Utilizing its effective shutdown defense, the No. 6-seeded Cornell men’s hockey team (16-10-6) contained a potent Colgate offense, shutting out the No. 3-seeded Raiders (18-15-3) on Saturday night, 3-0, to sweep the best-of-three quarterfinal series at the Class of 1965 Arena.
Junior forward Dalton Bancroft (goal and assist) and senior defenseman Michael Suda (two assists) registered multi-point nights, aiding senior goaltender Ian Shane to a 21-save shutout and breaking his tie with Ken Dryden ’69 for the fourth-most shutouts in Cornell program history.
Senior forward Sullivan Mack tallied the game-winning goal, and freshman forward Charlie Major added a third-period power-play goal to round out the scoring for the Big Red, who will be making the trip to Lake Placid for the third consecutive season and the sixth time since 2017.
Colgate’s Andrew Takacs made 19 saves in the setback for the Raiders, who were held without a goal for the first time since Nov. 12, 2022, snapping its Division I-leading 100-game scoring streak.
Box Score
Mack gave Cornell a 1-0 lead 6:37 into the contest on a nifty spin move to get past Colgate defender Antonio Fernandez. Senior defenseman Michael Suda and junior forward Dalton Bancroft had the assists after quick successive in-direct passes off the boards.
Following a scoreless second period, Cornell doubled its lead with two seconds left on a power play with a shot by Major from the bottom of the near-side faceoff circle, beating Takacs to his short side.
Following Major’s goal, Colgate had four power-play opportunities in the third period, but the Big Red would play stifling defense as it had all night, allowing six shots on goal and blocking five Raiders shots.
Cornell was awarded a goal with nine seconds left on the power play and 28 seconds left in the contest as a Colgate defender jumped over the boards to prevent Bancroft from continuing his breakaway attempt toward an empty net.
Of the Big Red’s 15 blocked shots on the night, 11 occurred in the third period.
GAME NOTES
• Saturday marked the 172nd meeting between Cornell and Colgate as the Big Red increased its lead in the series to 92-63-17.
• Cornell now boasts a 7-2-1 record inside the Class of 1965 Arena and is 13-3-2 over its last 19 games played in Hamilton.
• The shutout was Cornell’s first against Colgate since it strung the last of three consecutive shutouts against the Raiders on Jan. 20, 2018.
• Shane’s shutout was the 14th of his collegiate career, breaking his tie with Cornell Athletics and Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Ken Dryden ’69.
MOST GOALTENDER SHUTOUTS
Cornell Program History
T1. Ben Scrivens (2006-10) – 19
T1. Matthew Galajda (2017-20) – 19
3. David McKee (2003-06) – 18
4. Ian Shane (2021-Present) – 14
5. Ken Dryden (1966-69) – 13
• With Saturday’s win, Cornell improved to 11-3 all-time against Colgate in the ECAC Hockey Championship.
• Cornell also increased its all-time mark in the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals to 62-21-3 (.738). The Big Red has won its last six games in the round, marking the program’s longest win streak within the playoff round since collecting six straight wins between March 6, 1979, and March 7, 1986.
LONGEST WIN STREAKS IN ECAC QUARTERFINALS
Cornell Program History
• 12 games, March 8, 1966 – March 8, 1977
• 6 games, March 6, 1979 – March 7, 1986
• 6 games, March 10, 2023 – Present
• 5 games, March 2, 1990 – March 7, 1992
• 5 games, March 14, 2009 – March 11, 2011
• Having the secondary assist on Mack’s first-period goal, senior defenseman Michael Suda has recorded assists in his last four games, extending his career-long point and assist streaks. Suda’s multi-assist night was his third career game with multiple helpers.
• Along with Suda, Major extended his point streak to a season-long four games, recording five points (two goals, three assists) during the stretch.
• With his 21-save performance, Shane increased his career total to 2,219, surpassing David McKee for seventh all-time in Cornell program history. He enters next weekend’s championship round six saves away from tying Brian Hayward for sixth and nine saves shy of matching Corrie D’Alessio for fifth place.
GOALTENDERS WITH 2,000 SAVES
Cornell Program History
1. Andy Iles (2010-14) – 2,988 saves
2. Ben Scrivens (2006-10) – 2,872 saves
3. Jason Elliott (1994-98) – 2,462 saves
4. Mitch Gillam (2013-17) – 2,403 saves
5. Corrie D’Alessio (1987-91) – 2,228 saves
6. Brian Hayward (1978-82) – 2,225 saves
7. Ian Shane (2021-Present) – 2,219 saves
8. David McKee (2003-06) – 2,208 saves
9. Darren Eliot (1979-83) – 2,143 saves
10. Matt Underhill (1998-02) – 2,052 saves
UP NEXT
Cornell will return to Lake Placid, N.Y., where it will play in the ECAC Hockey semifinals at the 1980 Rink – Herb Brooks Arena on Friday, March 21. The Big Red’s opponent will be determined following Sunday afternoon’s winner-take-all game between No. 2-seeded Clarkson (22-11-3) and No. 7-seeded Harvard (13-16-3) at Cheel Arena in Potsdam, N.Y.
With a Harvard victory, the Big Red would play No. 5-seeded Dartmouth (18-12-2), while a Clarkson victory would pit Cornell against top-seeded Quinnipiac (24-10-2).
Next Friday’s semifinal game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and carried over the airwaves on WHCU (870 AM, 97.7 FM, cortacatoday.com).
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].