaltender. Nationally, Shane remains one of three active Division I goaltenders with 50-plus career victories, joining Western Michigan graduate student Cameron Rowe (56) and Wisconsin graduate student Tommy Scarfone (56).
MOST GOALTENDER WINS
Cornell Program History
1. Ken Dryden (1966-69) — 76
T2. David McKee (2003-06) — 65
T2. Ben Scrivens (2006-10) — 65
4. Matthew Galajda (2017-20) — 60
5. Andy Iles (2010-14) — 58
6. Ian Shane (2021-Present) — 51
7. Brian Cropper (1968-71) — 50
• Behind his 25-save effort, Shane surpassed John Detwiler ’60 for the 14th-most saves in Cornell program history. Shane (1,701 saves) is 44 away from tying Laing Kennedy ’63 for the 13th-most saves in program history. The former Big Red goaltender turned athletic director made 1,745 saves during his tenure with Cornell from 1960-63.
UP NEXT
Cornell will continue its four-game, season-opening homestand when it welcomes Yale (0-2-0) and Brown to Lynah Rink next weekend to commence ECAC Hockey and Ivy League play. Both contests will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and be carried over the airwaves on WHCU (870 AM, 97.7 FM).
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.